Pluribus’ (SPOILER) Cameo Was Amazing, And One Star Blew My Mind With His Story About Filming That Scene

by

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the most recent episode of Pluribus, available on Apple TV for subscribers!

Most of the first season of Pluribus has followed Rhea Seehorn’s character as the only human we really see, even though she’s often with the Others. But Episode 6, “HDP,” switched things up and took us to Las Vegas to focus on another surviving human, Samba Schutte’s character, Koumba Diabaté. Koumba is optimistic and positive, which is quite different from Carol’s generally grumpy personality. And the biggest surprise of the episode? John Cena showed up!

Even though it was a brief appearance by the real John Cena, it wasn’t actually him that Koumba and Carol saw delivering a surprisingly funny explanation. It’s pretty strange to watch a WWE star casually explain why they need to use human bodies as food – something you definitely wouldn’t see on shows like Law & Order or Sesame Street.

Samba Schutte discussed his impressive recent appearance on TopMob – and hinted it might be the first of several – and I was curious how John Cena became involved. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a spontaneous addition; Cena was always planned to be part of the episode. As Schutte explained:

I was so excited when I found out John Cena was going to be in the script – I actually screamed! I’m a huge fan, and I thought it was perfect casting for him to deliver a line like, ‘We’re cannibals, but we have to be.’

Honestly, I don’t think Carol reacted much to the bizarre experience of John Cena delivering such shocking news. But as someone watching, I found it strangely captivating – it really got my attention!

Even though John Cena’s cameo was confirmed when Samba Schutte read the script, the scene hadn’t been filmed yet. However, he and Rhea Seehorn weren’t acting against nothing – there was someone else on set! As Schutte explained, a different actor actually delivered the lines explaining the cannibal storyline.

During filming, it was actually Vince Gilligan himself who made a video explaining why the characters were consuming human remains – he filmed himself holding a milk carton to illustrate it! Seeing that for the first time while we were shooting the scene was incredibly funny for Rhea and me. It was like Vince was directly telling us, ‘We’re eating people, but it’s a matter of survival.’ It was just him the whole time, which was amazing – I’m a huge fan, and it felt as exciting as if John Cena had been the one to deliver the message.

Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Pluribus (and co-creator of Better Call Saul), was the first to share all the specifics with Carol and Koumba. But was it the actual Vince Gilligan, or a different version of him? It would be amazing if Gilligan wrote himself into the show as one of the people who survived!

If I needed someone to convince me of something truly bizarre – like all deceased people being transformed into a golden, life-giving liquid – I wouldn’t put up much of a fight if John Cena and Gilligan were explaining it. I’d also trust Al Pacino, the actors from Futurama while playing their characters, and surprisingly, just Penn & Teller’s Teller. I’d even add Samba Schutte to that group; he just has a naturally warm and comforting presence.

It’s been a busy year for John Cena! He was replaced by aliens in Pluribus, played a role in taking down a racist alternate reality in Peacemaker, teamed up with Idris Elba to protect the nation in Prime Video’s Head of State, and is currently doing a farewell tour with WWE. Hopefully, the show’s creators will continue to use him to deliver surprising news in the future.

The first season of Pluribus is almost over, with just three episodes remaining and set to release over the next three Fridays. The good news is Season 2 is confirmed, but its release date in 2026 is still a mystery. Perhaps some former WWE performers have inside information.

Read More

2025-12-07 00:08