Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Rescue Me Works 9/11 Conspiracy Theories Into Its Plot
By
Billy Parker
Published Feb 2, 2009
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published Feb 2, 2009
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Word has leaked that in an episode for the upcoming season of the FX firefighter drama Rescue Me, the womanizing fireman Franco—one of the show's main characters—espouses theories that 9/11 was an inside job, carried out as part of a neoconservative plot to change the definition of "preemptive attack" and control the world's oil. The Times says that it marks "the first fictional presentation of 9/11 conspiracy theories by a mainstream media company." Star of the show Denis Leary says that the scene is not far off from scenes in actual fire houses "where some of the younger members don’t even have to completely buy into the theory of 9/11 being an inside job, but want to discuss it."
What is more striking than the fictional plot line is that the show is using the real-life conspiracy beliefs of the actor who plays Franco, Daniel Sunjata, to promote the storyline. In a press tour, Sunjata said that he “absolutely, 100 percent” supports the assertion that “9/11 was an inside job.”
The Kansas City Star dug further and discovered that Sunjata's beliefs don't stop there. Last year at a rally for Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney, the actor stated the following in a speech:
"A government that will tell you that air is safe to breathe after a national emergency when they know that there is asbestos floating around in the air...is a government that has no regard for human life...If they do that to open Wall Street just three days after the 9/11 attacks...it's not a far leap to think that they would have pulled off the attack themselves. Obviously they're psychopathic sadists with absolutely no regard for human life...(During 9/11 memorial telecasts), you know that there's somebody sitting back—some media executive, some military intelligence expert...knowing that they themselves had a hand in carrying it off, in planning it, in murdering the very people."
Executive Producer Peter Tolan says that the show thought it would be interesting to use subject matter that Sunjata (a Tony nominee who also played Reggie Jackson in The Bronx is Burning) was so well-read and passionate about. Below is the clip of Sunjata's entire speech from the campaign rally.
Former NJ Governor Christie Todd Whitman was found not to be liable for asserting that air was safe following the attacks. A report last year addressed one of Sunjata's main criticisms, the alleged destruction of Tower 7. And last summer celebrities such as Ed Asner and musical group Arrested Development allied themselves with the group 911 Truth in calling for a new 9/11 investigation.
Tagged
9/11
9/11 conspiracy theory
daniel sunjata
Denis Leary
rescue me
wtc attacks
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .