Impact Of The September 11 Attacks On Cinema
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September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
in 2001 had a significant impact on broadcast and venue entertainment businesses, prompting cancellations, postponements, and changes in content. In the United States and several other countries, planned television screenings of films and fictional programs where terrorism, plane crashes, bombs, or other related disasters that were the primary subject were postponed or cancelled.


Films

Numerous films that were in production were cancelled, and many films were edited. There were various reasons given for the alterations, including keeping material up-to-date, as a gesture of respect for those who died, and to avoid trauma for those emotionally affected by the attack. There are also many films which notably were not edited. Roughly 45 films were edited or postponed because of the September 11 attacks.


Edited films


With the World Trade Center removed

* ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' (2002) – A teaser trailer of the film was recalled, as it featured
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
capturing a helicopter filled with criminals in a web spun between the Twin Towers. A poster with the World Trade Center reflected in Spider-Man's eyes was also recalled, while the short teaser trailer of the film also removed the towers from Spider-Man's eye reflection.
Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
removed any mentions of the Twin Towers from the teaser images and trailer on the website. A shot of the World Trade Center (WTC) was deleted from the film, but it can be found on the Sony Stock Footage website. The home video release of ''
A Knight's Tale ''A Knight's Tale'' is a 2001 American medieval action comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, winn ...
'' had the ''Spider-Man'' trailer removed as well. Two scenes were added to the film in response to the attacks: in the first, a group of New Yorkers attack the Green Goblin over the
Queensboro Bridge The Queensboro Bridge, officially the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. Completed in 1909, it connects the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens with the Midtown Manhattan ...
, with one saying, "You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!", and another saying "You mess with one of us, you mess with ''all'' of us!". The second, a scene of Spider-Man hanging onto a flagpole with a large
American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...
, was seen in later trailers and at the end of the film. * ''
Zoolander ''Zoolander'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. The film contains elements from a pair of short films directed by Russell Bates and written by Drake Sather and Stiller for the '' VH1 Fashion Awards'' televisi ...
'' (2001) – The WTC was digitally deleted from skyline shots in the film, which was theatrically released nearly three weeks after the attacks. * ''
Don't Say a Word ''Don't Say a Word'' is a 2001 American psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy, Guy Torry, Jennifer Esposito, Famke Janssen, Skye McCole Bartusiak and Oliver Platt based on the novel ''Don't Say a Wo ...
'' (2001) – The film was theatrically released nearly three weeks after the attacks, and the filmmakers contemplated delaying its release, but decided against it. However, they cut out and replaced shots of the towers from the edit, such as the opening shot, which shows
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
instead. * ''
Men in Black II ''Men in Black II'' (stylized as ''MIIB'') is a 2002 American science fiction action comedy film based on the Marvel Comics series of a similar name based on the conspiracy theory. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment in ass ...
'' (2002) – It originally featured a climax that included the WTC, but the scene was changed to the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
. * ''
Changing Lanes ''Changing Lanes'' is a 2002 American drama thriller film directed by Roger Michell and starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. The film follows a successful, young Wall Street lawyer (Affleck) who accidentally crashes his car into a vehic ...
'' (2002) – Director
Roger Michell Roger Harry Michell (5 June 1956 – 22 September 2021) was a British theatre, television and film director. He was best known for directing films such as ''Notting Hill'' and ''Venus'', as well as the 1995 made-for-television film ''Persuasi ...
had the WTC towers digitally removed from the opening main title sequence in the film. In the DVD commentary, he admitted that it was a mistake to erase them, and pretend they did not exist. *''
Mr. Deeds ''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Sid Ganis and Jack Giarraputo. It stars Adam Sandler in the title role, alongside Winona Ryder, Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Al ...
'' (2002) – Shots of the World Trade Center were partially seen: one was shot in the helicopter for the scene where Longfellow Deeds arrives in New York City, and one was shot on the
Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...
, which shows the entire Manhattan skyline. The towers were digitally removed in the scene where Deeds and Chuck Cedar play
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, which was shot on
Roosevelt Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the Borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. It is about long, wit ...
in spring 2001. * ''
Stuart Little 2 ''Stuart Little 2'' is a 2002 American live-action/animated comedy film loosely based on E.B. White's novel ''Stuart Little''. Directed by Rob Minkoff and screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, the film stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Jonathan ...
'' (2002) – Shots of the World Trade Center were digitally removed. *''
Serendipity Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. The term was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754. The concept is often associated with scientific and technological breakthroughs, where accidental discoveries led to new insights or inventions. Ma ...
'' (2001) — Shots containing the World Trade Center were removed. * ''
Kissing Jessica Stein ''Kissing Jessica Stein'' is a 2001 American independent romantic comedy film written and co-produced by the film's stars, Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, and directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. The film also stars Scott Cohen, ...
'' (2001) – Shots of the WTC were removed before the film's release. * ''
People I Know ''People I Know'' is a 2002 crime drama film directed by Daniel Algrant. The film stars Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Ryan O'Neal and Téa Leoni. ''People I Know'' premiered in Italy on October 11, 2002, and was released in the United States on ...
'' (2002) – Scenes of the WTC were removed, but it can be found on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
release in the deleted scenes
featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length film ...
. * ''
Armageddon Armageddon ( ; ; ; from ) is the prophesied gathering of armies for a battle during the end times, according to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Armageddon is variously interpreted as either a literal or a ...
'' (1998) – The scene in which the World Trade Center gets hit by meteors and catches on fire was edited out of many television broadcasts of the film after the attacks. * '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992) – It features a scene atop the WTC, which was edited out on several television channels. However, as of Christmas 2018, the scene with the WTC was restored.


Other changes related to the September 11 attacks

* ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'' (2002 re-release) – The dialogue "You're not going as a terrorist" (spoken by the mother) was replaced with "You're not going as a hippie." * ''
Meet the Parents ''Meet the Parents'' is a 2000 American comedy film written by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg and directed by Jay Roach. It stars Ben Stiller as Greg Focker, a nurse who suffers a series of unfortunate events while visiting his girlfriend's paren ...
'' (2000, aired on
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
) – The scene near the end in which Greg gets into an argument with the airline stewardess and his subsequent interrogation by an airline official removes all references to Greg mentioning the word ''bomb'' on the airplane. * ''
Spy Game ''Spy Game'' is a 2001 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata. The film stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt as CIA operatives entangled in a covert rescue mission during the final day ...
'' (2001) – The level of smoke shown following a bombing was reduced because of its similarity to the smoking WTC wreckage. * ''
The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularizati ...
'' (2002) – A scene where debris from the destroyed moon crashes into a building was edited due to its resemblance to the attacks. * ''
Lilo & Stitch ''Lilo & Stitch'' () is a 2002 American animated Science fiction film, science fiction comedy-drama film, comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It was written and directed by Chris Sanders and De ...
'' (2002) – The film originally showed Stitch, Jumba,
Pleakley The Walt Disney Company, Disney's ''Lilo & Stitch (franchise), Lilo & Stitch'' is an American science fiction media franchise that began in 2002 with Lilo & Stitch, the animated film of the same name written and directed by Chris Sanders and D ...
, and Nani hijacking a
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a long-range wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2023. After the introduction of the Boeing 707, 707 in October 1958, Pan Am ...
to chase down Captain Gantu and rescue Lilo through the streets of
Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
. However, this scene was changed to show them taking Jumba's spaceship and chasing Gantu around Hawaii's mountains. The original scene was included on the special edition DVD. *''
An Extremely Goofy Movie ''Disney's An Extremely Goofy Movie'' is a 2000 American animated sports comedy film distributed by Walt Disney Home Video, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, and directed by Douglas McCarthy. It is a sequel to the 1995 film '' A Goofy ...
'' (2000) – The scene where Max saves Tank from a burning fire was edited on post-9/11 versions and Disney Channel due to the fire being too similar to the attacks, however the original scene was still intact in the
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
version. * '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002) was extensively reshot due to the fear of the CIA as the antagonist being wrongly interpreted as
anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment and Americanophobia) is a term that can describe several sentiments and po ...
. Due to the insistence of Matt Damon and Doug Liman, the footage wasn't included. On the special edition
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
are descriptions of how and why the film was changed. *''
The Powerpuff Girls Movie ''The Powerpuff Girls Movie'' is a 2002 American animated prequel superhero film based on the Cartoon Network animated television series '' The Powerpuff Girls''. It was co-written and directed by series' creator Craig McCracken (in his feature- ...
'' (2002) – A scene resembling the tragedy, with people falling from a toppling building and being ultimately saved by the
Powerpuff Girls ''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network. The show centers on Blossom, Bubbles, and Butt ...
, was rethought and adjusted to avoid making a direct reference to the World Trade Center. *
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
shelved previously scheduled airings of ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to Ma ...
'' movie (1998) and ''
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...
'' (1996) on September 14 and 16, respectively. They were replaced by respective airings of ''
Nine Months ''Nine Months'' is a 1995 American romantic comedy film produced, written and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams. It is a remake of the French fil ...
'' (1995) and ''
There's Something About Mary ''There's Something About Mary'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. The film features Cameron Diaz as the title character, while Ben S ...
'' (1998). ''
The Peacemaker Peacemaker or The Peacemaker may refer to: Individuals and groups * UN Peacemaker, a project of the UN to support international peacemakers and mediators * Peace makers, a list of contemporary individuals and organizations involved in peacemak ...
'' (1997) was also removed from
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
on the same day as ''Independence Day''. *''
Die Another Day ''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was directed by Lee Tamahori, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and written by Neal Purvis and Rober ...
'' (2002) – The film was originally going to end with a
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
n satellite attack on Manhattan, which was moved to the
Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...
after the attacks. * ''
The Incredibles ''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer ...
'' (2004) – Early versions of the film featured a scene where Mr. Incredible vents his emotions on an abandoned building, but ends up accidentally damaging a neighboring building as well. It was considered to be too reminiscent of the World Trade Center collapse and was replaced with a scene where Mr. Incredible and
Frozone ''The Incredibles'', an American media franchise, tells the story of superheroes, also known as "Supers," co-existing with society. Set in a retro-futuristic version of the 1960s, the film series revolves around the Supers' struggles to live s ...
rescue trapped civilians from a burning building. * ''
Monsters, Inc. ''Monsters, Inc.'' (also known as ''Monsters, Incorporated'') is a 2001 American animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. Featuring the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Cobu ...
'' (2001) – The film originally depicted the CDA blowing up a sushi restaurant as part of a decontamination effort, but the scene was replaced with the restaurant being quarantined under a dome of plasma instead. The filmmakers described the decision to alter the film in the Blu-ray "round-table discussion" bonus feature. * '' Sidewalks of New York'' (2001) – The WTC was removed from the promotional poster, but the buildings remained in the film itself.


