Comedy Central reconsidering Steve Rannazzisi’s special after his 9/11 lie exposed

Now that The League star Steve Rannazzisi’s Sept. 11, 2001 story has been exposed as a lie, Comedy Central is working hard to figure out what to do with his next comedy special.

The network had a stand-up special with Rannazzisi all set to go for Saturday, but a spokesperson told Deadline that they are deciding if they should still air it or just pull it.

“We just learned about this last night. We are very disappointed to hear about Steve’s misrepresentations and are currently determining how we will move forward,” the network said.

As previously reported, Rannazzisi admitted to the New York Times that his story about working for Merrill Lynch and barely escaping the attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 was all a lie. It was a story he told repeatedly and claimed that the experience inspired him to change his career, head to Los Angeles and become a comedian. In reality, Rannazzisi was working in Midtown Manhattan the day of the attacks.

“I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry,” Rannazzisi said. “For many years, more than anything, I have wished that, with silence, I could somehow erase a story told by an immature young man.It only made me more ashamed. How could I tell my children to be honest when I hadn't come clean about this?”

Rannazzisi also asked for forgiveness from people who actually did survive and lost loved ones on 9/11.

“It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones,” he wrote. “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.”

Rannazzisi’s name has stayed on Twitter all day. Surprisingly, comedian Pete Davidson, whose father died on 9/11, has come to his defense.

image courtesy of Peter West/ACE/INFphoto.com