Actor and comedian Steve Rannazzisi — best known for his starring role in seven seasons of the hit FX drama The League — has long claimed that he was inspired to begin his comedy career after surviving a harrowing experience at the World Trade Center on 9/11. On Tuesday, after being confronted about inconsistencies in his story by The New York Times, he confessed that his story was a fabrication.
"I was not at the Trade Center on that day. I don't know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry," he said in a statement issued by his publicist.
Rannazzisi had previously claimed he had worked as an account manager for Merrill Lynch on the 54th floor of the World Trade Center's south tower during 9/11. When the first plane hit the north tower, he said, he was "jostled all over the place"; in fear, he ran down to the street, arriving on the ground just minutes before the second plane hit the south tower. He claimed to have been so shaken by the experience that it inspired him to move to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of a career in comedy.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In reality, Rannazzisi was working in Midtown Manhattan, blocks away from the World Trade Center. And he wasn't working for Merrill Lynch, which has no record of his employment, and didn't have an office in either World Trade Center tower.
In his statement, Rannazzisi says his fabricated story "was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones" on 9/11.
"The stupidity and guilt I have felt for many years has not abated. It was an early taste of having a public persona, and I made a terrible mistake," he said. "All I can ask is for forgiveness."
-
The 9 restaurants to eat at this very momentThe Week Recommends They’re award-winning. Isn’t that reason enough?
-
The UK’s opioid crisis: why the stats don’t add upThe Explainer A new report has revealed that the UK’s total of opioid-related deaths could be much greater than official figures show
-
Gaza genocide: will UN ruling change anything?Today's Big Question Commission of Inquiry’s findings ‘give unprecedented weight’ to genocide claims
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
