On May 1, 2011, Johnson wrote: “Just got word that will shock the world – Land of the free…home of the brave DAMN PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
During an interview on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, the host asked him directly about that night and how he got the news so early.
The former WWE champion explained: “I’ve got a friend of a friend who gave me a call. The call was like, ‘Hey, this thing happened’. And I said, ‘Okay, wonderful news’.”

He recalled the moment, saying: “I get a second call, and the call is, ‘Yeah, the president didn’t go on yet’. And I went, ‘Oh s***’.”

He added more context at the time, saying: “I got friends in high places and low places. It was a very interesting day…the individuals who were there were proud to let me know.”