Haha exactly that was what happened (I guess). My mistake was not only pushing the .env file but also how I stored my Laravel files in the server leaving everything in a public directory where everyone can access to it... :Facepalm:
Is there an automated strategy that protects against slipups like this?
echo -e >>~/.config/git/config '[core]\n excludesFile = ~/.config/git/gitignore'
echo >>~/.config/git/gitignore '.env'