Delayed films

* ''
View from the Top ''View from the Top'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Bruno Barreto and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Candice Bergen, Joshua Malina, Mark Ruffalo, Rob Lowe, Mike Myers, and Kelly Preston. The film follows ...
'' (2003) - was originally scheduled for Christmas 2001, but due to the fact that the story revolves around a flight attendant on numerous planes, the release was pushed back to March 21, 2003. * ''
Collateral Damage "Collateral damage" is a term for any incidental and undesired death, injury or other damage inflicted, especially on civilians, as the result of an activity. Originally coined to describe military operations, it is now also used in non-milit ...
'' (2002) – The film was postponed for four months after being slated for release October 5, 2001, and features a terrorist bombing in front of a Los Angeles building. The film subsequently failed at the box office, which likely was a result of the public who felt the film (with its subject matter involving terrorists) was released too soon after the attacks. * ''
Training Day ''Training Day'' is a 2001 American crime thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Ayer. It stars Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris and Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt, two LAPD narcotics officers followed over a 24-hour period ...
'' (2001) - originally scheduled for release on September 21, but was delayed to October 5. * ''
The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is an 1895 dystopian post-apocalyptic science fiction novella by H. G. Wells about a Victorian scientist known as the Time Traveller who travels to the year 802,701. The work is generally credited with the popularizati ...
'' (2002) – The film was delayed by three months from its original December 2001 release, because of an eventually-deleted scene where a meteor shower destroys New York City. * '' Big Trouble'' (2002) – The film was postponed seven months because it involved a nuclear bomb being smuggled on board an aircraft; it was slated for September 21. * ''
Bad Company Bad Company were an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke (both ex- Free), guitarist Mick Ralphs (ex- Mott the Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (ex-King Crimson). Kirke was the only m ...
'' (2002) - Its release date, December 25, 2001, was pushed several months because the plot involved a criminal mastermind planning to detonate a bomb in the
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
. * ''
Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American-Italian epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The fil ...
'' (2002) - The movie's release date was intended for Christmas 2001, but due to the September 11 attacks it was delayed until a year later. * ''
Deuces Wild Deuce, Deuces, or The Deuce may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deuce, in the '' Danger Girl'' comic book series * Deuce, a character in ''Shake It Up'' * Deuce, in the ''Wild Cards'' science fiction universe * Deuce Big ...
'' (2002) – Slated for release in September 2001 but was pushed back due to the attacks and storyline about violence in New York, and was eventually released in May 2002. * '' Buffalo Soldiers'' (2003) – Premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
in September 2001 but its wide release was pushed back two years until 2003 due to war themes. * ''
Windtalkers ''Windtalkers'' is a 2002 American war film directed and co-produced by John Woo, starring Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach, with Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich, Mark Ruffalo, and Christian Slater in supporting roles. It is based on the real story of ...
'' (2002) – Originally slated for a Christmas 2001 release but due to its war theme it was pushed back until June 2002 and was re-edited for depictions of violence. * ''
Hart's War ''Hart's War'' is a 2002 American war drama film about a World War II prisoner of war (POW) camp based on the novel by John Katzenbach. It stars Bruce Willis as Col. William McNamara and Colin Farrell as Lt. Thomas Hart. The film co-stars Terren ...
'' (2002) – Originally planned for release in December 2001 due to war themes its release was postponed until February 2002.


Cancelled films

* A
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
film called ''Nosebleed'', about a window washer on the WTC who foils a terrorist plot, was due to start filming on September 11, 2001.
Snopes ''Snopes'' (), formerly known as the ''Urban Legends Reference Pages'', is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. The site has also been seen as a source ...
questioned the suggestion that this was any kind of "narrow escape", pointing out the uncertain nature of film development and noting "it was almost certainly as part of a plan drawn up and abandoned long before September 2001". *
James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...
planned to make a sequel to ''
True Lies ''True Lies'' is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a U.S. government agent, who struggles to balance his double life as a spy with his familial duties, ...
'', but canceled the project after the attacks, saying that "terrorism is no longer something to be taken lightly". * There were plans to have a sequel to ''
Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis. An adaptation of the Forrest Gump (novel), 1986 novel by Winston Groom, the screenplay of the film is written by Eric Roth. It stars Tom Hanks in the title rol ...
'', but after the attacks,
Eric Roth Eric R. Roth (born March 22, 1945) is an American screenwriter. He has been nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay: ''Forrest Gump'' (1994), '' The Insider'' (1999), ''Munich'' (2005), '' The Curious Case of Benjam ...
,
Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades incl ...
, and
Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
said that the story was no longer "relevant" and it felt "meaningless". *
Peter Berg Peter Berg (born March 11, 1964) is an American director, producer, writer, and actor. His directorial film works include the black comedy '' Very Bad Things'' (1998), the action comedy '' The Rundown'' (2003), the sports drama '' Friday Night ...
had been set to direct heist film ''Truck 44'' for
Fox 2000 Pictures Fox 2000 Pictures was an American film production company within The Walt Disney Studios. It was a sister studio of the larger film studios 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures, specializing in producing independent films in mid-range ...
, which would have followed a group of
FDNY The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services, ...
firefighters who accidentally start a blaze in a ritzy
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
apartment building while robbing it, until Fox decided to shelve it in the wake of the attacks. In March 2002, Berg attempted to get the project restarted at
Radar Pictures Radar Pictures, Inc. is an American motion picture production company that was formed in 1984 by Ted Field, after obtaining the assets of Interscope Communications. History In 2000, Interscope Communications was spun off after Field bought out ...
by rewriting it so it took place in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
. *
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
had scheduled ''Tick Tock'', an action thriller written by Anthony Bagarozzi and Charles Mondry to be directed by
Stephen Norrington Stephen Norrington (born 1964) is an English special effects artist and retired film director known for his work in the horror and action genres. Beginning his career as a sculptor and makeup artist, he worked under Dick Smith (make-up artist), ...
and star
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
, to start production in January 2002, however due to the plot which centered around an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
agent investigating an amnesiac man and his connection to a serial bomber targeting shopping malls
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
during Christmas the movie was cancelled.


