Jason Momoa told Jimmy Kimmel while appearing on his show he has been wearing traditional Hawaiin clothing to prepare for his new Apple TV+ series, Chief of War.
But he gave more than just an explanation for the studio audience.
During the interview, Kimmel brought out a photograph of Momoa deep sea fishing and inquired about his scantily-clad manner of dress as audiences ooh'd and ahh'd.
Kimmel observed:
"None of the other guys are wearing one of these."
To which Momoa responded:
"That's a traditional Malo, it's what the Hawaiians wear."
The Aquaman actor mentioned he was serving as producer and actor in Chief of War, which takes place around "1780s, 1790s Hawaii."
"That's what I wear every day," he said, gesturing to the photo of him.
"I was just getting into the role 'cause I like getting into character, and so I was tanning my white a**."
"It was a second—you go past and he just happened to take a little photo."
Little did the audience know they catch more than a glimpse of what was shown in the "little photo."
You can see the Momoa show Kimmel his Malo here.
Jason Momoa Strips Down to Traditional Hawaiian Malo, Talks About New Tattoo & Working with LeBronyoutu.be
Kimmel joked about how the fish might feel betrayed after seeing Aquaman fishing but become shocked after noticing the hook.
"We thought you were our friend," said the host, voicing the fish.
After remarking that he likes fishing but never wears anything close to what Momoa is wearing in the photo, he asked:
"And that's comfortable?"
Momoa replied:
"Oh my God, yes. I actually don't even like wearing clothes anymore."
"I'm in it every day. I wear it all the time."
And what better segue than that to give the audience an opportunity to bear witness.
"Are you wearing this under your clothes right now?" Kimmel prodded, adding:
"Is it made out of leather? I'm having a hard time figuring out what it's..."
But before he could finish his inquiry, the 6'4 tall actor rose to his feet, began disrobing, and eventually dropped trou to reveal his Malo.
The audience lost it, especially after Momoa gave a little spin to reveal his tuchus.
The live thirst trap moment caused quite a commotion on Twitter.
You can see some of the reactions–many of which were hilariously appropriate GIFs–here.
Momoa is an Indigenous Hawai'ian man, whose father is of Native Hawai'ian ancestry.
He has also stated his mother is of German and Irish heritage and self-identifies as having Pawnee ancestry.
According to Deadline, Chief of War is about "the epic and unprecedented telling of the unification and colonization of Hawaii from an indigenous point of view."
The project marks Momoa's debut as a writer for TV.
The 43-year-old told PEOPLE:
"My partner and I, Thomas Pa'a Sibbett, are co-creators."
"[The show is] written by two Hawaiians, all eight [episodes] and then we hired Doug Jung who's our showrunner and he's amazing,"
Momoa didn't release further details about additional casting or the directors involved, but he did mention the show was "my Braveheart or Last of the Mohicans."
He proudly declared:
"This is everything I have. I'm writing, producing, acting, and directing. Everything's in it."
"It's my whole heart, going back to my people."
You can see the full interview with Momoa here:
Jason Momoa Strips Down to Traditional Hawaiian Malo, Talks About New Tattoo & Working with LeBronyoutu.be
