Comedian Steve Rannazzisi built part of his early career on a fabricated story that he had escaped the World Trade Center's South Tower on 9/11, later admitting in 2015 that the claim, first made on Pauly Shore's show in 2009, was entirely false. He had told various interviewers he worked on the 54th floor for Merrill Lynch, fled down the stairs and watched the second plane hit, using the tale to explain his decision to quit finance and pursue comedy in Los Angeles; the story helped fuel a rising profile that included a role on The League, a comedy special and a Buffalo Wild Wings endorsement deal.

The deception unravelled after a New York Times investigation exposed the inconsistencies in 2015, prompting a public apology in which Rannazzisi admitted "it wasn't true." His television and film career has largely stalled since 2020, and he now lives on Long Island, performing stand-up in cities such as Miami, Denver and Toronto and appearing on the podcast Legions of Skanks. He also sells personalised Cameo videos from $109, with one Reddit user claiming he refused a request to falsely reaffirm the 9/11 story on camera while still keeping their payment.