Sponsored message
Logged in as
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

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.

Arts & Entertainment

Calm Down, Internet! ‘Seinfeld’s’ Wayne Knight Is Still Alive

newman.jpg
Wayne Knight attends the TV Land holiday premiere party for "Hot in Cleveland" and "The Exes" at SD26 Nov. 29, 2011 in New York. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.


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.

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!

Knight also tweeted condolences to the family of the woman who did die in the accident.

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.

Sponsored message

Here’s a great compilation of the still-alive Wayne Knight on “Seinfeld.” Newman!

One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.

If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today