Comic Steve Rannazzisi apologizes on Howard Stern’s show for Sept. 11 lie

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Comic Steve Rannazzisi went on Howard Stern’s satellite radio show Tuesday to apologize for lying about being in the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 attacks, saying Stern’s listeners “are the people I want to say I’m sorry to.”

In a 40-minute interview Rannazzisi, who is on the FXX show “The League,” said he will be going back to work as a standup comic and that he expects to be heckled for his lie.

“I’ll deal with it as it comes,” he said. “I just want to move on.”

Rannazzisi became emotional in talking about his two children, aged 6 and 3, who don’t know that their father told an untrue story about escaping from the World Trade Center. He said they don’t understand why he has to go to his office and talk and they sometimes see him crying.

“I hope no one takes it out on them,” he said. “You can yell at me, you can scream at me, you can berate me, and I will sit there and take it,” he said.

Rannazzisi lost a contract to do commercials for Buffalo Wild Wings in the wake of the revelation. He said the cast of “The League” cancelled an appearance at New York’s Comic Con because they didn’t want the story to be a distraction.

He described the story as a lie he told once and did not know how to extricate himself from it. The New York Times exposed his lie in a story.