Barack Obama laughed at controversial b.n La.en joke

In an awkwardly timed moment, Barack Obama was filmed laughing at a joke about Osama bin Laden made by comedian Seth Myers during a White House dinner, just hours before bin Laden’s death. The incident took place on May 1, 2011, at a dinner hosted to maintain normalcy while secret plans for a military operation against bin Laden were underway. The footage is featured in the Netflix documentary “American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden,” which covers the U.S. mission to kill the Al-Qaeda leader responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

The attack on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, dubbed Operation Neptune Spear, was launched the very next day. CIA Director Leon Panetta shared in the documentary how everyone had to attend the dinner to avoid suspicion, despite the mission’s stress. Obama, who had just remarked “What a week,” laughed at Myers’ joke about bin Laden hosting a show on CSPAN. Panetta later recalled how surreal it felt knowing what would unfold hours later, while the public was oblivious. The mission, led by Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill, successfully killed bin Laden, with Obama later announcing the mission’s success and bin Laden’s burial at sea.