September 11, 2026 • 12 mins
On this special episode of “Tommy Talk,” Tommy pays tribute to the lives lost on September 11, 2001, while reflecting on the compassion, courage, and unity that emerged in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy. Growing up in New Jersey, just outside New York City, Tommy shares his vivid memories of that day and how deeply it affected his community. He also remembers the first responders who ran toward danger, the strangers who became helpers, and the neighbors who looked out for one another when people needed it most. This episode is a heartfelt reminder that we shouldn’t need tragedy to bring us together. Tommy challenges us to carry that same humanity forward by checking in on the people we love, showing greater kindness to strangers, putting aside our differences, and remembering what truly matters in life. May we never forget the victims of 9/11.
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Producers: Andrew Pugliese, Stephanie Lane, Josh Kolodny
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey guys, welcome to a new episode of Tommy Talk,
and today is a tribute to 9-11. You're waking up today,
maybe your heart is a little heavier than usual. You're reflecting,
you're remembering a day that was so unbelievably tragic, so
unbelievably tragic, that if you're anything like me, it leaves
(00:23):
a little bit of a damper on your day, maybe
even your week. And there are moments in history that
divide our lives into a before and into an after.
And September 11th, 2001 is one of those dates. It
absolutely is. Now, everyone knows the tragic events of 9-11
from either living it, or if you didn't live it,
(00:44):
you certainly read and learned about it. And for those
who did live it, we know exactly where we were
during those times. I certainly do. I grew up in
New Jersey, right outside of the city. If there's no traffic,
it's about a 45-minute drive to Manhattan from where I
grew up. And I remember that day so vividly. I
(01:05):
was in school and static was filling the quiet classrooms
as the old intercom system powered on. I remember that
so distinctly. And we were scared. We were confused. We
were worried. We were panicked. What was going on? Uneasy
classmates were staring up at the speaker. praying that their
(01:26):
name won't be called because one by one the principal
was calling in students, not for detention, but because their
parents were in the towers falling to the ground. The
smoke could be seen from the rooftop of my high school.
It all felt so incredibly close to home, and it was.
It was. It was very close to home. The town
(01:46):
I grew up in, we have a tribute, a 9-11 tribute,
because so many people were lost who worked and commuted
into the city from my hometown. it just living it
while being so close to it really made it that
much more intense. It's the only way I can describe it.
It was this really intense feeling for quite a long time,
(02:07):
for a very long time. And it is so important
to never ever forget the innocent people lost in those horrific,
horrific attacks on 9-11 and the heroic stories of so
many brave people who put fear aside to help those
around them. That's what's so amazing about this tragic event
is the heroic nature that so many humans had. They
(02:29):
just put themselves last to help other people. And I always,
I'll always say as the years go on, it's so
important to never forget those people who also helped rebuild
the city and bring a community together that so badly
needed to feel the comfort and love. So I will always, always,
always hold this day so close to my heart and
(02:50):
honor the people lost. And say a little prayer for
all of them, for every single person who was affected
by this tragedy. So this is a day that I
think collectively we need to be together. We need to
have that community feel. I think that we go through
life sometimes forgetting what's important. And unfortunately, a tragedy reminds
(03:13):
us of what's important. And it shouldn't have to be
that way. It really shouldn't have to be that way.
So I think what happened between people in the aftermath
of the tragedy is something I want to focus on
today and talk about today because I saw so many
beautiful things emerge from one of the worst things that
ever happened in the history of our country. For a moment,
(03:33):
I think that a lot of the things we argued
about in the past kind of seemed to disappear. People
were checking in on strangers. Neighbors were looking out for
one another. How refreshing is that? I feel like nowadays,
sometimes everyone's so stressed, we don't talk to neighbors, but
neighbors were actually looking out for one another and community
was gathering and forming again. The first responders, man, God
(03:55):
bless them. They were running towards danger and ordinary people
were searching for ways to help. There was just this
overwhelming sense is the best way I can describe it
of coming together. I really remember that at the time.
I remember that I would turn on the news and
there were these huge lines for people to donate blood.
And people were volunteering to bring food to first responders
(04:16):
and cooking them home cooked meals because they were so
tired day in and day out doing the search and
recovery efforts. People were opening up their homes to help people.
