Mattress Store Is Closing ‘Indefinitely’ After Horrible 9/11-Themed Ad
“We take full responsibility for our actions and sincerely regret the hurt and pain caused by this disrespectful advertising campaign,” company says
Tim Kenneally | September 9, 2016 @ 5:08 PM
Last Updated: September 9, 2016 @ 9:23 PM
Sorry, residents of San Antonio, Texas — it looks like you won’t be able to buy any sized mattress for the price of a twin mattress after all …
Miracle Mattress announced Friday that it is closing “indefinitely,” after running a 9/11-themed sale ad that amused nobody and infuriated many.
“Effective immediately, our Miracle Mattress store will be closed indefinitely. We will be silent through the 9/11 Anniversary to avoid any further distractions from a day of recognition and remembrance for the victims and their families,” the announcement, posted on the company’s Facebook page, reads. “We take full responsibility for our actions and sincerely regret the hurt and pain caused by this disrespectful advertising campaign.”
“Disrespectful” might be an understatement. To recap: The Texas-based mattress company ran an ad promoting its sale leading up to the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks featuring a woman flanked by two men, standing in front of two towers of mattresses.
When the woman informed viewers that all of their mattresses will be on sale for the price of a twin mattress, the two men fell back into the stacks, causing them to collapse in a supremely ill-conceived reenactment of two skyscrapers falling.
The ad concluded with the woman declaring, “We’ll never forget.”
In Friday’s announcement, Miracle Mattress added that it will make a statement next week “highlighting accountability actions taken within the company. We will also describe our plans to offer support for the 9/11 Memorial and victims funds.
“There is very little we can do to take away from the hurt we have caused, but we can begin with silence through the Anniversary and then do our best to follow up with actions that reflect the seriousness of our mistake,” the company added.
Read the full statement below.
How 21 Movies and TV Shows Portrayed 9/11 (Photos)
Friday marks 19 years since 9/11, and Hollywood has struggled all that time with how to address it. Here's how 21 films and TV shows tried to tell stories tied to Sept. 11, 2001.
"South Park" (2001)
The first episode of the always topical dark comedy to air after 9/11 revolved around America's invasion of Afghanistan.
Comedy Central
"The West Wing" (2001)
Creator and showrunner Aaron Sorkin wrote this special episode, about a fictional terrorist attack, and it aired just three weeks after the attacks.
NBC
"Law & Order"
The 9/11 attacks occurred during Season 12 of the long-running drama, and several later episodes revolved around it, including one episode where a woman's remains were dumped at Ground Zero in order to cover up a murder.
NBC
"24" (2001)
Shot a few months before the attacks, the Fox spy thriller became more timely and relevant than it ever intended to be.
Fox
"Third Watch" (2001)
This drama about New York City's first responders remembered 9/11 with a non-fiction episode, followed by two episodes putting its main characters directly in the aftermath of 9/11.
NBC
"25th Hour" (2002)
Spike Lee's drama, featuring a pivotal scene within sight of Ground Zero, was the first major film to confront 9/11. It premiered in December 2002.
Disney
"Rescue Me" (2004)
The Dennis Leary dramedy focuses on a firefighter who lost his best friend in the 9/11 attacks. The events of that day would reverberate through the entire series.
FX
"Tiger Cruise" (2004)
This Disney Channel original movie saw Hayden Panettiere's character dealing with the events of 9/11 as they happened, while on a cruise with military members and their families.
Disney Channel
"United 93" (2006)
Paul Greengrass took a straight, fact-based approach to tell the story of the passengers who tried to take back the plane.
Universal
"World Trade Center" (2006)
Oliver Stone's drama portrayed the events of 9/11 from the perspective of first responders.
Paramount
"Reign Over Me" (2007)
Adam Sandler played a man struggling five years after the 9/11 attacks killed his wife and daughter.
Sony
"Postal" (2007)
Uew Boll's crass comedy opened with a scene joking about fictional 9/11 hijackers - suggesting that they flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center by accident.
Vivendi
"Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" (2008)
The comedy threequel followed the best friends as they're detained and sent to Guantanamo Bay, after a paranoid fellow plane passenger mistakes Kumar's bong for a bomb.
New Line
"Fringe" (2009)
The season one finale of the sci-fi drama featured an alternate world, where the 9/11 attacks hit the White House instead of the Twin Towers.
Fox
"Julie and Julia" (2009)
Set in 2002, Amy Adams' character Julie starts cooking as a way to get away from her stressful day job of fielding calls from 9/11 victims during the rebuilding of the World Trade Center.
Sony
"Remember Me" (2010)
The Robert Pattinson drama had a twist ending that culminated in the 9/11 attacks. Many people found it an odd fit.
Stephen Daldry's adaptation of the Jonathan Safron Foer novel followed a kid who lost his father in the 9/11 attacks.
Warner Bros
"Homeland" (2011)
Set in a distinctly post-9/11 world, the series started off mirroring the themes of paranoia and terrorist threats present in the US in the years following the attacks.
Showtime
"The Reluctant Fundamentalist" (2012)
Mira Nair's thriller is based on Mohsin Hamid's novel about a Pakistani man (Riz Ahmed) who's a rising star on Wall Street until 9/11 upends both his career and his personal life as he becomes the subject of suspicion.
"9/11" (2017)
Charlie Sheen, Gina Gershon and Whoopi Goldberg star in a flawed adaptation of a play called "Elevator" about people trapped in the World Trade Center that fateful day, but it never becomes the tacky exploitation exercise that you might expect.
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From “United 93” to special episodes of “The West Wing” and “Law & Order,” here’s how Hollywood has portrayed the terrorist attacks on screen
Friday marks 19 years since 9/11, and Hollywood has struggled all that time with how to address it. Here's how 21 films and TV shows tried to tell stories tied to Sept. 11, 2001.