Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently joined the “Awards Chatter” podcast to talk about his acting career, but he was also asked about the time he accidentally revealed the death of Osama bin Laden, before then-President Barack Obama could announce it himself.

Obama announced the US operation that killed the mastermind behind 9/11 during a late-night televised address on May 1, 2011, from the East Room of the White House. However, Johnson learned the news beforehand and could not remain silent.

“Here’s the thing,” Johnson said on the podcast, which was recorded live at Chapman University and moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg. “I got a call and they said, ‘Hey, this happened.’ And I said, ‘Okay, wonderful news.’”

He continued, “And on the call they told me that the president at that time was going to give his speech in 20 minutes or whatever. So I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ So 20 minutes go by and around the 25th minute mark, I tweet this.”

The post read: “I just received news that will shock the world: the land of the free…home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” While he did not directly confirm the news, it served as confirmation of the rabid speculation that existed at the time surrounding Obama’s speech.

“Then I get a second call,” Johnson told Feinberg. “And the call is, ‘Yeah, the president hasn’t moved on yet.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, shit.’”

Johnson did not reveal his source, but previously said he has
Johnson did not reveal his source, but previously said he has “friends in high places.”

Stewart Cook/A24/Getty Images

Johnson chose not to name his source on the call, describing them as “a friend of a friend.” However, he told Moviefone in 2012 that he has “friends in high places” and that “the people who were there” had informed him.

Obama continued with the speech.

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that complex in Abbottabad, Pakistan.” Obama said. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary bravery and skill. No Americans were injured.”

“After a shootout, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body,” he continued.