Non-altered films

Some films released after 9/11 kept scenes of the WTC in them. * ''
Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by Cameron Crowe. It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film '' Open Your Eyes'', which was writ ...
'' (2001) – Director
Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American filmmaker and journalist. He has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award. Crowe started his career a ...
retained shots of the buildings in the film's final cut as a tribute despite the producers asking for them to be removed. Crowe told the Associated Press "The idea of wiping them away by the computer — I couldn't do it ..They've already been taken away once; they'll stay in the movie. Hopefully, the audience will understand it's a tribute." * ''
Donnie Darko ''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Flower ...
'' (2001) – The film contains scenes in which parts of a plane fall from the sky, and it has been suggested that the film's darker themes were responsible for its poor box office, but it nonetheless went on to become a
cult classic A cult following is a group of Fan (person), fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some List of art media, medium. The latter is often cal ...
in the years following. * ''
Delivering Milo ''Delivering Milo'' is a 2001 American fantasy comedy film written by David Hubbard and directed by Nick Castle. Anton Yelchin stars as Milo, while Bridget Fonda and Campbell Scott play his parents. Albert Finney stars as Elmore Dahl, a guardia ...
'' (2001) – The WTC is seen from
Ellis Island Ellis Island is an island in New York Harbor, within the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York (state), New York. Owned by the U.S. government, Ellis Island was once the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United State ...
, while he rides in the boat. * ''
Crazy Little Thing ''Crazy Little Thing'' (also known as ''The Perfect You'') is a 2002 romantic comedy film written and directed by Matthew Miller. The film stars Chris Eigeman and Jenny McCarthy. After the September 11th attacks, the shots of the World Trade Cen ...
'' (2002) - Shots of the WTC remained in the film. * ''Spider-Man – Once Upon a Time The Super Heroes!'' (2001 documentary) – A shot of the towers was retained as a tribute. It was not edited for the DVD release on June 17, 2002. * '' A.I.: Artificial Intelligence'' (2001) – released less than three months before the attacks, a scene set thousands of years in the future which features a badly damaged WTC was not edited for its video release. * ''
Death to Smoochy ''Death to Smoochy'' is a 2002 satirical black comedy crime film directed by Danny DeVito and written by Adam Resnick. Starring Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Catherine Keener, DeVito, and Jon Stewart, the film centers on "Rainbow" Randolp ...
'' (2002) – The North Tower is seen when Rainbow Randolph is dancing on the small bench in
Duane Park Duane Park is a small, triangular public urban park located in the diamond of the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The park is bordered by Hudson Street to the east and branches of Duane Street on its north and south sides. It ...
. In the DVD commentary,
Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...
explained that it was the only shot in the movie that the WTC was in and he designed the shot. This movie was filmed from January to May 2001, four months before the 9/11 attacks. * ''
City by the Sea ''City by the Sea'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones, starring Robert De Niro, James Franco, Eliza Dushku, Frances McDormand and William Forsythe. It deals with the family problems of a wayward youth and is set ...
'' (2002) - The movie has some shots of the World Trade Center that were not edited out. * ''
Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American-Italian epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The fil ...
'' (2002) – The film ends with the New York City skyline containing the Twin Towers. The filmmakers had filmed the shot before the 9/11 attacks and later debated whether to have the towers dissolve out from the shot to signify their disappearance, or to remove the sequence entirely. *''
Rush Hour 2 ''Rush Hour 2'' is a 2001 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jeff Nathanson. A sequel to '' Rush Hour'' (1998), it is the second installment in the ''Rush Hour'' franchise and stars Jackie Chan and ...
'' (2001) – Several scenes where a bomb explodes at the United States Consulate General were not edited for its video release. *''
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie ''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' is a 2002 American musical fantasy comedy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher and written by Tom Martin and Jim Lewis. The film premiered November 29, 2002 on NBC and is the first televi ...
'' (2002) – Although shot after the September 11th attacks, one scene set in a version of 2003 where Kermit was never born shows the Twin Towers visible in the background. This was due to the backdrop used in the film being created prior to the attacks. Years after the film's release, this detail gained viral attention, inspiring jokes that the creation of Kermit the Frog
somehow Somehow may refer to: *"Somehow", a song by The Vapors from the 1980 album '' New Clear Days'' *"Somehow", a song by Drake Bell from the 2005 album ''Telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses s ...
indirectly led to 9/11.


Television


News coverage

The television coverage of the September 11 attacks and their
aftermath Aftermath may refer to: Companies * Aftermath (comics), an imprint of Devil's Due Publishing * Aftermath Entertainment, an American record label founded by Dr. Dre * Aftermath Media, an American multimedia company * Aftermath Services, an America ...
was the longest uninterrupted news event in U.S. television history, with the major U.S. broadcast networks on the air for 93 continuous hours. From the moment the news was broadcast that the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, all programs and
commercials A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
were suspended, with all four networks broadcasting uninterrupted news coverage. At the end of the night, Nielsen estimated that at least 80 million Americans watched the evening news, while an estimate by the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
held that about two billion people either watched the attacks in real time or through the news. The September 11 attacks were also the first time since the
assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963. Kennedy was in the vehicle with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onas ...
that television networks announced that there would be no television commercials or programs for an indefinite period of several days after the attacks, since it was widely felt that it was an inappropriate time for "fun and entertainment" programs to be shown when so much death and destruction was being seen live on television. During the week of the attacks, the networks' evening news broadcasts nearly doubled its average viewership audience, and it was estimated that American adults watched an average of eight hours of television a day, nearly doubling the average viewership audience. To keep up with the constant flow of information, many news networks began running continuous updates in a
news ticker A news ticker (sometimes called a crawler, crawl, slide, zipper, ticker tape, or chyron) is a horizontal or vertical (depending on the language's writing system) text-based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the ...
, which soon became a permanent fixture of many networks. On the day of the attacks and afterwards, news broadcasters scrambled to report accurate information, though erroneous information was occasionally broadcast. An examination of CNN's coverage of September 11, 2001 (which was replayed online, virtually in its entirety, on the fifth anniversary of the attacks in 2006) revealed that after the attack on the Pentagon, the network had also reported that a fire had broken out on the
National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institu ...
, and that according to a wire report, a
car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...
had exploded in front of the
State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
. It also broadcast an interview with a witness to the Pentagon attack who said it was a helicopter (not a plane) that hit the building. CNN was not alone in airing these or similar inaccurate reports, as subsequent examinations of coverage by other networks has shown.


Reaction of various networks

* The major television stations in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
provided local coverage of the World Trade Center attacks, though primarily through local cable systems, as their transmission facilities atop the WTC were destroyed, and they had to deal with six station engineers killed in the attacks. * As
WCBS-TV WCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS New York, is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside Riverhead, New York–lic ...
's and
WXTV WXTV-DT (channel 41) is a television station licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, United States, serving as the Univision outlet for the New York City area. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (the other being WLT ...
's transmitting facilities were atop the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...
at the time, their signals remained accessible over the air. * Some cable networks suspended normal programming and simulcast news coverage from other networks. For example,
Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...
-owned
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
and
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
simulcast the feed from corporate sibling
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, and
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
-owned
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
and
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially ...
utilized the feed from corporate sibling
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
. * Some cable networks continued broadcasting their regularly scheduled programming without interruption, particularly those geared toward children's entertainment, such as
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
and
AOL Time Warner Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner i ...
-owned
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
. Several other networks such as
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery, who manages and operates it as a division of the Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Networks Group. The channel airs both televi ...
,
HGTV HGTV (an initialism for Home & Garden Television) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The network primarily broadcasts reality programming related to home improvement and real estate. HGTV Dream Home is an ...
, along with shopping channels
QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...
and
HSN HSN, Inc. an initialism of its former name Home Shopping Network, is an American free-to-air television network owned by the QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group), which also owns Catalog merchant, catalog company Cornerstone Brands. It is ...
, paused programming to display still images conveying sympathies and condolences. * At 12:00 pm, Brazil's
Rede Globo TV Globo (stylized as tvglobo; , ), formerly known as Rede Globo de Televisão (; shortened to Rede Globo) or simply known as Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965 ...
broadcast a special edition of
Jornal Hoje ''Jornal Hoje'' is a news program aired by the Brazilian television broadcaster TV Globo. The program is broadcast in the early afternoon from Monday to Saturday as part of a news block that also includes '' Praça TV'' and ''Globo Esporte''. It i ...
(afternoon national newscast). Normally the program would air after local newscasts and a sports news show. When Jornal Hoje ended, Globo decided to restart its normal programming for the second time, with occasional breaks for the news division to announce updates about the situation. * At 8:15 pm,
Jornal Nacional ; ) is the flagship television newscast of TV Globo. First airing on September 1, 1969, according to IBOPE ( Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics), in the week of September 28October 4, 2015, it was the second most watched progra ...
(Globo's evening newscast) started a special edition. The program broke the record of most-watched newscast of the year. According to official numbers later released, for each 100 televisions being watched at the time, 74 were tuned into Jornal Nacional. The special edition had William Bonner and
Fátima Bernardes Fátima Gomes Bernardes (born 17 September 1962) is a Brazilian journalist and TV host. She joined Rede Globo in 1987 as the host of RJTV, the regional news from Rio de Janeiro, and became widely known in 1989 when she hosted '' Jornal da Globo ...
as hosts and had the participation of correspondents in New York (live), Washington DC, London and Beirut. Correspondent Jorge Pontual was praised by critics after a memorable report right by the WTC. In October 2002, that edition of the Jornal Nacional was nominated for the
30th International Emmy Awards The 30th International Emmy Awards took place on November 25, 2002 in New York City and hosted by TV personality Donna Hanover. The award ceremony, presented by the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (IATAS), honors all programmi ...
.


Use of pictures

When asked for her thoughts on the attacks, First Lady
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (née Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American educator who was the first lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009 as the wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Bush was previously the fir ...
stated that "we need to be very careful about our children". She warned parents not to let their children see the frightening images of destruction in a constant loop, and recommended that parents turn off the television and do something constructive, reassuring, and calming with their children.


