The Rock Knew First: Dwayne Johnson's Accidental Leak of Osama Bin Laden's Death

On the night of May 2, 2011, history was being made in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. While the world waited with bated breath for an official announcement from the White House, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, found himself in an astonishingly awkward position: he knew the news before the public, and he tweeted about it. 

Johnson later recounted the story with his signature flair, detailing the unexpected calls that put him ahead of the global news cycle.

The Insider Tip and the Premature Tweet

According to Johnson's recollection, the whole incident unfolded like a scene from one of his action movies:

• The First Call: Johnson received a call from "a friend of a friend" delivering a monumental piece of information. The caller allegedly told him, "Hey, this thing happened."

• The Presidential Timeline: He was informed that the President at the time, Barack Obama, was scheduled to make his major address to the nation in about 20 minutes.

• The Tweet: Believing the news was about to break officially, Johnson took to Twitter. At roughly the 25-minute mark, he posted a message that, in retrospect, confirmed the raid's success, likely before any major news outlet had the confirmed story. 

The Awkward Follow-Up

The celebrity's social media celebration was cut short by a swift second call that revealed he had jumped the gun:

• The Second Call: He received a follow-up call informing him of the delay: “Yeah, the president didn’t go on yet.”

• The Realization: This is when Johnson realized his error. He recalled his reaction with genuine exasperation: “Oh sh*t.”

While the content of his initial tweet wasn't explicitly stated in this quote, reports from that night confirm he tweeted a message hinting at a massive, positive event for America shortly before President Obama addressed the nation confirming the death of Osama bin Laden. 

The Aftermath: A Social Media Milestone

The moment became an instant piece of modern history—a landmark example of how quickly information, even the most sensitive, can leak in the age of social media. While The Rock has often alluded to having powerful connections, the exact source of his tip remains a topic of speculation, with theories often pointing toward a connection to the military or intelligence community given the nature of the mission (Operation Neptune Spear).

The incident serves as a lasting, slightly humorous footnote to one of the most significant counter-terrorism operations in American history, forever tying Dwayne Johnson to the dramatic evening President Obama finally announced, "We can confirm that the United States carried out an operation that killed Osama bin Laden."