Anyone old enough to remember the September 11 attacks knows exactly where they were when the first plane hit the North Tower. The world changed forever that day. Unfortunately for comedian Pete Davidson, a native New Yorker, his dad died in the attacks. Davidson’s father was a firefighter trying to save lives at ground zero when the towers collapsed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, some people lied about where they were on 9/11 and this includes comedian Steve Rannazzisi.
Steve Rannazzisi was known for ‘The League’
Things were going well for Rannazzisi in 2009, according to the Washington Post. The budding comedian had just gotten into the game, yet he was already on an FFX show. He was being interviewed by Marc Marin thanks to the premiere of his show, The League. That’s impressive.
His first credits came in 2003 when he played a field agent on Punk’d. To go from nobody to TV star in just eight years is no easy feat. Some actors and comedians work their whole lives for that type of recognition.
Rannazzisi claimed that he got into comedy after almost perishing in 9/11. He told Marin that he was working for Merrill Lynch in the South tower on that sunny September day. Rannazzisi described in detail running for his life through the streets of Manhattan. But it turns out none of that was true.
Steve Rannazzisi lied about his 9/11 experience
Even Rannazzisi doesn’t seem to know why he lied about his experiences on 9/11. He had just recently moved to New York and was working in midtown Manhattan that morning.
Maybe it was for the attention, or to truly feel part of the city. He couldn’t really explain his motivation. Once people started doubting his story, Rannazzisi came clean and posted an apology to his Twitter. In part, it read “I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry.”
Rannazzisi didn’t get off easy for his lie. He was essentially canceled, before ‘cancel culture’ was even a thing. His personal website was taken down, and Davidson called him out on social media. Although later interviews have revealed Davidson has mixed feelings about the comedian he once respected, he did not take kindly to Rannazzisi’s lie.
What has Steve Rannazzisi done since?
Rannazzisi has had a few small roles since being called out for lying in 2015. It seems like his career isn’t dead in the water, but he hasn’t landed anything as big as The League. According to IMDb, he had bit parts in three TV shows in 2017, including Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Then, in 2018, Rannazzisi had two credits. One for a small role in a TV show, and one for Avengers of Justice: Farce Wars, where he played SuperBat. Rannazzisi had one credit each for 2019 and 2020, so it almost seems like he’s getting less work as time goes on.
According to his Instagram, he’ll be appearing in a small show in Houston in November. It seems like he may be focusing on stand-up now, and staying off TV. His personal website has a ‘Tour’ tab and claims he will be in Milwaukee this month.
As far as his personal wife, it’s unclear if he’s still married. At the time his lie was uncovered, it was discovered he also lied about his wife’s whereabouts that day. He claimed she’d been heading to a temp gig in the South Tower, but didn’t make it for some reason, saving her life. In reality, she was on her way to the World Financial Center, which is different than the World Trade Center.
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