Programming

The most immediate impact to television was the loss of
David Angell David Lawrence Angell (April 10, 1946 – September 11, 2001) was an American screenwriter and television producer, known for his work in sitcoms. He won multiple Emmy Awards as a ''Cheers'' writer and as the creator and executive producer of t ...
, a co-creator and co-executive producer from the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
show ''
Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...
'', who with his wife, was among the passengers on
American Airlines Flight 11 American Airlines Flight 11 was a domestic Airline, passenger flight that was hijacked by five al-Qaeda terrorists on the morning of September 11, 2001, as part of the September 11 attacks. The hijacked airliner was deliberately crashed into ...
. In the United States, the start of the 2001–2002 television season was put on hold due to the extensive news coverage (several series, such as NBC's ''
Crossing Jordan ''Crossing Jordan'' is an American crime drama television series created by Tim Kring, that aired on NBC from September 24, 2001, to May 16, 2007. It stars Jill Hennessy as Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed ...
'', were originally scheduled to debut on September 11), with mid-September premieres delayed until later in the month. Late-night talk shows such as ''
The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...
'' and ''
Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...
'' were also off the air; Letterman was already dark for the week for a pre-season vacation. Even after regular programming resumed, several talk shows remained off the air for several more days as writers and hosts determined how best to approach the sensitive situation.
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...
was quoted on CNN as questioning whether he would even continue hosting his show. Ultimately, Letterman,
Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...
,
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...
, and other talk show hosts based in New York and Los Angeles returned to the airwaves with emotional initial broadcasts, with Letterman punctuating his thoughts by asking his audience how the attacks "made any goddamn sense." This was the second of four instances where the start of the television season was delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major television networks; the other instances were the 1988–89 season (as a result of the
1988 Writers Guild of America strike The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) against major United States television and film studios represented by ...
) the 2020–21 season (due to television production being halted as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
), and the 2023–24 season (as a result of the
2023 Writers Guild of America strike From May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA)—representing 11,500 screenwriters—went on Strike action, strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). Lasting 148 days, ...
and
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike From July 14 to November 9, 2023, the American actors' union SAG-AFTRA (Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) went on strike over a labor dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Pro ...
s). Several television series, most notably ''
The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...
'' and ''
Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
'', produced special episodes addressing the attacks; ''Third Watch'' devoted an episode to interviewing first responders, many of whom were advisors to the series, while ''West Wing'' presented an off-continuity episode in which the characters discuss an unspecified but similar attack with a group of students. ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the ''Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire ...
'' and its spinoff series all began their fall season premieres with a tribute to the victims. Shows such as the military based '' JAG'' and ''
Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...
'' (a series about New York City first responders) made major changes to their ongoing storylines to incorporate the event's aftermath. The season eight premiere of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' was dedicated to the "people of New York City". Characters in the
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
crime drama ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
'' discussed the attacks in several episodes, and the overall mood of the show became darker; the Twin Towers were also removed from the opening credits. The HBO show ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
'' removed the twin towers from its title sequence in the next season. '' Alias'', a series set within the espionage world that debuted in the fall of 2001, began adding references to terrorism and the
Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...
(an entity created after 9–11). On September 17, 2001, ''
Politically Incorrect "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
'' host
Bill Maher William MaherStated on ''Finding Your Roots'', January 12, 2016, PBS; on a series that lists "Jr." and "Sr." distinctions, Bill Maher's birth name was listed simply as William Maher, while his father was William Aloysius Maher Jr., and his pa ...
's guest
Dinesh D'Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an American Right-wing politics, right-wing political commentator, conspiracy theorist, author, and filmmaker. He has made several films and written over a dozen books, several of them The New Y ...
disputed President George Bush's label of the terrorists being "cowards", saying that the terrorists were warriors.Bohlen, Celestine. (September 21, 2001.
"Think tank; In new war on terrorism, words are weapons, too"
. ''The New York Times'' online archive. Retrieved on October 9, 2007.
Maher agreed and, according to a transcript, replied, "We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly." The comments were widely condemned, and the show was cancelled the following June, which Maher and many others saw as a result of the controversy; however, ABC denied that the controversy was a factor, and said the show was cancelled due to declining ratings.(2003-05-05.
"Maher: Politically incorrect on broadway".
CBS News website. Retrieved on October 9, 2007.
Kirn, Walter. (May 26, 2002.

. ''The New York Times'' online archive. Retrieved on October 9, 2007.
Maher said that the show struggled for advertisers in its final months. ''Family Guy'' creator and animator
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orvill ...
was going to board Flight 11 to Los Angeles, but missed his flight due to drunkenness the night before.


Delayed or cancelled entertainment awards shows

* The 53rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, scheduled for September 16, were delayed to October 7. However, the United States began to bomb Afghanistan on that day, and the ceremony was again postponed. They finally aired on November 4, with a somewhat somber atmosphere after surviving rumors of cancellation. Due to the delay, the event was relocated from the originally scheduled
Shrine Auditorium The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue in Los Angeles, California. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners. It was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 139) in 1975, an ...
venue to the smaller Shubert Theatre. The 2006 drama ''
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is an American comedy-drama television series created for NBC and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. The series was about the production of a live comedy series similar to ''Saturday Night Live''. Produced by ...
'' featured flashbacks to this time, where two of the characters on the show were fictionally nominated for awards at this event. * The
2nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards The winners of the Second Annual Latin Grammy Awards were announced during a press conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2001, at the Conga Room in Los Angeles, California. The conference, which was broadcast live on the internet, was hosted by Jimm ...
, which was scheduled for September 11, was cancelled immediately after the attacks. After many discussions about rescheduling the ceremony, The Latin Recording Academy determined it would be impossible to do so. Instead, the winners were announced at a press conference on October 30 at the
Conga Room The Conga Room is a Los Angeles nightlife and private events location. Founded in 1998, the Conga Room's first location was on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA. The Conga Room is now located in Downtown Los Angeles' L.A. Live across from ...
. The cancellation of the event cost the organizers an estimate of $2 million in losses. Some of the winners were acknowledged at the
44th Grammy Awards The 44th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 27, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The main recipient was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for " Fallin'". U2 won fo ...
. Furthermore, the attacks influenced the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. (NARAS), doing business as The Recording Academy, is an American Learned society, learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is widely kno ...
to hold the
2003 Grammy Awards The 45th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2003, at Madison Square Garden in New York City honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002. Musicians' accomplishment ...
ceremony in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
as part of the "healing process". The postponements and cancellations of various entertainment programs sparked rumors that the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...
were postponing or even canceling the
74th Academy Awards The 74th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 24, 2002, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly ...
ceremony. However, in a written statement released by president
Frank Pierson Frank Romer Pierson (May 12, 1925 – July 22, 2012) was an American screenwriter and film director.Byrge, Duane (July 23, 2012). rank Pierson, Former Movie Academy President, Writer and Director, Dies at 87.''The Hollywood Reporter''Yardley, Wi ...
, he denied any rumors that the attacks would affect the scheduling of the awards presentation saying that "the terrorists will have won" if they cancelled it. Nevertheless, the show went on as planned on March 24, 2002. The security was much tighter than in previous years, and the show had a more somber tone. According to ''
New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Clay Felker and Milton Glaser in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'' a ...
'', there were 26 references to the attacks during the telecast. On October 16, 2006, the awards event itself was designated a
National Special Security Event A National Special Security Event (NSSE) is an event of national or international significance deemed by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be a potential target for terrorism or other criminal activity. These events hav ...
by the
United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...
. Reflecting the significant and enduring impact of September 11 on popular culture, months and years after the attacks, events were still impacted, with the
2003 Grammy Awards The 45th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 23, 2003, at Madison Square Garden in New York City honoring the best in music for the recording of the year beginning from October 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002. Musicians' accomplishment ...
being held at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
instead of
Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...
as planned.
Blockbuster Entertainment Blockbuster or Blockbuster Video is an American multimedia brand which was founded by David Cook in 1985 as a single home video rental shop, but later became a public store chain featuring video game rentals, DVD-by-mail, streaming, video on de ...
terminated their
awards ceremony An awards ceremony is a type of ceremony where awards are given out. The ceremony may be arranged by a government organization, a society, a school, a trade association or even a company that specializes in running awards ceremonies. Typically a m ...
permanently shortly after the second delay of the Emmys.


