Actor Steve Rannazzisi has admitted he lied about narrowly escaping from the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Rannazzisi, 37, attributed his success as an actor and comedian to the decision he made to leave New York immediately after surviving the terror attacks in 2001.

He first claimed he was working at Merrill Lynch’s offices on the 54th floor of the South Tower when the first plane crashed into the north tower in a 2009 interview and repeated the claims in several others.

After fleeing the tower just minutes before another plane hit his building, he said he decided then to abandon his desk job in the city and to pursue his dream of becoming an entertainer.

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Actor Steve Rannazzisi (pictured right, and left, in popular comedy The League) has admitted he lied about narrowly escaping from the World Trade Center on 9/11

He also told of how the day continued to affect him years later, describing harrowing dreams he suffered after witnessing the traumatic events of the day.

But now, just days after the 14th anniversary of the attacks, he has been forced to admit to the New York Times that he had made up the whole story.

In a statement, Rannazzisi said: ‘I was not in the World Center that day. I don’t know why I said this.’

He added: ‘This was inexcusable. I am truly , truly sorry.’

In the 2009 with Marc Maron, Rannazzisi said: ‘I was there and then the first tower got hit and we were like jostled all over the place.'

He added: ‘I still have dreams of like, you know, those falling dreams,’ he said.

Rannazzisi, pictured with his wife Tracy, who was his girlfriend at the time, also said he had been worried about her at the time as she worked in one of the towers. They decided to move to Los Angeles shortly after

He had described in detail working at Merrill Lynch’s offices on the 54th floor of the south tower when the first plane crashed into the north tower on September 11, 2001

Video Courtesy of: LOL FLIX

Rannazzisi also described running to safety while worrying about his girlfriend, now his wife, who he said also worked in one of the towers.

The couple, who married in 2006, have two sons and a daughter. And in the years following, he continued to repeat the story in several other interviews.

But when confronted with evidence that proved his account was fiction, Rannazzisi admitted that he had actually been working in Midtown on the day – and not for Merrill Lynch.

The company has no record of employment for him and had no offices in either of the towers, according to the Times.

On Twitter, Rannazzisi explained that he had been an ‘immature’ man at the time, adding that once he had lied, he could not see a way to tell the truth.

He said: ‘It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones. The stupidity and guilt I have felt for many years has not abated.'

The actor has come under fire from SNL star Pete Davidson (right), who lost his firefighter father on the day

Rannazzisi missed the sarcasm in Davidson's initial tweet, replying that he appreciated the comments

The actor has come under fire from Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, who was just seven when he lost his firefighter father Scott in the attacks.

Davidson, 21, said on Twitter today: ‘It’s ok @SteveRannazzisi people make mistakes… can’t wait to my dad for lunch later’.

Missing the sarcasm in the tweet, Rannazzisi replied that he appreciated the comment.

Davidson added: ‘All kidding aside this @SteveRannazzisi story sucks because he’s actually a funny comic and I love The League. It’s f***** up.’

The comedian later urged his followers: 'Take it easy on @SteveRannazzisi... He reached out to me and is truly sorry. We all sometimes lie and exaggerate a story to seem cooler.'

Katie Aselton, who plays Rannazzisi's wife on The League, defended him, writing on Twitter: 'Guys @SteveRannazzisi is a comedian. He tells jokes. He's an actor on TV. He's not running for office or raising your kids. #perspective'

One of Rannazzisi’s sponsors, Buffalo Wild Wings, which made him the face of their ad campaigns for the start of the NFL season, are now evaluating their relationship with the comedian.

‘We are disappointed to learn of Steve’s misrepresentations regarding the events of September 11, 2001,’ the chain said, according to the Times.

'I MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE': STEVE RANNAZZISI'S FULL STATEMENT As a young man, I made a mistake that I deeply regret and for which apologies may still not be enough. After I moved with my wife to Los Angeles from New York City in 2001 shortly after 9/11, 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. 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? 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. It was profoundly disrespectful to those who perished and those who lost loved ones. 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. Advertisement

Rannazzisi took to Twitter to ask for forgiveness, saying that he deeply regrets the decision he made as an 'immature' young man

Following the attacks, Rannazzisi moved to Los Angeles with his future wife Tracy and soon found the break he had been looking for.

Ashton Kutcher gave him his first television role as a cast member on MTV's Punk'd. He then landed roles in movies and on TV and has spent seven seasons on sitcom The League.

In 2013, he landed a stand-up special on Comedy Central, which is scheduled to air another hour-long special from Rannazzisi, called 'Breaking Dad', on Saturday.

But the network told Variety: '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.'

On September 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger planes crashed into two World Trade Center towers in New York.

Another jet struck the Pentagon and a fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field, killing 2,996 people in total.