There were hugs being exchanged by people who barely knew
each other. What else do I remember? I remember this
extreme sense of patriotism. Flags were everywhere. I feel like
the American flag was popping up everywhere. And people were
(04:38):
just making time again for... for people they loved. It's
like they felt this renewed sense of, oh my God,
I love you. I don't want to lose you. And
this has shaken me to my core. And tragedy has
a way of reminding us of what matters. I said
it earlier, I'll say it again. It shouldn't be that way,
but it does. It really does. And when you think
about the grand scheme of life, we're all guilty of
(05:00):
going into the patterns that keep us, I'll say distracted
on what matters most. But in the end of the day,
if you really strip everything back, the job title, it
doesn't matter as much as you think. The amount of money,
are you super rich or are you just getting by?
It doesn't matter as much as you think. Sure, one
(05:22):
makes for a bit of an easier life, no denying that.
But some of those people that are on the higher
levels of wealth are so unhappy, right? The fight you
had yesterday, with your friend, or with someone that's not
that close to you, does it really matter? No, it doesn't.
It doesn't matter. Because during all of this chaos, you're
(05:45):
reminded of what does matter. And I think this connection
between strangers was a really beautiful thing that came out
of a horrific event because suddenly the person sitting next
to you wasn't a stranger. They didn't feel like a stranger.
They just felt like another human being experiencing all of
the things that you were feeling, fear and uncertainty and grief.
And Suddenly you have this connection and suddenly you're feeling like, oh,
(06:08):
I see that person when maybe you wouldn't have seen
them in today's day and age. Your headphones are on,
your head is down. You're not trying to see anyone else.
So I think that there's a lesson in that for
all of us, for all of us. We remember the pain.
We remember the tragedy, the loss. And my God, I
wish none of that ever happened. I wish none of
that ever happened. It's devastating. But we can also remember
(06:29):
the humanity in it all because man, there was a
lot of humanity. There was a lot. I think if
you go back to that time, or if you, again,
weren't alive during that time and you're from a younger
audience listening to this, you can either remember what it
felt like to check on each other or you read
stories about people checking on each other. And that feeling
(06:50):
was so nice. That feeling was so nice because it's
putting aside any difference you have to just say, are
you okay? Do you need anything from me? How are
you holding on? What can I do to help you?
Do you need a hug? Because that's what matters in
that moment. Not the differences. Not the differences. What matters
is hugging someone a little tighter. Appreciating being alive. And
(07:11):
recognizing the person who maybe, I don't know, you don't
love or you disagree with. They're still a human with
a story. With family and friends and fears and hopes
and people who love them. And maybe that's something to
carry forward. I always... try to think of what we
can carry forward from some of the darkest moments in time.
And it's not always easy because your mind goes to
how unfair and awful any of those things, you know,
(07:33):
were that actually happened. But in order to hold on
to one little glimmer of hope, any glimmer of hope,
I try to think about that. Like, what is something
we can carry? And I think that what we can
carry is being kinder and better to each other. And
we can choose to do that now. That can start now.
We can call the friend we've been wanting to call
(07:55):
or forgive someone or stop holding onto an argument because
our ego gets in the way or help that stranger
or just be kinder when you see someone in the
grocery store or in traffic who's having a bad day
and pissing you off. Like you don't know what's going
on with them. You don't know what's going on with them.
You don't know. I'll never forget as a quick aside,
I was in Whole Foods and the cashier was so
(08:16):
rude and nasty for no reason. It was just not
treating me very kindly. And my initial instinct was to
get mad and say something. And then instead of doing that,
I bit my tongue and I said, how are you?
How are you today? She was not good. And I said,
why are you not good? And she said, I just
moved here from Haiti and I miss my family terribly.
And I feel like I have no connection to them.
And I thought, this is why she's acting like that.
(08:38):
She feels alone and I want to make her feel seen.
And we had a lovely conversation and she smiled. And
sometimes it just takes that. Sometimes it just takes that, right?
So I think that remembering on the surface, things aren't
what they seem that we can all extend to helping
hands with someone or just be there for someone. It's
September 11th. It changed America forever, forever. But in the darkness,
(09:03):
I do remember those moments happening more and more and more.
I really do. The compassion, the courage, the community. It
was amazing. It was amazing. And just to kind of
replay in my mind, and hopefully this is inspiring for
you of what came out of that, that was hopeful.
