Tracy Morgan indulged an ugly side of his psyche when he went on an anti-gay riff in Nashville a couple weeks ago. As relayed in a Facebook post by gay audience member Kevin Rogers that quickly went viral, the routine started with insinuations that all gays are gay by choice (because "God don't make no mistakes") and went on to make light of the anti-gay bullying that's dominated headlines this year. Morgan didn't stop there, though—he entered seriously dark, demented territory, saying, according to Rogers, that if his son was gay "he better come home and talk to me like a man" and not [Morgan mimicked a high-pitched voice], or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N [one word I refuse to use] to death. Morgan then said he "didn't f--king care" if he pissed off some gays, because "if they can take a f--king d-ck up their a--... they can take a f--king joke."
I repeat all of this just as a reminder that the routine wasn't merely some off-color humor poking fun at gay people. It was a downright hateful and ugly string of thoughts. Morgan's comments were offensive enough to earn sternly worded condemnations from both Tina Fey and NBC head Robert Greenblatt.
Morgan returned to Nashville today to deliver an apology and statement of support for the LGBT community. Next to him was Rogers, and a representative from GLAAD, the gay media advocacy group who arranged this press conference. (It bears mentioning that GLAAD's repeat logo branding on the backdrop made the entire thing seem more than a little coerced.) Rogers explained he had "always assumed Tracy was an ally to the LGBT community," making his shock over the routine all the greater. Then Morgan said he wanted to "apologize to Kevin and the people at the show for bumming them out. I want to apologize to my friends, family, and fans and every community who were offended with this. I didn't know. I didn't mean it. That's how I feel about it. I don't have a hateful bone in my body … I don't care who you love, same sex or not. As long as you have the ability to love, that's the important thing here."
Here's the full video:
That's a world away from telling a full theater that you'd stab your gay son to death for talking in a high-pitched, effeminate voice. But is it enough? There will be those who say this is too little too late, and those who question its sincerity. But as for me, it's more than I expected to hear from Morgan. I hope this puts TracyGate behind us once and for all.
Americans and their political correctness. Home of the free, but full of limits and boundaries. Hypocrites.
Careful withoutcanseco, you'll get a scolding for that kind of talk. I hate turtles. I am now anti-turtle. I like tv.com moderators.
I also like turtles.
@scotlarok that made no sense whatsoever. must be all the hetero fat clogging my brain.
Question for TV.COM Moderators, How exactly is my post "I like turtles" disruptive posting? It's a joke from Tosh.0. A mildly popular tv show you should probably know about. Yeah, God forbid I try to bring a little bit of levity to a controversial, borderline bitter discussion by making a TELEVISION joke on a discusion board for a TELEVISION website!
It was a joke...a bad joke, but a joke. Comedy is meant to show irony and his brand of over-the-top comedy in particular puts this on display. I can understand why people would be offended by it, but I don't believe it was meant to offend as much as make light of hatred. He just did it poorly.
@withoutcanseco - I think you are missing the point. I teach all day and hate to have to do to it to a random tool posting on a message board at night. But here goes. Your post sounds like you're high or drunk: both lead (indirectly or directly) to weight gain - so you are indeed probably still "fat" and you were probably not made fun of BECAUSE you were fat - i would guess you got fat after you were made fun of.Fat [heterosexual] couples can still get married and revel in the many financial and legal rights afforded by being heterosexual.Laughing at fat jokes, when you are fat, is not being CHILLLLLLLL--- it's called deflected self-hatred and bullies love people like you. Same goes for gays that pick apart every queen to affirm their "less queen" demeanor (always false). For arguments sake, let's assume that you are one of the 10% of "fat" people that have a thyroid or other genetic basis for being overweight and a sensible diet and exercise don't help - you wouldn't be posting here defending fat jokes.All I know is that I wouldn't make fun of you for being fat and/or gaymoreless
There was no need for it.
He's not even that funny!
That kind of forced apology - not nearly enough. Personally I know I'm always considered too PC. I'm not a big fan of racist jokes, jokes about paedophilia, abuse, sexism, HIV, and ***phobia. They offend me. But I will also defend to the death people's rights to make stupid jokes if they want to. I believe in freedom of speech. I've sat through plenty of ridiculous 'throw the f*gg*t on the fire' jokes and not reacted, and I've told plenty of less extreme jokes about gay people myself. But what's described here goes too far. It's not just offensive comedy. What he's saying is scarey. If he really feels that he would stab his son because he was gay then I'm sorry about it, and I wish he would change his mind, but it's his right to have that belief. But to announce it to a crowd of people at a public event is wrong, hurtful, and threatening. If I had attended I would have been scared of him, and scared of every member of the audience who found what he was saying funny. Were they going to beat me up if they found out I was a lesbian? What he said wasn't funny, it was a threat, and an extreme one. I hope none of of his children do turn out to be gay for their sake.moreless
Good lord people. It was a joke. I've heard worse things on Comedy Central everyday. Get over it!
I know that a joke's a joke and they're always at someone's expense. That's how comedy works. But really, where's the humor in Morgan's routine? I can't believe some of the postings on here dismissing his bit as if he'd done a "you're mama's so ugly" joke. Please go back, read what he said, and tell me why I, as a gay guy, shouldn't be offended. Show me the comedy in Morgan's ranting that he'd stab his son to death to death because he's gay No, this time it isn't a case of the "PC police" running amok. This is really some twisted and sick stuff he's spewing. As to whether his apology is sincere or was ordered by NBC, who knows or cares.
