Tom Hanks dropped an f-bomb on Good Morning America today, but the incident appears to have been purely accidental as the actor’s embarrassed reaction reveals.

Tom Hanks’ f-bomb occurred during a chat with host Elizabeth Vargas on the release of his new film, Cloud Atlas. Hanks was discussing the many different roles played in the film, and, as he talked about the characters, he slipped into the role to demonstrate.

Tom Hanks actually dropped the f-bomb when showing off his British accent chops. The incident may actually have been a case of “don’t think of elephants,” because Hanks joked just before the embarrassing cussing slip-up that he might say the f-word when assuming the character’s voice.

And say the f-word he did. Tom Hanks’ f-bomb followed shortly thereafter, when less than ten words into the character’s comment, Hanks referenced his “f***in’ boots.” Vargas and Hanks immediately both began to apologize, and Hanks said:

“I’m sorry, I slipped into a brand of acting … I have never done that before. I want to apologize to the kids in America that are watching this right now. And let me say that the next time I’m on the show, there will be a seven-second delay.”

The veteran and beloved actor then joked that the f-bomb was the fault of the crew, quipping:

“Never give me a hand-held mike, that’s all I can … I blame the staff.”

As soon as the news of Tom Hanks’ f-bomb began to circulate, ABC released a statement so hasty they apparently didn’t have time to censor it. The network apologized, saying:

“This morning Tom Hanks accidently [sic] used an expletive during a live interview on ‘GMA’ with Elizabeth Vargas. They both immediately apologized on air, and the show was corrected for the all subsequent feeds.”

Did you catch Tom Hanks dropping an f-bomb live on morning TV?

Whoops! Tom Hanks Drops F-Bomb On GMA, America’s Sweetheart Apologies is a post from: The Inquisitr