The things I remember are people checking on their neighbors,
(09:24):
strangers were becoming helpers and friends. Oh, I remember the
first responders, they were gaining a really deep appreciation by everyone.
They were being honored, kind of like during COVID and
how the nurses were being honored and praised. They were
really being honored and praised and they deserved it. I
think people became more intentional about spending time and being
with their family and their loved ones. I think communities
(09:47):
became more connected and people were expressing their feelings more openly.
Perhaps vulnerability became a way of connecting more with people.
Like I wanna say I love you to someone, I'm
gonna say it. That's what I remember from back then.
There was just more gratitude. There was more gratitude all
around and people were willing to help those they didn't know.
(10:09):
Just kindness, acts of kindness were everywhere. Acts of kindness
were everywhere. So those are the things that today while
I'm grieving, For my city, I live in New York City,
and while I'm grieving for everyone lost, and it's a
hard day, I always cry on 9-11, always, especially being
(10:29):
here in the Big Apple. I also am holding on
to the things that I know are inspiring and hopeful
that came from a truly dark time, because I think
we can't lose sight of that either. Yes, we focus
on the tragedy, and we say prayers for those lost,
and we need to do that. But I think we
also have to take this day and remember what matters most,
(10:50):
what matters most. And hopefully the things I talked about
resonate with you and matter and make you want to
focus more on the things that matter most. And we
can all do better. We can all be a better
version of ourselves every day. None of us are perfect.
And I hope today is a reminder of that as well.
And 9-11, I always just say it's showed us how
(11:11):
quickly People can put aside differences and just come together
when something so enormous and unimaginable happened. Truly, truly. It
does show us that as well. And I think going forward,
we have to challenge ourselves and ask, can we choose
(11:31):
that same humanity that we felt back then or that
you read about back then without needing something awful to
force us into it? And that's what I want to
leave you with today. So God bless every single person
lost in 9-11. I hope you take a moment today
to remember them. And I hope you take a moment
(11:51):
today to think about how you want to carry yourself
going forward, as I certainly do. I reflect on that
as well. So here's to all being a little kinder,
a little gentler with each other, and remembering what really
matters in life. I've Never Said This Before is hosted
by me, Tommy D'Addario. This podcast is executive produced by
(12:15):
Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by me, Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Kolodny. I've Never Said This Before is part
of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts. For more, rate, review,
and subscribe to our show. And if you like this episode,
tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy D'Addario.
Hey guys, welcome to a new episode of Tommy Talk,
and today is a tribute to 9-11. You're waking up today,
maybe your heart is a little heavier than usual. You're reflecting,
you're remembering a day that was so unbelievably tragic, so
unbelievably tragic, that if you're anything like me, it leaves
(00:23):
a little bit of a damper on your day, maybe
even your week. And there are moments in history that
divide our lives into a before and into an after.
And September 11th, 2001 is one of those dates. It
absolutely is. Now, everyone knows the tragic events of 9-11
from either living it, or if you didn't live it,
(00:44):
you certainly read and learned about it. And for those
who did live it, we know exactly where we were
during those times. I certainly do. I grew up in
New Jersey, right outside of the city. If there's no traffic,
it's about a 45-minute drive to Manhattan from where I
grew up. And I remember that day so vividly. I
(01:05):
was in school and static was filling the quiet classrooms
as the old intercom system powered on. I remember that
so distinctly. And we were scared. We were confused. We
were worried. We were panicked. What was going on? Uneasy
classmates were staring up at the speaker. praying that their
(01:26):
name won't be called because one by one the principal
was calling in students, not for detention, but because their
parents were in the towers falling to the ground. The
smoke could be seen from the rooftop of my high school.
It all felt so incredibly close to home, and it was.
It was. It was very close to home. The town
(01:46):
I grew up in, we have a tribute, a 9-11 tribute,
because so many people were lost who worked and commuted
into the city from my hometown. it just living it
while being so close to it really made it that
much more intense. It's the only way I can describe it.
