Actress Kirstie Alley responds after being confused for 'Christie Ally' in Bridgegate scandal

Reuters/Fred Prouser

Actress Kirstie Alley is being repeatedly confused for "Christie Ally" - or an associate of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R).

The New York Times inadvertently started the mix-up on Friday morning with a headline declaring, "Christie Ally to Plead Guilty in New Jersey Bridge Scandal."

That ally is David Wildstein, the former director of interstate capital projects at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Wildstein is not, it apparently should be noted, "Cheers" actress Kirstie Alley. But people nevertheless had some difficulty distinguishing the two:

 Eventually, Alley's name began to trend on Twitter and the actress herself weighed in: 

She also responded to an image of a New York Times article featuring a photo of Christie replaced with herself. The newspaper told Business Insider, however, that the photo was fake. "There was no error by The Times," spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said. 

Wildstein is involved in the "Bridgegate" scandal that engulfed Christie's administration and hurt his prospects in the 2016 presidential race. Wildstein ordered the September 2013 lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that some say was political retaliation against the mayor whose town was devastated by the resulting traffic.