Other changes

* 13 of the first 30 episodes of ''
Power Rangers Time Force ''Power Rangers Time Force'' is a television series and the ninth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 24th Super Sentai series ''Mirai Sentai Timeranger'', running for 40 half-hour episodes from February to November 2001. I ...
'' edited some of its footage after 9/11 due to some scenes sharing higher resemblance to the attacks. * The ''
Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (often shortened to ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom created and written by Jennifer Saunders, which premiered in 1992. It is based on the 1990 '' French and Saunders'' sketch " Modern Mother and Daughter", cr ...
'' episode "Paris" had a joke about the Taliban's destruction of the
Buddhas of Bamiyan The Buddhas of Bamiyan (, ) were two monumental Buddhist statues in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan, built possibly around the 6th-century. Located to the northwest of Kabul, at an elevation of , carbon dating of the structural components o ...
removed from its original broadcast on September 14, 2001. However, the material was restored on home media and streaming versions of the episode. * The second episode of the first season of ''
The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality competition franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. ''The Amazing Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselv ...
'' was originally scheduled to air on September 12, but was delayed to September 19 as CBS cleared the week's schedule to cover 9/11's aftermath. Host
Phil Keoghan Philip John Keoghan ( ; born 31 May 1967) is a New Zealand television personality, best known for hosting the The Amazing Race (American TV series), American version of ''The Amazing Race'' on CBS, since its 2001 debut. He is the creator and h ...
admitted that he doubted the show would be renewed since he didn't believe there would be demand for a reality show centered on traveling in the immediate aftermath. Casting director, Lynne Spillman, and television producer, Ghen Maynard, however, stated that they believed the series acted as a celebration of the modern world, the joys of travel, and a chance to see different cultures and were confident it would last. In addition,
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
of the Amazing Race was in process of location scouting in September 2001, but it was paused until late October. Season 2's filming was initially planned to start in November 2001, but was delayed to January 2002. * The third season of Survivor was initially planned to premiere in mid-September, but was delayed to October 11th. In addition, the fourth season (which would be filmed from November to December 10th) was initially planned to take place in
Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...
. The producers had scouted the area for months, planned challenges, and had been cleared for filming by
King Abdullah II Abdullah II (Abdullah bin Hussein; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemites, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is traditionally reg ...
who personally approved of the project. After 9/11, Producer
Mark Burnett James Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a British television producer who has won thirteen Emmy Awards including ten Primetime, one Sports Emmy Award and two Daytime Emmy Awards. His other accolades include five Producers Guild of America A ...
deemed the political climate in the Middle East to be too tense and the filming location was changed to the
Marquesas Islands The Marquesas Islands ( ; or ' or ' ; Marquesan language, Marquesan: ' (North Marquesan language, North Marquesan) and ' (South Marquesan language, South Marquesan), both meaning "the land of men") are a group of volcano, volcanic islands in ...
in
French Polynesia French Polynesia ( ; ; ) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole #Governance, overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. The t ...
. * The '' 101 Dalmatians: The Series'' episode, " Alive N' Chicken", was pulled from circulation due to a scene centering around Spot Chicken flying a contraption into a windmill with the Dalmatians on top with the contraption falling into a sack of flour. The episode, along with " Prima Doggy" had been banned for less than nineteen years until the ban was finally lifted in June 2020, when the show became available on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
. * In the ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' episode " The One Where Rachel Tells...", Chandler and Monica could not get on their flight for their honeymoon because Chandler joked about a bombing in the airport. After the attacks, the story was rewritten and reshot. As the show was set in New York, a disclaimer reading "Dedicated to the People of New York City" was added to the end of the episode "
The One After 'I Do' "The One After 'I Do" is the first episode of ''Friends'' eighth season. It first aired on the NBC network in the United States on September 27, 2001. Plot The episode begins at the end of Monica and Chandler's wedding. Ross congratulates ...
", which was the first episode of the series to be broadcast after the attacks. In several subsequent episodes, Joey and other members of the crew are seen wearing NYPD and FDNY apparel; Joey is seen wearing a T-shirt that says "Captain Billy Burke", referring to an NYC firefighter who died in the attack. * The opening credits of ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...
''s first three seasons featured a shot of the Twin Towers visible in
Tony Soprano Anthony John Soprano, portrayed by James Gandolfini, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the HBO crime drama television series ''The Sopranos''. He is a member of the American Mafia, Italian-American Mafia and, later in the series, ...
's rearview mirror. It was replaced with a generic shot beginning in the show's fourth season. * New material was quickly added to PBS's ''
Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...
'' following the attacks to address issues raised. The first episode of the season involves a
grease fire Fire classification is a system of categorizing fires with regard to the type(s) of combustion, combustible material(s) involved, and the form(s) of suitable extinguishing agent(s). Classes are often assigned letter designations, which can diffe ...
at
Hooper's Store Hooper's Store is a fictional business and meeting-place on the television show ''Sesame Street''. When the show began, the store was one of the four main locations on the set representing the fictional Sesame Street, with the 123 Sesame Street b ...
which traumatizes
Elmo Elmo is a Muppet character on the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. A furry red monster who speaks in a high-pitched falsetto voice and frequently refers to himself in the third person, he hosts the last full 15-minute segmen ...
until he meets some real-life
firefighters A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
.
Big Bird Big Bird is a Muppet character designed by Jim Henson and built by Kermit Love for the children's television show ''Sesame Street''. An bright yellow anthropomorphic bird, he can roller skate, ice skate, dance, swim, sing, write poetry, d ...
has to deal with his
xenophobic Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
pen pal Gulliver, who does not believe birds should be friendly to other species. * The syndicated version of the '' Married... with Children'' episode "Get Outta Dodge" features a scene of two Arabs with a ticking bomb at the front door of
Al Bundy Alphonse "Al" Bundy is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' Married... with Children'', played by Ed O'Neill. He is a misanthropic, working-class father of two who is portrayed as a tragicomedic figure. ...
's house offering to buy his
Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...
clunker car for $40 and asking for directions to the
Sears Tower The Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110- story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan ...
. * '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' had their
opening credits In a motion picture, television program or video game, the opening credits or opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank scree ...
modified at the start of their third season on September 28 to remove an
establishing shot An establishing shot in filmmaking and television production sets up, or establishes, the context for a scene by showing the relationship between its important figures and objects. It is generally a long or extreme-long shot at the beginning of ...
of the World Trade Center. * A shot of the New York City skyline in the opening montage of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' was altered to remove the Twin Towers when the new season began on September 29. A shot of an American flag was also added. * ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode " The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson", which premiered roughly four years before the attacks and was partially set at the World Trade Center, was temporarily pulled from syndication by some carriers. The episode later returned to syndication in 2006. * In the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...
'' episode "
Road to Rhode Island "Road to Rhode Island" is the 13th episode of the second season, and the first episode of the '' Road to ...'' series, of the American animated television series ''Family Guy'', and the 20th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the U ...
" (which aired a year before the attacks),
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
distracts a security guard at the airport while the X-ray machine detects weapons. This scene was cut after the September 11 attacks and was also removed from the ''Family Guy: Volume 1'' DVD; however, the episode remains intact on the ''Family Guy: The Freakin' Sweet Collection'' DVD. The episode " A Fish out of Water" was originally scheduled to premiere on September 12, 2001, but was delayed to September 19 following the attacks. * The ''
King of the Hill ''King of the Hill'' is an American animated sitcom created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels that initially aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from January 12, 1997, to September 13, 2009, with four more episodes airing in First-run syndicati ...
'' episodes " Propane Boom" and "Death of a Propane Salesman" were temporarily pulled from syndication for the remainder of September, due to the depiction of the explosion of the Mega Lo Mart and the aftermath that followed, both episodes later returned to syndication in October 2001. * The ''
SpongeBob SquarePants ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'' episode "
Just One Bite The third season of the American animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', created by Stephen Hillenburg, aired on Nickelodeon from October 5, 2001, to October 11, 2004, and consists of 20 half-hour episodes. The series chronicles th ...
" originally featured a scene in which
Squidward Tentacles Squidward Quincy Tentacles (, ) is a fictional character in Nickelodeon's animated television series ''SpongeBob SquarePants.'' Created and designed by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, he is voiced by actor Rodger Bumpass. ...
attempts to get to the "Patty Vault" by bypassing the Krusty Krab's security system, which consists of a bucket of gas and a match that eventually burns him. Despite this scene being removed after the episode's initial broadcast on October 5, 2001, it remains distributed internally among the fanbase. The episode re-aired in 2002 with the original scene replaced with a zoom-in towards the "Patty Vault" in the back of the Krusty Krab. This change was initially thought to have been made either out of respect the victims of the September 11 attacks (which occurred less than a month before the episode aired), or to prevent children from attempting to use and/or ignite gas. However, in 2018,
Vincent Waller Vincent Paul Waller (born September 30, 1960) is an American animator, storyboard artist, writer, and technical director. He has worked on several animated television shows and movies, the most notable of which being ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'' an ...
confirmed on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that it was ultimately due to
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
, the show's network, being against the idea of a gag involving a match and gasoline. * The ''
Invader Zim ''Invader Zim'' is an American animated science fiction horror comedy television series created by comic book writer and cartoonist Jhonen Vasquez for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the titular character Zim (voiced by Richard Steven Ho ...
'' episode "Door to Door" was delayed from airing in the United States and edited to remove some scenes of a burning city after an Irken invasion. While the unedited version of the episode was aired in Australia, only the edited version has been released on DVD. * The ''
Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...
'' episode "Malcolm's Girlfriend" originally had a subplot where Francis took refuge with a mad bomber in a remote Canadian cabin. The episode was to have guest starred
Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his ...
and the storyline was supposedly filmed, but due to the September 11 attacks it had to be re-filmed with a subplot involving Francis in an Alaskan prison witnessing a live soap opera. * The ''
Only Fools and Horses ''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...
'' episode " The Sky's The Limit" was temporarily removed from repeat showings due to the final scene showing a plane nearly crashing into Nelson Mandela House. * According to the outtakes of ''
Lizzie McGuire ''Lizzie McGuire'' is an American television comedy, comedy television series created by Terri Minsky that premiered on Disney Channel on January 12, 2001. The series stars Hilary Duff as the titular character who learns to navigate the person ...
'' season 2, the director and other crew members put a flag sticker on the
clapperboard A clapperboard, also known as a dumb slate, clapboard, film clapper, film slate, bertolo clapz, movie slate, or production slate, is a device used in filmmaking, television production and video production to assist in synchronizing of picture ...
during production as a tribute to the victims. * ''
Sex and the City ''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy, romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO, based on Sex and the City (newspaper column), the newspaper column and 1996 book by Candace Bushnell. It premiered in th ...
'' had a theme change where the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story, Art Deco-style supertall skyscraper in the Midtown South neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its n ...
replaced the Twin Towers as the opening credits with the name of
Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...
being shown. * ''
The Zeta Project ''The Zeta Project'' is an American science fiction animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation, which originally aired on Kids' WB between January 27, 2001, and August 10, 2002. It is the sixth series of the DC Ani ...
'' had almost been cancelled after season one due to the events of 9/11; however, season 2 was made on the caveat they cut the word "terrorist" and make it lighter in tone.


