Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Shaquille O'Neal went viral in April when he ran off the set ofInside the NBAto use the bathroom The former NBA star opened up about the incident during an interview onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon O'Neal told Fall that "olive oil" was to blame for his sudden bathroom emergency Shaquille O'Nealis breaking the seal on what actually happened duringa viral segmentonInside the NBA. On April 21, during a live broadcast ofInside the NBA, the 53-year-old basketball hall of famer suddenly scurried off the studio set with an apparent bathroom emergency. The incident immediately sent his co-hostsCharles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson into a laughing fit as they teased O'Neal about his mid-show bathroom crisis, while a clip of the incident later went viral on social media. "He's been drinking olive oil to clean his gut, he's cleaning his gut all right," Smith quipped before O'Neal later explained, "That was my number one, drinking that water." As he returned to his seat, he apologized by saying, "Sorry about that, America." NBA on TNT/X The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! On Thursday, May 22, the four-time NBA championappearedonThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonand explained to the host what really went down during that on-air gaffe. "I was drinking a lot of water that day, so I know I had the No. 2 run but it was really a No. 1, let's just get that out the way," O'Neal told Fallon, 50, while also noting he had been drinking a lot of olive oil at the time. "What is going on? And why were you drinking olive oil?" Fallon asked. "I'm drinking olive oil because I want to be sexy," O'Neal replied, pointing to himself. "That's what it said on Instagram, it said if you drink olive oil for 14 days, it'll clear stuff out and you'll get yourself a flat stomach. So, I was trying it." Fallon broke out into laughter at the explanation. "Oh my god," he said before telling the retired athlete he didn't need to take part in the olive oil trend, which has spread on social media in recent years after various celebrities have said they've adopted the daily routine for a variety of reasons. Consuming a couple tablespoons of olive oil a day can provide some health benefits, according toThe Cleveland Clinic. While laughing about theInside the NBAincident, O'Neal suddenly confessed to Fallon that he had just lied during their interview: "Okay, I just made a mistake. I lied to you on national television." Shaq had to hustle out of Studio J 🤣😅pic.twitter.com/HcAXHjqUki — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT)April 22, 2025 Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "What'd you say?" Fallon asked, before O'Neal went on to reveal, "It wasn't a No. 1 run, it was a No. 2 run. I had to go bad. Oh, I had to go so bad! I had to go so bad!"Fallon erupted into laughter again while his guest continued, asking, "Did you see me squeeze my butt cheeks when I was running?!" Fallon then showed the audience a picture of what happened the next night onInside the NBAwhen producers rolled out a portable toilet next to the panelists' desk for host to use in case of another emergency. The late night host then calledInside the NBA"one of the most entertaining shows" on television right now. "I like it because I never know what's going to happen," Fallon said. "Nothing's predictable." Read the original article onPeople
