Anothing Person Caught Lying About Surviving 9/11

[groundsupport]

This piece of crap.



You can read his tweets here.

Comedian#@Steve Rannazzisi#@Admits He Lied About Being in the World Trade Center on#@9/11

Steve Rannazzisi, a comedian who stars in the FX fantasy football series The League, told an interviewer in 2009 that he was in the South WTC tower on 9/11, and made a narrow escape from his job at Merrill Lynch before the second plane hit, then repeating that story for years. This week, though, he was forced to admit that he fabricated the entire story, which is incidentally also the admission of being a piece of crap.

The Times noted that his story was told in “elaborate detail” on WTF with Marc Maron, including the floor from which he supposedly escaped and how it felt to be inside the South tower when the North one was hit. However, when Rannazzisi was called out for inconsistencies in his story, he was forced to admit he was a liar:

Confronted this week, though, with evidence that undermined his account, Mr. Rannazzisi, after a day of deliberation, acknowledged on Tuesday that his account was fiction. Actually, he had been working in Midtown that day, and not for Merrill Lynch, which has no record of his employment and had no offices in either tower.

“I was not at the Trade Center on that day,” he said in a statement provided by his publicist, Matthew Labov. “I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry.”

[...]

His interviews, though, several of which remain posted on the Internet, show that a decade after the Sept. 11 attacks, Mr. Rannazzisi was still relating a harrowing experience. In a 2011 interview on the podcast “Sklarbro Country,” Mr. Rannazzisi said that he had gotten a good severance package from Merrill Lynch and that he clearly understood that Sept. 11 was a sensitive topic. “I’ve spoken about it before,” he said. “I just don’t ever want to feel like, anyone, I am cashing in or anything like that.”

The Times notes that he’s not the sole person who’s attempted to gain notoriety or sympathy (or whatever) from lying about having survived the World Trade Center attacks—the most extreme honor goes to Tania Head, who was chronicled in the excellent documentary The Woman Who Wasn’t There—but he may be the highest profile, with a Comedy Central special airing this weekend and sponsorships from Buffalo Wild Wings and the NFL in addition to his sitcom role. Also, this was not his only untruth: he said his girlfriend at the time, now his wife, was also meant to work in the towers that day, but in fact she was scheduled to work at the World Financial Center.

His statement:

“It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones,” he said. “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. All I can ask is for forgiveness.”

[groundsupport]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/ar...lied.html?_r=0

Nonetheless, he said, he remained affected by his memories of that day.

“I still have dreams of like, you know, those falling dreams,” he told the interviewer.

[ND3]

Stellar individual right there.

I worked for Merrill Lynch in lower Manhattan for almost 10 years. I was lucky not to be in the offices in the towers. My office was a block away at 222 Broadway and outside after the first tower fell. I was lucky enough to escape unharmed, help some people along the way and never forget those that we lost that day.

[chitownbears22]

Stupid mistake like drinking and driving.

[groundsupport]

9/11 Survival Liar Somehow Makes Himself Look Even Worse

He should stay off twitter.

[NeilCO]

Explain yourself, @mcgahee21nfl!

[chitownbears22]

He was 22 and stupid. Who the eff cares. One mistake doesn't define you, and the person who posted this and called him a piece of crap probably shouldn't cast stones.

[groundsupport]

Ahh, I see the White Knight is coming out to play.

[chitownbears22]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

Ahh, I see the White Knight is coming out to play.

No I am just saying people make mistakes. One mistake shouldn't classify a person. If that is the case then we should label you for being a piece of crap who endangers people's lives by drinking and driving.

[groundsupport]

Originally Posted by chitownbears22

No I am just saying people make mistakes. One mistake shouldn't classify a person. If that is the case then we should label you for being a piece of crap who endangers people's lives by drinking and driving.

The difference is, I didn't fabricate it or benefit from my mistake.

He lied about it to thousands for over a dozen years.

[chitownbears22]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

The difference is, I didn't fabricate it or benefit from my mistake.

He lied about it to thousands for over a dozen years.

Both are selfish acts, but your choices could have killed someone.

[Highroller]

Originally Posted by chitownbears22

No I am just saying people make mistakes. One mistake shouldn't classify a person. If that is the case then we should label you for being a piece of crap who endangers people's lives by drinking and driving.

Originally Posted by groundsupport

The difference is, I didn't fabricate it or benefit from my mistake.

He lied about it to thousands for over a dozen years.

You continue to say you own your mistakes but then you continue making posts like this...

You try and find people that you think did worse things than you and vilify them why you defend that your actions weren't as bad. I don't think you understand that what you did could have ended up a lot worse and that you're very lucky at this point. Maybe you should work on your life instead of judging every one else in this world.

PS- The guy in the story is scum for making that story up.

