Mark Wahlberg is reflecting on one of the most haunting “what ifs” of his on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. The actor was almost one of the people aboard the plane that crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
The Father Stu star was originally booked on American Airlines Flight 11, which was headed to Los Angeles, but ultimately hijacked on September 11, 2001. Wahlberg had changed his plans and traveled to Toronto instead, narrowly avoiding a flight that killed all 92 people aboard.
On Friday, he shared an Instagram video of an American flag blowing in the wind, writing in the caption, “This anniversary is always a gut punch of emotions…words just can’t say it all.”
That near miss has followed Wahlberg for years, particularly after comments he made in a 2012 Men’s Journal interview sparked backlash. When he was asked what might have happened if he had been on the plane with his children, Wahlberg said, “There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin” and suggested he would have been able to help land the plane safely.
He quickly apologized, calling his comments irresponsible and saying, “To speculate about such a situation is ridiculous to begin with.” He also apologized directly to the families of those killed, saying he never intended to come across as insensitive.
Wahlberg has largely left those comments in the past, and every day he is trying to be a better man. At the By Any Means red carpet in Los Angeles, HOLA! got to interview him on the red carpet, where he explained, “I know I’ve got a big responsibility with all these blessings that have been bestowed upon me. “I’ve got to make sure that I’m making a real impact.”
“I pray all the time for guidance on how he wants me to utilize the talents and gifts that he’s given me to serve others, to serve him. And, you know, that’s not something that I take lightly,” Wahlberg continued.
Seth MacFarlane was supposed to be on board
© GettyHe wasn’t the only celebrity that was supposed ot be on the plane. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was scheduled on Flight 11 but missed the plane by minutes thanks to a hangover.
“I was booked on that flight, and I was drinking the night before and hungover, and I missed the plane by about 10 minutes,” MacFarlane explained. “It was a very close call for me.” He took a nap and woke up in the airport’s lounge, then woke up 45 minutes later to the news.
Then there’s Michael Jackson
© GettyThe King of Pop wasn’t scheduled to take any flights that day, but he was supposed to be at the World Trade Center the morning it happened.
According to his older brother Jermaine Jackson, Michael overslept after staying up late talking with his mother and siblings, missing the meeting at the Twin Towers.
Jermaine wrote in his memoir You Are Not Alone Michael: Through a Brother’s Eyes that the family only realized Michael had been scheduled for a meeting at one of the towers after his mother called his hotel to make sure he was safe.
“Thankfully, none of us had had a clue that Michael was due at a meeting that morning at the top of one of the Twin Towers,” Jermaine wrote. “Mother, Rebbie [Jackson] and a few others had left him there around 3 am. ‘Mother, I’m okay, thanks to you,’ he told her. ‘You kept me up talking so late that I overslept and missed my appointment.’”
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