Comedian and 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan has issued an apology in the wake of community outrage inspired by anti-gay comments made during a comedy show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium last weekend.
The Human Rights Campaign reports that Morgan, who has encountered criticism in the past for his at-times controversial stage humor, reportedly went on the offensive with regard to gay individuals and gay rights during the recent stand-up show. According to Entertainment Weekly, Nashville native Kevin Rogers — a gay man and former fan of Morgan’s who attended the show — later posted on his Facebook page that the comedian launched into an anti-gay rant in the midst of his act, suggesting that “the gays needed to quit being p—ies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying.”
Rogers’ posts quoting Morgan’s tirade drew swift media attention – especially those claiming that Morgan said he would kill his own son if he turned out to be gay. As the comments continued, Rogers explains, audience members began to leave – but he insisted on staying:
“I don’t really give in easily,” Rogers said, “and I thought…if I stand up and leave, he wins.”
Rogers added that he wasn’t angered by Morgan’s comments – merely disappointed. However, other members of the LGBT community reacted more heatedly to Tracy Morgan’s upsetting remarks; and today, the comedian issued an apology to his fans and any gay and lesbian individuals who may have been offended by his on-stage behavior.
“I want to apologize…for my choice of words,” Morgan said in a statement. “I’m not a hateful person and don’t condone any kind of violence against others.”
He went on to describe himself as an “equal opportunity jokester,” and to admit that last week’s show went too far and “was not funny in any context.”
Hours before Morgan published his apology, GLAAD released a statement urging Morgan’s management team to investigate the comedian’s purported comments and, should they prove true, have them removed from his comedy routine.
Update: Morgan to return to Nashville, apologize to audience members; Tina Fey reacts to homophobic comments
ABC News reports today that Tracy Morgan will return to Nashville next week in order to apologize personally to the audience members he offended by making anti-gay comments during his standup act earlier this month. GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios, who spoke with Morgan about the Nashville visit, told ABC that the comedian is truly sorry for his homophobic language and intends to support his public apology with public action.
Fellow 30 Rock star and colleague Tina Fey responded to the news of Morgan’s anti-gay behavior with disappointment, stating that she was “disturbed” by the violence of Morgan’s comments. Fey, who is herself a vocal advocate for LGBT rights, added that she hopes for his own sake that Tracy’s apology is acceptable to the LGBT cast and crew of the hit NBC show, without whom the actor “would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket.”
