With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Calm Down, Internet! ‘Seinfeld’s’ Wayne Knight Is Still Alive
Newman isn’t dead. Wayne Knight, the actor who famously played conniving mailman Newman on “Seinfeld,” is the latest victim of the random-dead-celebrity-rumor mill after rumors circulated today that Knight had died in a car accident at the New York-Pennsylvania border. While the fatal accident unfortunately did happen, a woman died in the wreck, not Wayne Knight, as Knight wasn’t even in the car. He took to Twitter to debunk the rumor.
Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed, but….I am alive and well!
— Wayne Knight (@iWayneKnight) March 16, 2014
Knight later tweeted again after some didn’t believe he was still alive. As of 5 p.m., even IMDb.com still had him listed as dead!
Does someone have to DIE to trend? Geez! Thanks for all the love everybody. I didn’t know you cared. Glad to be breathing!
— Wayne Knight (@iWayneKnight) March 16, 2014
Knight also tweeted condolences to the family of the woman who did die in the accident.
Regrets to my friends and family who were shocked this morning and the family of the woman who actually died in my “supposed” accident.
— Wayne Knight (@iWayneKnight) March 16, 2014
The bogus story came from a site called TMZ.today, the Daily Mail reported, which is sort of like the real TMZ except it’s not affiliated with it at all and they published this wrong story. Their site links to another site called eBuzzd, which used Twitter as a source in one long, wrong Web wormhole.
Here’s a great compilation of the still-alive Wayne Knight on “Seinfeld.” Newman!