'Don't Look Up' director says the movie's PSA number going to a sex hotline was accidental: 'We in no way planned it'

• Adam McKay said it was a "pure accident" that the 1-800 PSA number is a sex hotline.
• "That's just a random phone number," he said.

"Don't Look Up" director Adam McKay has no idea how the 1-800 number shown in the movie went to a sex hotline.

In the middle of the Netflix dark comedy about how the world reacts when two astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) discover that a giant comet will destroy Earth, a fake PSA ad plays urging people who have questions to call a 1-800 number.

"Maybe, just maybe one of our scientists ... can be that friend we all need to lean on during uncertain times," DiCaprio's Dr. Randall Mindy says to the screen during the commercial while in the background a concerned housewife calls the number in her kitchen.

"Call 1-800-532-4500 for peace of mind," he continues.

Well, people actually did, and earlier this month social media timelines filled with people reacting to what they heard on the other line — a woman's voice saying: "Welcome to America's hottest hotline. Guys, hot ladies are waiting to talk to you. Press one now. Ladies, to talk to interesting and exciting guys free, press two to connect free now."

(Insider called the number earlier this month and can confirm it was a mock sex hotline. Currently, the number is disconnected.)

When Insider brought up the number to McKay in a recent interview, he was puzzled by how it got in the movie. Though, he admitted there was a moment when there was a plan to create a real phone number.

"We were going to set up a line for that," McKay said. "But we didn't think of doing it until the end and we didn't have enough time to get our own phone number so that's just a random phone number."

"We in no way planned it being a sex hotline," he continued. "Pure accident."

McKay went on to say that perhaps someone put in the number behind his back, but quickly walked it back.

"Unless someone at Netflix or our graphics house picked it and I didn't know about it, I have no idea," he said. "In fact, no way. They wouldn't have done that on purpose."

Netflix declined to comment for this story.

"Don't Look Up" is currently available on Netflix.