[lobo_hacker]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

The difference is, I didn't fabricate it or benefit from my mistake.

He lied about it to thousands for over a dozen years.

-Lies like this don't create the risk of death to innocent people.

I don't think yer going to do well with trying to point out differences like that.

Unless you want to come off as oblivious and simple-minded, then by all means knock yerself out. Doesn't mean this guy isn't a scumbag, but come on.

lobo_hacker

[NeilCO]

Originally Posted by chitownbears22

He was 22 and stupid. Who the eff cares. One mistake doesn't define you, and the person who posted this and called him a piece of crap probably shouldn't cast stones.

I agree with this general sentiment. There are very few mistakes that I will not forgive. I also said and did a lot of stupid things when I was younger (although nothing near this level). The bigger issue, to me, is that he continued to lie about it 10 years after the fact, until he was confronted with evidence of his lie. Makes it more difficult to believe his remorse.

I'll still watch and occasionally chuckle at The League.

[Brobocop]

Originally Posted by chitownbears22

He was 22 and stupid. Who the eff cares. One mistake doesn't define you, and the person who posted this and called him a piece of crap probably shouldn't cast stones.

I would say that saying you were in the WTC on 9/11/01 to one person just once is a mistake. Saying that you were in the WTC on 9/11/01 for years after the event is not one mistake but probably the same mistake repeated hundreds of times over. This guy is a dumb dumb, plain and simple.

[Hess687]

Yeah, I may be in the minority about this but I absolutely do not care. He lied, so what? There were far worse people who were trying to monetize off of the deaths of people in 9/11 as there always is with any tragic event. He simply stated he was in the towers, which we all know he wasn't, and due to the magnitude of the event, realized he couldn't take his statement back so he continued to lie about it until he got caught.

Not a big deal. No profit was made off of his lies. Chalk it up to stupidity.

[groundsupport]

Originally Posted by Hess687

Yeah, I may be in the minority about this but I absolutely do not care. He lied, so what? There were far worse people who were trying to monetize off of the deaths of people in 9/11 as there always is with any tragic event. He simply stated he was in the towers, which we all know he wasn't, and due to the magnitude of the event, realized he couldn't take his statement back so he continued to lie about it until he got caught.

Not a big deal. No profit was made off of his lies. Chalk it up to stupidity.

No doubt the publicity he received made him $$$.

[chitownbears22]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

No doubt the publicity he received made him $$$.

Do you have proof that he made money on that story? Something tells me that people who watch comedy don't go to see someone because they said they almost died on 9/11.

You make me laugh.

[groundsupport]

Originally Posted by chitownbears22

Do you have proof that he made money on that story? Something tells me that people who watch comedy don't go to see someone because they said they almost died on 9/11.

You make me laugh.

Yah, its called publicity. He told this story over and over in multiple interviews.

[chitownbears22]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

Yah, its called publicity. He told this story over and over in multiple interviews.

So many times that most people had no idea. I am glad the captive 12 person audience of Bob and Sara's Super Funny Awesome Podcast is distraught over the news.

Love the fake outrage.

[Hess687]

Originally Posted by groundsupport

No doubt the publicity he received made him $$$.

Yeah I'm pretty sure it got him a spot on The League as well. It probably got him those Buffalo Wild Wings commercials too!!! Wait.....no, no it didn't. BUT it must have gotten him that one hour Comedy Central special appearing later this month....nope, not that either. The guy is a talented actor which is why people interview him. Outside of today's news, I never heard of Steve Rana-whatever being a survivor of 9/11, and I doubt a lot of other people knew as well.

[ewilkens]

Originally Posted by Hess687

Yeah I'm pretty sure it got him a spot on The League as well. It probably got him those Buffalo Wild Wings commercials too!!! Wait.....no, no it didn't. BUT it must have gotten him that one hour Comedy Central special appearing later this month....nope, not that either. The guy is a talented actor which is why people interview him. Outside of today's news, I never heard of Steve Rana-whatever being a survivor of 9/11, and I doubt a lot of other people knew as well.

I'll second the bolded part... I'd never heard of him being a survivor until today, and I've watched his standup and his show. So I see that point.

But I still think it's a pretty scumbag thing to do. Especially to keep lying about it for over a decade.

[ajlaxmn]

I'll admit it. The League sucks as a show. I enjoyed the first season, then it got worse and worse each season, Rafi is the only thing that saved it for me, how that guys plays Rafi is wonderful. Other than that, show is too predictable and not that good IMO.

[spuds1961]

Never heard of him before this thread.

[Hess687]

This thread has turned into a childish back and forth between Groundsupport and Chitownbears22.....I'm bowing out. What was I thinking when I thought I could come in here and hope to have a civil debate about this?

Good luck, fellas.