Haley Joel Osment is convinced that Kendrick Lamar’s mention of Joel Osteen in his track “Euphoria” was no mistake. During a recent interview with the Associated Press at the premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s film Blink Twice, the 36-year-old actor shared his thoughts on the controversial lyric. In the song, Kendrick references Osteen alongside Osment’s famous roles in A.I. and The Sixth Sense, leading some to wonder if the names were accidentally swapped. However, others believe Kendrick deliberately used the two names to enhance the meaning of the verse.
Osment, whose line “I see dead people” from The Sixth Sense was previously quoted by Kendrick in “Not Like Us,” recounted the moment he first heard about the lyric. “I was filming in Ireland when the song dropped, and I suddenly got bombarded with texts in the middle of the night,” Osment said. “I had no idea what was happening.”
When asked if he thought the mix-up was intentional, Haley Joel Osment said he believes Kendrick knew exactly what he was doing. “I think he’s too precise for it to be a mistake,” Osment remarked. “I can’t say for certain that he knows my exact name, but based on what I’ve read and how people have analyzed it, I think Kendrick deliberately played with our names. He’s too careful with his words to just slip up like that.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, The Sixth Sense continues to be a cultural touchstone, earning multiple Oscar nominations and leaving a lasting impact on film history. Osment, meanwhile, has several new projects lined up, including Blink Twice and the comedy Drugstore June. As for Drake, he’s been keeping fans on their toes with his latest release, “100 gigs for your headtop.”