It was this really intense feeling for quite a long time,
(02:07):
for a very long time. And it is so important
to never ever forget the innocent people lost in those horrific,
horrific attacks on 9-11 and the heroic stories of so
many brave people who put fear aside to help those
around them. That's what's so amazing about this tragic event
is the heroic nature that so many humans had. They
(02:29):
just put themselves last to help other people. And I always,
I'll always say as the years go on, it's so
important to never forget those people who also helped rebuild
the city and bring a community together that so badly
needed to feel the comfort and love. So I will always, always,
always hold this day so close to my heart and
(02:50):
honor the people lost. And say a little prayer for
all of them, for every single person who was affected
by this tragedy. So this is a day that I
think collectively we need to be together. We need to
have that community feel. I think that we go through
life sometimes forgetting what's important. And unfortunately, a tragedy reminds
(03:13):
us of what's important. And it shouldn't have to be
that way. It really shouldn't have to be that way.
So I think what happened between people in the aftermath
of the tragedy is something I want to focus on
today and talk about today because I saw so many
beautiful things emerge from one of the worst things that
ever happened in the history of our country. For a moment,
(03:33):
I think that a lot of the things we argued
about in the past kind of seemed to disappear. People
were checking in on strangers. Neighbors were looking out for
one another. How refreshing is that? I feel like nowadays,
sometimes everyone's so stressed, we don't talk to neighbors, but
neighbors were actually looking out for one another and community
was gathering and forming again. The first responders, man, God
(03:55):
bless them. They were running towards danger and ordinary people
were searching for ways to help. There was just this
overwhelming sense is the best way I can describe it
of coming together. I really remember that at the time.
I remember that I would turn on the news and
there were these huge lines for people to donate blood.
And people were volunteering to bring food to first responders
(04:16):
and cooking them home cooked meals because they were so
tired day in and day out doing the search and
recovery efforts. People were opening up their homes to help people.
There were hugs being exchanged by people who barely knew
each other. What else do I remember? I remember this
extreme sense of patriotism. Flags were everywhere. I feel like
the American flag was popping up everywhere. And people were
(04:38):
just making time again for... for people they loved. It's
like they felt this renewed sense of, oh my God,
I love you. I don't want to lose you. And
this has shaken me to my core. And tragedy has
a way of reminding us of what matters. I said
it earlier, I'll say it again. It shouldn't be that way,
but it does. It really does. And when you think
about the grand scheme of life, we're all guilty of
(05:00):
going into the patterns that keep us, I'll say distracted
on what matters most. But in the end of the day,
if you really strip everything back, the job title, it
doesn't matter as much as you think. The amount of money,
are you super rich or are you just getting by?
It doesn't matter as much as you think. Sure, one
(05:22):
makes for a bit of an easier life, no denying that.
But some of those people that are on the higher
levels of wealth are so unhappy, right? The fight you
had yesterday, with your friend, or with someone that's not
that close to you, does it really matter? No, it doesn't.
It doesn't matter. Because during all of this chaos, you're
(05:45):
reminded of what does matter. And I think this connection
between strangers was a really beautiful thing that came out
of a horrific event because suddenly the person sitting next
to you wasn't a stranger. They didn't feel like a stranger.
They just felt like another human being experiencing all of
the things that you were feeling, fear and uncertainty and grief.
And Suddenly you have this connection and suddenly you're feeling like, oh,
(06:08):
I see that person when maybe you wouldn't have seen
them in today's day and age. Your headphones are on,
your head is down. You're not trying to see anyone else.
So I think that there's a lesson in that for
all of us, for all of us. We remember the pain.
We remember the tragedy, the loss. And my God, I
wish none of that ever happened. I wish none of
that ever happened. It's devastating. But we can also remember
(06:29):
the humanity in it all because man, there was a
lot of humanity. There was a lot. I think if
you go back to that time, or if you, again,
weren't alive during that time and you're from a younger
audience listening to this, you can either remember what it
felt like to check on each other or you read
stories about people checking on each other. And that feeling
(06:50):
was so nice. That feeling was so nice because it's
putting aside any difference you have to just say, are
you okay? Do you need anything from me? How are
you holding on? What can I do to help you?
Do you need a hug? Because that's what matters in
that moment. Not the differences. Not the differences. What matters
is hugging someone a little tighter. Appreciating being alive. And
(07:11):
recognizing the person who maybe, I don't know, you don't
love or you disagree with. They're still a human with
a story. With family and friends and fears and hopes
and people who love them. And maybe that's something to
carry forward. I always... try to think of what we
can carry forward from some of the darkest moments in time.
