Stephen Rannazzisi

Last updated
Stephen Rannazzisi
Born (1977-07-04) July 4, 1977 (age 48)
Smithtown, New York, U.S.
Alma mater State University of New York Oneonta (BS)
Occupation(s)Actor, stand-up comedian
Years active2001–present
Spouse
Tracy Rannazzisi
​
(m. 2006)​
Children2

Stephen Rannazzisi (born July 4, 1977) [1] is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He acted in the FXX comedy series The League as Kevin MacArthur

Contents

Career

Rannazzisi's comedy career began in 2001 after he moved from New York to Los Angeles. [2] In 2003, he became a cast member on the MTV show Punk'd where he appeared alongside creator and host Ashton Kutcher.

Following the success of Punk'D, Rannazzisi starred in the 2006 TV series Big Day. He appeared in the 2009 blockbuster comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop before getting his big break as Kevin MacArthur in The League, which aired on FXX from October 2009 to December 2015. [3]

He appeared as a contestant on Roast Battles in 2016 and that same year was on an episode of New Girl as Todd Ploons. His most recent acting role was in 2020, when he appeared twice on Brews Brothers.

Personal life

Rannazzisi, born in Smithtown, New York, on July 4, 1977, briefly attended the Catholic St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, on Long Island, leaving after a year in what he called a mutual decision. He went on to graduate from Smithtown High School [4] in 1996. [5] Rannazzisi graduated from State University of New York at Oneonta, where he majored in communications. [6] He is of Italian and Irish descent. [7]

9/11 controversy

Rannazzisi lied about working in the South Tower of the World Trade Center at Merrill Lynch, on the 54th floor during the September 11 attacks, and described his experience escaping death. [8] He had said the events inspired him to move to Los Angeles and pursue stand-up comedy. In September 2015, after being contacted by a reporter from The New York Times for an article debunking his claim, [6] Rannazzisi admitted his story was a lie. [9] [10] [11] [12] Rannazzisi was never employed by Merrill Lynch, which did not have offices in the World Trade Center then, but in fact was working in a building in Midtown Manhattan and wasn't in either of the towers on the day. [13]

Rannazzisi released a statement saying: "I told people that I was in one of the World Trade Center towers on 9/11. It wasn’t true. I was in Manhattan but working in a building in midtown and I was not at the Trade Center on that day [...] 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." [14]

He appeared on The Howard Stern Show to clear up the story, and said: "When I moved to LA, about a month after 9/11, with my girlfriend and she got a job right away, making friends, making money and I was hanging out at comedy clubs"; [14] he also claimed that the lie was made as a way to "fit in" and "survive with the new LA crowd". [14]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
2004The FaxWhitleyShort film
2005Lost Reality 2Billy Barnes
2006 For Your Consideration Studio gate guard
2009 Paul Blart: Mall Cop Stuart
Imagine That Noah Kulick
2010HomewreckerCharles
2018Avengers of Justice: Farce WarsSuperbat
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes
2003 Punk'd Field Agent5 episodes
2005 Kitchen Confidential BankerEpisode: "Aftermath"
2006–07 Big Day SkoboMain role; 12 episodes
2008–09 Samantha Who? Seth Barber6 episodes
2009 Trust Me Jonah QuarlesEpisode: "But Wait, There's More"
2009–2015 The League Kevin MacArthurMain role
2010 Outsourced Brad DempseyEpisode: "Temporary Monsanity"; uncredited
2011 Love Bites Kyle2 episodes
2016Roast BattlesHimselfEpisode: "Night One"
New Girl Todd PloonsEpisode: "No Girl"
2017 Curb Your Enthusiasm Head ChefEpisode: "A Disturbance In The Kitchen"
2018 Me, Myself & I Adult PhilEpisode: Phil Ricozzi
2020 Brews Brothers Cole2 episodes
Web
YearTitleRoleNotes
2012–13 Daddy Knows Best SteveMain role; 7 episodes

References

  1. ↑ "Stephen Rannazzisi". TVGuide.com . Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Stephen Rannazzisi – The League". FX Networks. FX Networks. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Steve Rannazzisi Biography". Steve Rannazzisi. Steve Rannazzisi. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ O'Reilly, Brendan J. (June 27, 2014). "Steve Rannazzisi Performs at Bay Street Theater Monday". Dan's Papers . Southampton, New York. Archived from the original on September 16, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Stephen Rannazzisi: Smithtown High Class of 1996". Smithtown High School. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Kovaleski, Serge F. (September 16, 2015). "Steve Rannazzisi, Comedian Who Told of 9/11 Escape, Admits He Lied". The New York Times . Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  7. ↑ Donnelly, Shawn. "Steve Rannazzisi Talks World Cup, Italian Hair" . Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "WTF with Marc Maron: Episode 31 – Steve Rannazzisi / Listener Email" (Podcast). December 17, 2009. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2015.(subscription required)
  9. ↑ "Center towers on 9/11..." Steve Rannazzisi verified Twitter account. September 16, 2015. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  10. ↑ Rannazzisi, Twitter, "I don’t know why I said this."
  11. ↑ Rannazzisi, Twitter, "silence, I could somehow erase...."
  12. ↑ Rannazzisi, Twitter, "it is to the victims of 9/11...."
  13. ↑ "Comic Steve Rannazzisi admits he lied about being in Twin Towers on 9/11". The Guardian. 2015-09-16. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  14. 1 2 3 Leathers, Samantha (2023-09-11). "Comedian Stephen Rannazzisi admitted he lied about 9/11 escape 'to fit in'". Daily Express US. Retrieved 2025-09-13.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.