Did Andy Rooney Really Say That?
1 of 15
"The French have not earned their right to oppose President Bush's plans to attack Iraq. On the other hand, I have."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. These words were part of a February 2003 rant against France. Yes he did. These words were part of a February 2003 rant against France.
2 of 15
"I don't ever remember seeing a Mormon. Not once, not ever."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. Norm MacDonald doing Larry King again. No he didn't. Norm MacDonald doing Larry King again.
3 of 15
"Milk is great but would you want a President who drinks milk all the time?"
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. Another pearl of wisdom from Years of Minutes, from 1987. Andy was discussing a Life magazine article that listed each Presidential candidate's beverage of choice. George H.W. Bush and Dick Gephardt chose milk. Pat Robertson opted for tea. Also from Andy: "Al Gore said Gatorade...which tastes like 6-Up to me." Yes he did. Another pearl of wisdom from Years of Minutes, from 1987. Andy was discussing a Life magazine article that listed each Presidential candidate's beverage of choice. George H.W. Bush and Dick Gephardt chose milk. Pat Robertson opted for tea. Also from Andy: "Al Gore said Gatorade...which tastes like 6-Up to me."
4 of 15
"A woman over 40 looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women or drag queens."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. Another widely circulated email falsely attributed this praise of older women to Rooney. When The Baltimore Sun asked him if he shared the actual author's affection for older women, he said, "Not particularly." No he didn't. Another widely circulated email falsely attributed this praise of older women to Rooney. When The Baltimore Sun asked him if he shared the actual author's affection for older women, he said, "Not particularly."
5 of 15
“When it comes to window blinds, vertical blinds are terrific, but so are horizontal blinds.”
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. These are the words of Larry King, as portrayed by Norm MacDonald on the memorable SNL sketch "USA Today’s News & Views with Larry King.” No he didn't. These are the words of Larry King, as portrayed by Norm MacDonald on the memorable SNL sketch "USA Today’s News & Views with Larry King.”
6 of 15
"I'm not sure why they call them toothbrushes. It's as though you were only brushing one tooth. Why not teethbrushes?"
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. I found this Kenny Bania-esque observation in Rooney's 2004 anthology Years of Minutes, which reprinted his 60 Minutes segments from 1982-2003. This nugget came from 1983. Yes he did. I found this Kenny Bania-esque observation in Rooney's 2004 anthology Years of Minutes, which reprinted his 60 Minutes segments from 1982-2003. This nugget came from 1983.
ANSWER:
7 of 15
"Going to the New York Giants' home games is just something I do. I'm not saying it makes sense. I'm just saying that's what I do."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. In fact, this year, he followed his team to the Super Bowl, and filed this surreal report. Yes he did. In fact, this year, he followed his team to the Super Bowl, and filed this surreal report.
8 of 15
“I’ve had enough of this LBJ character.”
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. This comes from www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts, the blog of Creed Bratton, quality assurance manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. No he didn't. This comes from www.creedthoughts.gov.www\creedthoughts, the blog of Creed Bratton, quality assurance manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch.
9 of 15
"Everyone's favorite Girl Scout Cookie is the Thin Mints."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. Part of a 2006 piece on Girl Scout Cookies. Did you know that some of them are made by Keebler? Learn more here. Yes he did. Part of a 2006 piece on Girl Scout Cookies. Did you know that some of them are made by Keebler? Learn more here.
10 of 15
"They say school uniforms help keep order. Don't these schools do enough damage making kids think alike? Now they're going to make them look alike too? This isn't a new idea. I first saw it in news reels from the 1930s, but it was hard to understand. The narration was in German."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. This was paraphrased from George Carlin's 1999 HBO special, You Are All Diseased. No he didn't. This was paraphrased from George Carlin's 1999 HBO special, You Are All Diseased.
11 of 15
"I know all about Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, but today's baseball stars are all guys named Rodriguez to me. They're apparently very good but they haven't caught my interest."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. Andy wrote these words in a 2007 column titled "A No-Hit Game For Me." Yes he did. Andy wrote these words in a 2007 column titled "A No-Hit Game For Me."
ANSWER:
12 of 15
"God said to me, 'Andrew, you have the eyes and ears of a lot of people. I wish you'd tell your viewers that both Pat Robertson and Mel Gibson strike me as wackos.'"
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. This 2004 quote came in response to Pat Robertson's claim that he'd heard from the Lord that "it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004." Yes he did. This 2004 quote came in response to Pat Robertson's claim that he'd heard from the Lord that "it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004."
13 of 15
"I have the right not to be tolerant of others because they are different, weird, or tick me off."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. This was one of many quotes falsely attributed to Rooney in a widely circluated email. Here's Andy's response, from Snopes: "There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption ‘ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.’ If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him." No he didn't. This was one of many quotes falsely attributed to Rooney in a widely circluated email. Here's Andy's response, from Snopes: "There's a collection of racist and sexist remarks on the Internet under a picture of me with the caption ‘ANDY ROONEY SAID ON 60 MINUTES.’ If I could find the person who did write it using my name I would sue him."
14 of 15
"An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: No he didn't. It's a Mitch Hedberg joke. The whole thing goes something like this: "An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You should never see an 'Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order' sign, just 'Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.'" No he didn't. It's a Mitch Hedberg joke. The whole thing goes something like this: "An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You should never see an 'Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order' sign, just 'Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience.'"
15 of 15
"The picture in the paper is of Kurt Cobain in a pair of ragged jeans with a hole in the knee. I doubt that Kurt Cobain ever prayed or did the kind of work that would have worn a hole in his pants."
Andy Really Said This
Andy Never Said This
ANSWER: Yes he did. Andy took a lot of heat for his critical comments after Cobain's suicide. Rooney also ridiculed Cobain's fans, saying, "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression, World War II or Vietnam?" For more, read this 1994 Anna Quindlen op-ed from The New York Times.
Now head over to the mental_floss blog and let us know how well you know your Rooney. Yes he did. Andy took a lot of heat for his critical comments after Cobain's suicide. Rooney also ridiculed Cobain's fans, saying, "What would all these young people be doing if they had real problems like a Depression, World War II or Vietnam?" For more, read this 1994 Anna Quindlen op-ed from The New York Times.
Now head over to the mental_floss blog and let us know how well you know your Rooney.
ANSWER:
