The Laugh Factory Welcomes Andy Rooney
Fair enough. Here's the odd thing about the story, though: These fake Rooney commentaries have been around forever, and they've been known to be fake for almost as long. Witness this entry on Snopes, a site that debunks urban legends, which notes that the alleged Rooney commentary is false. Then there's this piece from April 10th in TV Week, in which Rooney complained about a false commentary on older women that has been emailed around. (He calls it "embarrassing" and "infuriating.") Most important, however, is this: A real Rooney commentary from the Oct. 23, 2005 edition of "60 Minutes." Here's Andy:
A lot of people have written to ask if I really wrote some things on the Internet that have my name on them. The answer, briefly, is no I didn't.Seeing as Rooney debunked these false commentaries over a year ago, in front of a nationally televised audience, it is curious that the AP felt that this was a worthwhile story today. Maybe what with Kramergate, as well as another race-related scandal, this one involving a different famous Andy, someone felt that the time was right to trot out this small piece of non-news. In any event: Andy Rooney, still not a bigot. Tell the kids.A saccharine collection of comments called 'ANDY ROONEY ON OLDER WOMEN' has had wide circulation. I was pleased by how many people wrote to say they didn't believe I wrote it.
There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption 'ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.' If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him.