TV shows with the WTC digitally added

* ''
Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...
'', set in 1985, had the WTC towers digitally re-inserted. * ''
Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no conclusive evidence of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that ...
'', set primarily in 1973, shows a digitally-inserted World Trade Center in several episodes. The
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
ing main character first realises he is in the past when he sees the WTC towers. * ''
Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...
'' depicted an intact World Trade Center in a parallel universe. The buildings were revealed in the finale of season one. * The episode "
Adrift ADRIFT is a graphical user interface used to create and play text adventures. The name is an acronym for "Adventure Development & Runner - Interactive Fiction Toolkit". The project was solely developed by Campbell Wild until he made it open so ...
" from the ABC series '' Lost'' added the World Trade Center in the second airing of the episode in order to establish the timeframe of the flashback. * '' Selena: The Series'' showed the Twin Towers in two episodes: one with the Grammys as
Selena Quintanilla Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995) was an American singer-songwriter. Known as the " Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers ...
was with her husband Chris Perez and sister
Suzette Suzette (; ) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. See also * Dentelles de Montmirail *Communes of the Vaucluse department The following is a list of the 151 communes of t ...
, along with the latter's husband. Another episode called "When All the World is Sleeping" had the same towers seen again, but not before Selena's death.


Non-altered shows

* Reruns of '' Wheel of Fortune'' showed the Twin Towers on
Game Show Network Game Show Network (GSN) is an American basic cable channel owned by the television network division of Sony Pictures Television. The channel's programming is primarily dedicated to game shows, including reruns of acquired game shows, along wit ...
, especially the nighttime scene, during the opening.


Music and radio

* Program directors from radio stations throughout the United States retooled their playlists in response to the attacks. Common changes included the heavy rotation of songs such as "
God Bless the USA "God Bless the U.S.A." (also known as "Proud to Be an American") is an American patriotic song written and recorded by American country singer Lee Greenwood, and is considered to be his signature song. Released by MCA Nashville on May 21, 1984 ...
" by
Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer. Active since 1962, he won a Grammy Awards, Grammy Award and he has charted 33 singles on the Hot Country Songs with seven singles reaching the number one. He has ...
and
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's rendition of "
The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...
" from
Super Bowl XXV Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
. Meanwhile, songs such as U2's "
Sunday Bloody Sunday "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1983 album '' War'' and was released as the album's third single on 21 March 1983 in the Netherlands and West Germany. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is noted ...
",
Drowning Pool Drowning Pool is an American rock band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1996. The band was named after the 1975 film '' The Drowning Pool''. Since its formation, the band has consisted of guitarist C.J. Pierce, drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie ...
's "
Bodies Bodies may refer to: Literature * ''Bodies'' (comics), a 2014–2015 Vertigo Comics detective fiction series * ''Bodies'' (novel), a 2002 novel by Jed Mercurio * ''Bodies'', a 1977 play by James Saunders * ''Bodies'', a 2009 book by Susie Orba ...
", and
Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...
's "
Crash Into Me "Crash into Me" is a song by American rock group Dave Matthews Band. It was released on October 29, 1996 as the third single from their second album, '' Crash''. It reached number 7 on the US ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart in March 1997. ...
" were excluded from playlists. Additionally, Clear Channel (now known as
iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
) came under scrutiny for distributing a list of 150 potentially sensitive songs that were not recommended for broadcast immediately after the attacks, including every
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
song. *
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's weekly comedic news quiz show '' Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' did not record or broadcast a show for the weekend of September 15–16. * Christian
rap metal Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop music, hip hop with heavy metal music, heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, Rapping, rapped vocals and sometimes turntablism, turntables. History O ...
band
P.O.D. P.O.D. (an initialism for Payable on Death) is an American nu metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval, bassist Mark "Traa" Daniels, lead guitarist Mar ...
released their album ''
Satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...
'' on September 11, 2001, spurring success for the album and its lead single " Alive", which was seen as having a positive message in the aftermath of the attacks. Other bands associated with genres such as
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...
and rap metal experienced a downturn in sales due to the attacks; these genres continued to decline in popularity in the following years. * Thrash metal band
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
released their album ''
God Hates Us All ''God Hates Us All'' is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released on September 11, 2001, by American Recordings (US), American Recordings. It was recorded over three months at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, and inc ...
'' on September 11, 2001. Due to the name of the album and its lyrical themes and content, it has been interpreted by some as a premonition of the attacks. * According to
Arrogant Worms The Arrogant Worms are a Canadian musical comedy trio founded in 1991 that parodies many musical genres. They are well known for their humorous on-stage banter in addition to their music. The members have been Trevor Strong (vocals), Mike McCormi ...
band member Trevor Strong, the song "Worst Seat on the Plane" was never performed live due to ''
Idiot Road ''Idiot Road'' is the seventh album by the Canadian musical comedy group The Arrogant Worms. It was released in 2001. Background According to band member Trevor Strong, the song "Worst Seat on the Plane" was never performed live due to ''Idiot ...
'' (the album it was featured on) being released on September 18, 2001. * American alternative rock band
Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...
voluntarily changed the name of their album ''
Bleed American ''Bleed American'' is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Jimmy Eat World, released on July 24, 2001, by DreamWorks Records. The album was re-released as ''Jimmy Eat World'' following the September 11 attacks; that name remaine ...
'', which was released on July 18, 2001, out of concern that the title may be misinterpreted. It was re-released as the eponymous ''Jimmy Eat World'', and its
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
was renamed "Salt Sweat Sugar". In 2008, a deluxe version of the album was released, reverting both the album and song to their original ''Bleed American'' title. * Hungarian composer
Robert Gulya The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...
, who lived in the United States from 2000 to 2002, began to work on a guitar concerto shortly after the September 11 attacks. Gulya chose a
theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...
for the concerto's first movement, which is reminiscent of the terror attacks. * The cover artwork of
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band comprises John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums), James LaBrie (vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). Dream Theat ...
's live album ''
Live Scenes from New York ''Live Scenes from New York'' is the third live album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, recorded on August 30, 2000, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. ''Live Scenes from New York'' is the audio counterpart to the '' Metr ...
'', released on September 11, 2001, originally depicted the skyline of New York City in flames. The album was recalled and re-released with a different cover. The band later performed "Sacrificed Sons" on the album ''
Octavarium ''Octavarium'' is the eighth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater. Released on June 7, 2005, it was the band's final release with Atlantic Records. Recorded between September 2004 and February 2005, it was the last alb ...
'' as a tribute to the victims of the attacks. Keyboardist
Jordan Rudess Jordan Rudess (born Jordan Charles Rudes; November 4, 1956) is an American keyboardist, composer, and software developer, best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment. Early lif ...
even did the album '' 4NYC'' as a charity album for the tragedy. The band changed the name of one song from their 2002 album ''
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ''Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence'' is the sixth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released as a double-disc album on January 29, 2002, through Elektra Records. It is the first full-length Dream Theater album to fe ...
'': "The Great Debate", which discusses stem-cell research controversies, was originally titled "Conflict at Ground Zero" based on the lyrics in the chorus, but was renamed as news reports began to refer to the site of the attacks as "Ground Zero".FAQ
". mikeportnoy.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
The band was in a
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
studio conducting final mixes of the album on the day in question. * English rock band Bush changed the name of the
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
off their 2001 album '' Golden State'' from "Speed Kills" to "
The People That We Love "The People That We Love" is a song by British rock band Bush. It was released on 18 September 2001 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, '' Golden State'' (2001). Working title The song was initially titled "Speed Kills", wh ...
". Also changed was the original cover art for the album, which featured a commercial airplane. * The
San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...
continued with a previously planned program of Mahler's 6th Symphony, the "Tragic," on September 12–15. The subsequent recording was highly acclaimed and garnered the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. *
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...
postponed a concert in Tampa, Florida, scheduled for the day, and cancelled the entire European leg of her
All for You Tour The All for You Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson, in support of her seventh studio album '' All for You'' (2001). The show was designed by Mark Fisher and Jackson. It was originally scheduled to start in ...
due to travel concerns after the attacks. * Before the 9/11 attacks, American DJ and media personality Khaled Mohamed Khaled often referred to himself as "
DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...
- The Arab Attack" before dropping the tag line out of concern about offending victims. * The American compact disc release of
The Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...
' debut album, ''
Is This It ''Is This It'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Strokes. It was first released on July 30, 2001 in Australia, with RCA Records handling the release internationally and Rough Trade Records handling the United Kingdom release. It ...
'', was delayed from September 25 to October 9 and had its track list amended, with the song " New York City Cops" being removed and replaced with the newly written track "
When It Started "When It Started" is a song by the garage rock band The Strokes. It appears in the film ''Spider-Man'' as well as the film's soundtrack. The band's publicist stated that due to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City the song replace ...
". * Alternative rock band Enon had been set to release their upcoming second studio album in September 2001, but their label, SeeThru Broadcasting, decided to close following the
9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in New York. Enon temporarily released their second instrumental album "On Hold" in late 2001 to compensate fans for waiting. Enon signed with the Chicago-based indie label,
Touch and Go Records Touch and Go Records is an American independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois. After its genesis as a handmade fanzine in 1979, it grew into one of the key record labels in the American 1980s underground and alternative rock scenes. To ...
after the closing of SeeThru, releasing their second studio album
High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...
in June 2002, after around half a year of limbo * Hip-hop band
The Coup The Coup is an American hip hop band from Oakland, California. Their music is an amalgamation of influences, including funk, punk, hip hop, and soul. Frontman Boots Riley's revolutionarily-charged lyrics rank The Coup as a renowned politica ...
's album ''
Party Music ''Party Music'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group the Coup. It was originally released on 75 Ark on November 6, 2001. It was re-released on Epitaph Records in 2004. Album cover The original cover of the album, created in June ...
'' originally featured art depicting two of the band's members apparently bombing the World Trade Center, and was scheduled for release in September 2001. The album was delayed to November so the band could create new cover art. * In London, the last night of the
BBC Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...
summer concert series, on Saturday September 15, was greatly toned down from its usual noisy and bombastic celebration, with major program revisions including the removal of John Adams's ''
Short Ride in a Fast Machine ''Short Ride in a Fast Machine'' is a 1986 orchestral work by John Adams (composer), John Adams. Adams applies the description "fanfare for orchestra" to this work and to the earlier ''Tromba Lontana'' (1986). The former is also known as ''Fanfar ...
''. * The music video the song 'Piece by Piece' by welsh band Feeder was changed. The original video depicted animated characters of the band playing in a New York skyscraper with the World Trade Center in the background and planes flying nearby. * The lyrics for
Sean Altman Rockapella is an American a cappella musical group formed in 1986 in New York City. The group's name is a portmanteau of "rock" and "a cappella". Rockapella sings original vocal music and a cappella versions of other songs. Over time, their sound ...
's accapella song " Zombie Jamboree" was changed from "There's a high-wire zombie between the World Trades" to "There's an accapella zombie singing down Broadway".


