Shaquille O'Neal Reveals the Truth Behind His Live TV Bathroom Break

Shaquille O’Neal, the towering former NBA star, recently addressed his unexpected departure from TNT’s Inside the NBA during a live broadcast last month.

In April, O’Neal made headlines when he quietly excused himself mid-show, telling his cohosts, “Go ahead, keep talking,” before making his way off set. Kenny Smith, one of his cohosts, humorously remarked, “That’s that olive oil you’ve been drinking,” referencing Shaq’s unusual health regimen.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 22, O’Neal was asked about the incident. Initially, he downplayed the urgency of his exit. “I was drinking a lot of water that day,” he stated. “I know I had the number-two run, but it was really a number one.”

However, moments later, he confessed to Fallon, “I just made a mistake. I lied to you on national TV. It wasn’t a number-one run; it was a number-two run. I had to go so bad!”

As for the olive oil? O’Neal explained, “I’m drinking olive oil because I want to be sexy. That’s what it said on Instagram. [It] said if you drink olive oil for 14 days, it clears stuff out, gets you a flat stomach. So I was trying it.”

The bathroom break sparked laughter among his cohosts. Smith quipped, “He’s been drinking olive oil to clean his gut… he’s cleaning his gut all right.” Ernie Johnson Jr. chimed in with disbelief, “That was a first… that wasn’t something planned, was it?” He added humorously, “I didn’t like his gait as he left; that was not a typical walk right there.”

In jest, Smith suggested, “Please turn his mic off.” The following night on Inside the NBA, O’Neal’s cohosts surprised him with a portable toilet on set.

This isn’t the first time O’Neal has left his cohosts in shock. Earlier this year, he displayed his bare feet on air, prompting strong reactions from his colleagues. Johnson remarked, “Look at those nails, man,” while Smith compared Shaq’s feet to those of a bald eagle.

The state of O’Neal’s feet was so distracting that Charles Barkley struggled to transition into the next segment, saying, “I need time to say something serious, but I can’t do it right now.”