Overview
- Johnson recounted on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast that he received a call saying bin Laden had been killed and that the president would speak shortly.
- He posted a patriotic message on Twitter at 10:24 p.m. ET on May 1, 2011, roughly 71 minutes before President Barack Obama’s televised confirmation around 11:35 p.m.
- Johnson said he expected the speech within about 20 minutes and realized his mistake when a follow-up call noted the president had not begun speaking.
- He has declined to identify the caller, echoing a 2012 remark that he has “friends in high places and low places” and offering no independent corroboration of the source.
- Reports also point out that Navy Reserve intelligence officer Keith Urbahn tweeted a more specific hint minutes before Johnson, illustrating multiple unofficial leaks ahead of the announcement.