Theme parks

* The
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
attraction '' The Timekeeper'', a 360-degree film presentation that featured a panoramic view of New York City (including the Twin Towers) closed on September 11, 2001, and updated the scene of New York City so that the titular character was sent to 2000, a year before the attacks, which caused all references to the WTC to be removed. The attraction closed five years later.


Sports

Many major sporting events in North America were cancelled. These included: *
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL): In the wake of the attacks, the NFL's week 2 games (September 16 and 17) were postponed and rescheduled to the end of the regular season (the weekend of January 6 and 7, 2002). The playoffs began 5 days later on January 12 and ended on February 3, 2002, with the Super Bowl, making it the first time the NFL's championship game was played in the month of February. *
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB): Major League Baseball Commissioner
Bud Selig Allan Huber "Bud" Selig (; born July 30, 1934) is an American baseball executive who currently serves as the commissioner emeritus of baseball. Previously, he served as the ninth commissioner of baseball from 1998 to 2015. He initially served a ...
called off games for one day, extended cancellations for three days, then eventually postponed all games through September 16, 2001. The
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
' home series against the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...
from September 17–19 was moved to
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
due to security concerns, with the Mets functioning as the series' designated home team. The games were tacked onto the end of the regular season, delaying the postseason until October 9. As a result, the
2001 World Series The 2001 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2001 Major League Baseball season, 2001 season. The 97th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (ba ...
became the first World Series to extend into November. This was the third time in MLB history that games were cancelled due to war or national security reasons. Games were previously cancelled on
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, and the 1918 season was shortened due to
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. * All
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
championship series were cancelled. Teams that had led their respective series were awarded league championships, or teams which were scheduled to play in such series (such as the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
, which utilizes half-season championships to position the championship series) were awarded co-championships. * The
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
(MLS)'s final two weeks of the 2001 season were cancelled, with some teams only playing 26 or 27 matches instead of the planned 28. The playoffs, whose spots were already decided, were played as scheduled, beginning on September 20 and ending with the
MLS Cup MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the culmination of the MLS Playoffs. The game is held in November or December and pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the winner of the Western Confere ...
on October 21. * The remaining three matches of the 2001 Women's U.S. Cup, featuring the
United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central Ameri ...
, were cancelled. *
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
Division I
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
games originally scheduled to be played on September 13 and 15, 2001 were called off. *
USA Cycling USA Cycling or USAC, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the national governing body for bicycle racing in the United States. It covers the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclo-cross, and BMX across all ages and ability levels. ...
cancelled the
BMC Software BMC Software, Inc. is an American multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting, and enterprise software company based in Houston, Texas. History The company was founded in Houston, Texas, by former Shell employees Scot ...
Tour of
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
, a key event in that year's Pro Cycling Tour that had been scheduled for September 16. The decision was made in spite of athletes, staff, and equipment being actively en route to Houston from the inaugural
San Francisco Grand Prix The San Francisco Grand Prix was a road cycling race held in San Francisco, United States in early September. It was as a 1.HC event and in 2005 part of the UCI America Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing compet ...
, which was held on September 9. * The
Félix Trinidad vs. Bernard Hopkins Félix Trinidad vs. Bernard Hopkins, billed as ''And Then There Was One'', was a boxing match that took place on September 29, 2001, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, between WBC and IBF middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins and WBA mi ...
world Middleweight championship boxing fight, which was to take place on September 15 at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in New York, was postponed until September 29 due to the attacks. Also, a wrestling show was cancelled at the Madison Square Garden around the same date. The following sports events were delayed: * The
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
and
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
matches that were scheduled for September 12 and 13 were postponed to October 10 and September 20, 2001, respectively. Matches scheduled on the September 11 proceeded for
logistical Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption according to the needs of customers. Logi ...
reasons, with a
minute's silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...
observed and
black armband A black armband is an armband that is coloured black to signify that the wearer is in mourning or wishes to identify with the commemoration of a family member or friend who has died. In sport, especially association football, cricket, and Austral ...
s worn at the matches. *
World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, then named the World Wrestling Federation, had a live taping scheduled for the upcoming episode of
SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...
on September 11, 2001, however due to the events of September 11th, the taping was delayed until September 13, 2001, in Houston, Texas. The live episode of SmackDown was the first large public assembly since the attacks. *
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
delayed the
2001 New Hampshire 300 The 2001 New Hampshire 300 was a NASCAR Winston Cup race held at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Originally scheduled to be run on September 16, 2001, the September 11 attacks forced a postponement of the race until November 23, 2001. Thus, the rac ...
, moving the race (and the entire weekend) from September 16 to November 23, 2001. Several cars ran American flag themed liveries for the race, which was won by
Robby Gordon Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, Inter ...
. Sporting events that were not delayed despite the attacks include: * The
2001 American Memorial The 2001 American Memorial was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on September 15, 2001, at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. It was the 16th round of the 2001 CART season and the first race in ...
was a
Championship Auto Racing Teams Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was a Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 1979 until dissolving after the 2003 CART season, 2003 season. CART was founded in 1979 by team owners formerly ...
motor race held four days after the attacks at the
EuroSpeedway Lausitz The Lausitzring (formally known as the Dekra Lausitzring for ownership reasons) is a race track located near Klettwitz (a civil parish of Schipkau, Oberspreewald-Lausitz district) in the state of Brandenburg in northeast Germany, near the ...
. It was not delayed, but was renamed from "German 500" by CART following the aftermath of the attacks. *Formula One's governing body, the
Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA; ) is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocacy, advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automot ...
, announced that the
2001 Italian Grand Prix The 2001 Italian Grand Prix (formally the Gran Premio Campari d'Italia 2001) was a Formula One motor race held before around 95,000 to 110,000 spectators on 16 September 2001 at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza near Monza, Lombardy, Italy. It w ...
would proceed as scheduled. Ferrari president
Luca di Montezemolo Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (; born 31 August 1947) is an Italian businessman who is best known as the former chairman of Ferrari, Fiat S.p.A., Confindustria and Alitalia. Montezemolo descends from an aristocratic family from the region of Pied ...
said that his team would approach the race as a normal racing event instead of a traditional Ferrari festival. Furthermore, di Montezemolo stated Formula One should continue its normal schedule and not cancel races. The
Automobile Club d'Italia The Automobile Club d'Italia (usually known by its acronym ACI) is a not-for-profit statutory corporation of the Italian Republic. The club originated through the efforts of Count Carlo Biscaretti di Ruffia as the "Automobile Club of Turin" founde ...
urged fans and spectators to behave "in keeping with the gravity of the situation and in collective participation in the pain of American citizens." Podium celebrations were cancelled and all pre-race ceremonies including a flypast by the Italian Tricolour Arrows display team were called off. Three teams altered their car's liveries as a mark of respect. Ferrari stripped their cars of all advertising and painted their nose cones black, Jaguar fitted black engine covers to their R2 cars on Saturday morning, and Jordan sponsor
Deutsche Post (, ) is a brand of the DHL Group (listed as ), used for its domestic mail services in Germany. The services offered under the brand are those of a traditional mail service, making the brand the successor of the former state-owned mail monopoly ...
replaced its branding with the American flag on the Jordan cars' engine covers on Sunday morning. Michael Schumacher was reluctant to take part in the race, and said in 2002 that he felt it was a "bad sign" to be driving after the September 11 attacks.