And it's not always easy because your mind goes to
how unfair and awful any of those things, you know,
(07:33):
were that actually happened. But in order to hold on
to one little glimmer of hope, any glimmer of hope,
I try to think about that. Like, what is something
we can carry? And I think that what we can
carry is being kinder and better to each other. And
we can choose to do that now. That can start now.
We can call the friend we've been wanting to call
(07:55):
or forgive someone or stop holding onto an argument because
our ego gets in the way or help that stranger
or just be kinder when you see someone in the
grocery store or in traffic who's having a bad day
and pissing you off. Like you don't know what's going
on with them. You don't know what's going on with them.
You don't know. I'll never forget as a quick aside,
I was in Whole Foods and the cashier was so
(08:16):
rude and nasty for no reason. It was just not
treating me very kindly. And my initial instinct was to
get mad and say something. And then instead of doing that,
I bit my tongue and I said, how are you?
How are you today? She was not good. And I said,
why are you not good? And she said, I just
moved here from Haiti and I miss my family terribly.
And I feel like I have no connection to them.
And I thought, this is why she's acting like that.
(08:38):
She feels alone and I want to make her feel seen.
And we had a lovely conversation and she smiled. And
sometimes it just takes that. Sometimes it just takes that, right?
So I think that remembering on the surface, things aren't
what they seem that we can all extend to helping
hands with someone or just be there for someone. It's
September 11th. It changed America forever, forever. But in the darkness,
(09:03):
I do remember those moments happening more and more and more.
I really do. The compassion, the courage, the community. It
was amazing. It was amazing. And just to kind of
replay in my mind, and hopefully this is inspiring for
you of what came out of that, that was hopeful.
The things I remember are people checking on their neighbors,
(09:24):
strangers were becoming helpers and friends. Oh, I remember the
first responders, they were gaining a really deep appreciation by everyone.
They were being honored, kind of like during COVID and
how the nurses were being honored and praised. They were
really being honored and praised and they deserved it. I
think people became more intentional about spending time and being
with their family and their loved ones. I think communities
(09:47):
became more connected and people were expressing their feelings more openly.
Perhaps vulnerability became a way of connecting more with people.
Like I wanna say I love you to someone, I'm
gonna say it. That's what I remember from back then.
There was just more gratitude. There was more gratitude all
around and people were willing to help those they didn't know.
(10:09):
Just kindness, acts of kindness were everywhere. Acts of kindness
were everywhere. So those are the things that today while
I'm grieving, For my city, I live in New York City,
and while I'm grieving for everyone lost, and it's a
hard day, I always cry on 9-11, always, especially being
(10:29):
here in the Big Apple. I also am holding on
to the things that I know are inspiring and hopeful
that came from a truly dark time, because I think
we can't lose sight of that either. Yes, we focus
on the tragedy, and we say prayers for those lost,
and we need to do that. But I think we
also have to take this day and remember what matters most,
(10:50):
what matters most. And hopefully the things I talked about
resonate with you and matter and make you want to
focus more on the things that matter most. And we
can all do better. We can all be a better
version of ourselves every day. None of us are perfect.
And I hope today is a reminder of that as well.
And 9-11, I always just say it's showed us how
(11:11):
quickly People can put aside differences and just come together
when something so enormous and unimaginable happened. Truly, truly. It
does show us that as well. And I think going forward,
we have to challenge ourselves and ask, can we choose
(11:31):
that same humanity that we felt back then or that
you read about back then without needing something awful to
force us into it? And that's what I want to
leave you with today. So God bless every single person
lost in 9-11. I hope you take a moment today
to remember them. And I hope you take a moment
(11:51):
today to think about how you want to carry yourself
going forward, as I certainly do. I reflect on that
as well. So here's to all being a little kinder,
a little gentler with each other, and remembering what really
matters in life. I've Never Said This Before is hosted
by me, Tommy D'Addario. This podcast is executive produced by
(12:15):
Andrew Puglisi at iHeartRadio and by me, Tommy, with editing
by Joshua Kolodny. I've Never Said This Before is part
of the Elvis Duran Podcast Network on iHeart Podcasts. For more, rate, review,
and subscribe to our show. And if you like this episode,
tell your friends. Until next time, I'm Tommy D'Addario.
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