Sammy “The Bull” Gravano revealed why he turned on John Gotti in a new interview with Sean Hannity.
“I said, ‘F*** the Mafia, f*** the oath, and f*** John Gotti. I’m switching sides,’” Gravano said.
Gravano, Gotti’s former underboss, discussed the hit against Paul “Big Paul” Castellano, the Mafia’s blood oath, his prison years, and his Christian faith on FOX News Media’s Hang Out with Sean Hannity podcast. He said he turned on Gotti after realizing Gotti’s lawyers planned to make him the fall guy in the Castellano case.
His testimony helped prosecutors secure a life sentence against Gotti, who was convicted in 1992 of murder, racketeering, and other crimes. Gravano had admitted to participating in 19 murders as part of his cooperation with the government.
“I’m 55 years old with a rat label,” Gravano said. “Do I want to go in a witness unit? No.”
Gravano also revisited the December 1985 hit on Castellano outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. Gravano said he and Gotti watched from a nearby vehicle as the shooting unfolded.
“You’re gonna kill the boss of bosses?”
Sammy “The Bull” Gravano on the plot to kill Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano.
Full episode out Tuesday on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. pic.twitter.com/OnfLujg8FQ
— Sean Hannity
(@seanhannity) August 16, 2026
“The whole Mafia was shaken by this,” Gravano told Hannity, describing the reaction to the brazen killing. “They thought we were crazy. They were scared of us.”
The killing was a pivotal moment in Gotti’s rise to power. Castellano and his driver, Thomas Bilotti, were shot dead outside the restaurant, and Gotti was formally recognized as the Gambino boss weeks later.
Gravano also recalled being asked to help kill Castellano, who he described as effectively the “boss of bosses” because of his influence over the Mafia Commission.
“Killing the boss of bosses is not a favor,” Gravano said. “This is a big deal.”
He said members were taught that the Mafia came before virtually everything else in their lives, including their families. “They tell you this brotherhood is above God, country, and your personal family,” Gravano said.
Gravano said his perspective eventually changed after years of prison and encounters with Christianity. He said he spent more than 23 years of his life incarcerated, and ultimately came to believe that he could be forgiven for his past.
“I did my time with judges and lawyers and cops and agents and everything like that,” Gravano said. “I had a horrible life with a lot of scars.”
He recalled hearing a pastor speak in California and eventually attending church, where the pastor encouraged him to embrace Christianity.
“He said, ‘Your story … Jesus will forgive you,’” Gravano recalled.