 On April 19, 2018, it was revealed that Cullen fabricated details in his accounting of what he saw at the Boston Marathon bombing in columns he wrote for "The Boston Globe", "The Irish Times", and the BBC.Despite not being at the scene when the bombs went off, Cullen's portrayal of the Richard family during the marathon included several inconsistencies across his writings.The "Globe" placed Cullen on administrative leave a day later to determine the extent of his dishonesty.