Video games

* The release of blockbuster title ''
Grand Theft Auto III ''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It was the first 3D game in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series. Set in Liberty City, loosely based on New York City, the story follo ...
'' was delayed almost a month to make last-minute changes, since the game was set in a city loosely based on New York City. Development was also delayed due to Rockstar's offices being based near Ground Zero. The paint scheme of the city's police cars was changed from a blue-and-white design reminiscent of the
New York City Police Department The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...
to a black-and-white design reminiscent of the
Los Angeles Police Department The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...
. Other relatively minor changes included altering an AI plane's flight path which went near skyscrapers, and removing a few lines of pedestrian dialogue and talk radio. * ''
Syphon Filter 3 ''Syphon Filter 3'' is a 2001 third-person shooter video game developed by Sony Bend and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the third installment in the ''Syphon Filter'' series and the last to be released on th ...
'''s cover art was changed before release. It originally had Gabe Logan, viewed from an angle, pointing a gun at the camera with a look of anger while Lian swung into frame, guns a-blazing and with the American flag prominently displayed. It was changed to a generic head-view of Gabe and Lian. *
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
delayed the release of '' Spider-Man 2: Enter: Electro'' in order to remove the Twin Towers and 9/11 references. *
Neversoft Neversoft Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Woodland Hills, California. The studio was founded by Joel Jewett, Mick West and Chris Ward in July 1994 and was acquired by Activision in October 1999. Initially, the st ...
quickly edited the Airport level in ''
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the ''Tony Hawk's'' series. It was published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color and ...
'' a month prior to its release as it previously depicted a terrorist plot involving a bombing of a passenger airplane. The terrorists were instead reskinned as pickpockets and certain objectives renamed for sensitivity reasons. * An art designer for the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
game '' Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies'' realized an image that was about to release on the game's promotional website, depicting a battleship sinking near a populated cityscape, looked similar to the smoke plume from the Twin Towers' collapse. The designer discussed this with the staffer in charge of the website, and erased the city buildings from the image.
Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company founded in 1955. It operated video arcades and amusement parks globally, and produced video games, films, toys, and arcade cabinets. Namco was one of the most influential c ...
also suspended its broadcast of a Japanese
TV spot A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
for the game. * '' Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem'' was delayed as Joseph De Molay, a
Templar Knight The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
during the
crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...
, was removed from the game. Textures that had Arabic writing were also removed. * '' Metal Wolf Chaos'' was not localized into other languages and remained unreleased outside of Japan due to the political climate that followed the attacks. However, it was eventually re-released worldwide as ''Metal Wolf Chaos XD'' in 2019. * '' Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'', a blockbuster title which was released in North America and Japan two months after the attack, featured the Pentagon and the World Trade Center during its climax. After the Sept. 11 attacks, a scene showing the destruction of the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
and parts of Manhattan was cut from the game. Dialogue about terrorists targeting Manhattan was also removed. * The
Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...
game ''
Advance Wars ''Advance Wars'' is a turn-based strategy video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the seventh title in the Wars (series), ''Wars'' series of video games, and the first in the ''Advanc ...
'' was delayed in Europe, Japan, and Australia after having been released in North America. The game would release in Australia in 2001, Europe in 2002, and Japan in 2004. * The
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
game '' Propeller Arena'' was completed and due to be released on September 19, 2001, but was cancelled and never officially released. The video game was about dogfighting in planes and one level takes place around a city of skyscrapers. * The
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...
launch game ''Project Gotham Racing'' depicted the World Trade Center in the background on its initial box cover art, which was already printed to retailers as display cases. After the attacks, the artwork was altered before the game was released. * The
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
game '' Savage Skies'' was originally conceived as a licensed tie-in game based on the music and likeness of heavy metal musician
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
under the name ''Ozzy's Black Skies'' with a song written specifically for the game called "Black Skies". Developer iRock Interactive was later forced to drop the Osbourne branding and retool the game as ''Savage Skies'' both due to concerns about the game's original title and premise being in poor taste in the aftermath of the attacks as well as licensing expenses, finally releasing the game in 2002; Osbourne would later include the song "Black Skies" as a bonus track on the single "
Dreamer The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, known as the DREAM Act, is a United States legislative proposal that would grant temporary #For conditional resident status, conditional residency, with the right to work, for Illegal ...
". * During its development, ''
Half-Life 2 ''Half-Life 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It was published for Windows on Valve's digital distribution service, Steam. Like the original ''Half-Life'' (1998), ''Half-Life 2'' is played ent ...
'' featured an airplane crashing into a high-rise apartment, which was cut following the attacks.


Other

* An advertisement published in 1979 (21 years before 9/11), in several French magazines for
Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...
and their flights between Paris and New York showed a photograph of a flying jetliner's shadow projected onto the Twin Towers. When this image was rediscovered on the internet in the years after the attacks, it was noted for its coincidental use of imagery invoking the attack, particularly for the fact that
Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...
hid in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and was later shot and killed there in 2011. * ''Mad'' magazine's issue No. 411 was already at the printer with a gag front cover depicting the mascot
Alfred E. Neuman Alfred E. Neuman is the fictitious mascot and cover boy of the American humor magazine '' Mad''. The character's distinct smiling face, gap-toothed smile, freckles, red hair, protruding ears, and scrawny body date back to late 19th-century ad ...
having taken a wrong turn away from the
New York Marathon The New York City Marathon, currently branded as the TCS New York City Marathon for sponsorship reasons, is an annual marathon () that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 fin ...
route (an event occurring in October, when the issue was to be released) and jogging into a murder scene, where he cluelessly broke through yellow crime scene tape in triumph. The cover, which depicted downtown Manhattan and a corpse, was no longer appropriate in light of the September 11 attacks, but the magazine had just one deadline day to produce a replacement cover. This was accomplished with a closely cropped headshot of Neuman, with his trademark tooth gap filled in by a small American flag. * The 2001 Boshears Skyfest was cancelled due to closed airspace following the attacks. *
Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...
went dark until September 13, 2001, when shows resumed with dimmed marquees. *
Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1948 in Washington, D.C.; its first store was built in April 1948, with i ...
in
Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
sold a
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
doll exclusive to this location in 2001. The initial release featured a depiction of the Twin Towers on its packaging, but was revised to remove them following the September 11 attacks. *
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
's
Max Steel ''Max Steel'' is a discontinued American media franchise produced and owned by the multinational company Mattel. Originally released as a line of action figures marketed from 1999 to 2022, the Max Steel name has expanded to live-action films, a ...
toyline was censored in its packaging because people noticed a similarity between the action figure of the Max Steel villain, Vitriol, with the 9/11 attacks, the description of the back of the box said Vitriol was going to attack the World Trade Center, this was also worsened by the fact the character was a terrorist, the back of the Vitriol action figure's box was later censored by Mattel, as well as other action figures at the time such as Max Steel himself and the cyborg villain Psycho, who was also a terrorist as well, a toy helicopter was removed from US stores as well. *
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...
's 17th album and twelfth HBO
stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...
special, ''
Complaints and Grievances ''Complaints and Grievances'' is the 17th album and 12th HBO stand-up special by comedian George Carlin. It was nominated for the Grammy Awards of 2003, 2003 Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, Best Spoken Comedy Album. Produc ...
'', originally given the working title ''I Kinda Like It When a Lot of People Die,'' was heavily reworked and retitled following the September 11 attacks.


See also

*
List of cultural references to the September 11 attacks This list of cultural references to the September 11 attacks and to the post-9/11 sociopolitical climate, includes works of art, music, books, poetry, comics, theater, film, and television. Art and design *''A Garden Stepping into the Sky'' ...
* Cultural influence of the September 11 attacks


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:September 11 attacks - entertainment effects
Entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...
Censorship