Comedian Steve Rannazzisi has a lot to make up for after his recent announcement.

Rannazzisi, a stand-up comedian and star of the FXX show “The League,” has said in multiple interviews since Sept. 11, 2001, that he was in one of the twin towers when a hijacked plane hit and changed the world forever.

His story was inspiring: he worked for Merrill Lynch on the 54th floor, escaped to the street mere minutes before his building was struck and then had an epiphany soon after. He decided he would quit his day job and move to Los Angeles to pursue an entertainment career.

Rannazzisi continued on to success with “The League” and multiple Comedy Central shows. He also did stand-up routines around the country.

However, reports have recently surfaced showing that Rannazzisi was never employed for Lynch. He also never worked in either of the twin towers. His story, elaborate and well-thought-out as it was, was completely fictional.

“I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry...It is to the victims of 9/11 and to the people that love them and the people that love me that I ask for forgiveness,” Rannazzisi tweeted. He went on to say that it was immature and wrong, and that he could never really be sorry enough.

The social media outrage was strong as many ridiculed and scorned Rannazzisi for lying. “Saturday Night Live” cast member Pete Davidson had the best tweet, ironically ridiculing Rannazzisi by joking about his own father who actually died as a first-responder in the 9/11 attacks.

It is difficult to forgive Rannazzisi for such a lie. One can only imagine how the families of 9/11 victims feel about a man lying about surviving the 9/11 attacks for his own personal gain.

It is right that Lynch outed him. Such a lie needed to be brought to the attention of the public. He does not deserve to get away with it.

Many people joke about 9/11. Some find the humor funny, but some find it distasteful and disrespectful. Personally, I believe comedy should push boundaries and maybe even offend the audience. Many comedians, such as Louis C.K., Jeff Ross and Daniel Tosh, have turned offensive comedy into an art form, garnering much success along the way. The tweet from Davidson even showed that even he, who was personally affected by the attacks, could still have a sense of humor about it.

This situation was not comedy, however. Rannazzisi relayed his story multiple times in interviews and podcasts, not on the stand-up stage. It was not a part of his act and therefore does not merit any comedic advantage.

He was simply being a terrible person and lying to millions, seemingly to further his career. He single-handedly insulted 9/11 survivors and the families of victims for more than a decade. There is no justification for such an act.

It remains to be seen how this will affect Rannazzisi’s contracts with Comedy Central or other endorsements, but I am sure this will put his career in jeopardy, as it should. He will have to live with this decision for the rest of his life, something that entertainers always have to deal with. For now, he will simply have to endure the Twitter-storm and try not to fabricate such elaborate lies anymore.

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