Coerced apologies don't mean anything. Instead of demanding hollow apologies, anyone offended should just boycott Tracy Morgan... now that everyone has learned that its 'not okay' to spew 'hateful' comedy against one community, I guess comedians can now focus on picking on all the other groups. Lots of progress...
the apology is funnier than the original joke.hey i was beat up every day because i was fat in grammar school. still here, and still laughing at fat jokes. get over yourselves ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
I'm all for gay rights and their mainstream acceptance. This quote, however -""if they can take a f--king d-ck up their a--... they can take a f--king joke" is simply classic.
What a load of bull this PC stuff is going to far . If you go to some one like Tracy Morgan your going to have stuff said that will ensult some one. If he was anti gay we all would have heard about it a long time ago. We live in the time of the tweet were you can say nothing at all with out some one getting on your back.
Honestly I think the media is just eating this up, and a few people in the audience are just going around spouting things Tracey Morgan "allegedly" said. The reason I threw in "allegedly" is because no one's produced a recording or a video yet of Tracey's act. In the day of the modern cell phone you mean to tell me not one member of the audience managed to get the act on tape? We've got video of Michael Richards in some po dunk comedy club screaming the N word. Why don't we have a tape of Tracy Morgan's horrible gay comments? The only answer I can think of is that any recordings don't jive with the story that the press is putting out there. I'm betting if you listen to the remarks in context it's...gasp...kinda funny.moreless
think b4 you speak...how hard can that be?
I don't have to accept anyones way of life. Screw you politically correct twits.
Nothing is off limits when it comes to jokes or comedy. You may not like it but it deserves to exist. Freedom. "Love to hate, I love to hate. Deck the walls with Sharon Tate!" See...inappropriate. Pretty soon we won't be able to make dead baby jokes.
@lovey5211Freedom of speech is a legal right, it doesn't mean you get to say whatever you want and suffer no social side-effects for it. The Westboro Baptist Church has the legal right to protest funerals, it doesn't mean you aren't allowed to talk about how they are horrible people and treat them as such as a society.
I agree, this smacks of insincerity. It was either simply truly a joke, a joke that went awry and was taken the wrong way and as such he should have simply said he didn't really mean it, it was just a bit, or, what I think is far more likely, he actually does mean it and is just rolling over to not lose his career. I'm kind of sad he capitulated either way. If it was just a joke he shouldn't have out of principle and if it wasn't, well, he's the least funny comedian I've ever heard so I would be happy to never have to see him again.
That is so messed up, I am not a ***phob but I do know comedians. First off, their were people in the audience who said the offended member was taking things too seriously, second their is a reason nobody though Tracy was a ***phobe because he is not, and third comedians have been making offensive jokes about GAY PEOPLE, BLACK PEOPLE, WHITE PEOPLE, BLOODS, OLD PEOPLE, RELIGIOUS PEOPLE, and etc. and yet I have never heard them been pushed so hard (at least within the past year) to apologies. What he said was not funny to me but I don't expect him to apologies everytime a joke is not funny. This is coming from a writer who works for a website that recently did a reviiew on South Park. You do know South Park this season had an episode that could be taken equally offensive for it's 1950's stereotypical perception of Chinese and Japanese American (or immigrants) called City Sushi. Are raciest jokes okay but ***phobic jokes (even one's as extreme as this one) are not? Comedians all over hollywood have come to Tracy's aid and are rightfully doing so. The only reason he got in trouble and the only reason you are siding with the LGBT community is as Tina Fey said "without Gay people you would not have the job you have now." nice job showing us how you too have been draped by the PC blanket. I thought liberals believe in Freedom of Speech, you do know that includes hate speech? Should poeple be forced to give an apology for exercising their American Rights.moreless
Was it enough? No, actually, it was too much. He didn't need to do ***
Who cares? The whole thing was blown out of proportion. Political correctness gone mad.
also i should add being asked to apologize is a bit much control ,morally he should have wanted to do it own his own but hey thats life
because he gets paid by the people and if he is insulting a huge amount of his audience he should know thats not okay.plus they make people are in the public apologize so that the children/young who watch dont go around thinking that threatening to kill someone because of who they choose to love is okay.why im a explaining its kind of obvious
Why should he apologise if it was a joke?
I neither sympathize with people saying nasty stuff, or with the PC-crowd who gets offended by anything. But this is not about that it is wrong saying nasty stuff, this is only about who you can say nasty stuff about. And then i do not agree with the people complaning, because they are hypocrites. As long as we do not get any apologies about all the nasty stuff said about christians, whites, heteros, familys, conservatives or even fascists for that sake and everything else that is OK to say whatever nasty stuff about, these whiners do not have my support. I actually saw some confused motormouth clown on youtube the other day who first whined about what Tracy said, called him a "hater", then immidiately followed up with that it is ok though to hate Harold Camping, and it "served him right" that he got a stroke and so on. That annoys me to no end, the everpresent double standards. Also, it is interesting to observe that obviously according to pc/marxist/liberal dogma, gay is the only thing you are born as. Everything else what makes a character, traits and behaviour is a result of environmental factors, as you are "born a blank page." Except if you are gay ofcourse. Interesting, is it not? Those environmental factors btw are usually "the white male priviliged heterosexual racist oppressors" or whatever they call them. When will I get an apology from the people blaming everything on "the white male" for a hundred years or so now? I have never had any money, or any power. Still everything, in every country, from bad weather to sore feet, is MY fault. Somebody could apologize for that first, one would think. But even this, what Tracy said, is probably my fault once they have deconstructed the events on some university.moreless
@FringeNetwork: go back to watching Fox News and listening to them lie and giving you only wat u want to hear instead of facts..
Why should he apologize? I am so sick of the PC *** When the hell did we go back to the middle ages. Burn everyone at the stake for any perceived or imagined slights? What orwellian crap. Are we all going to act like Muslims and murder anyone that disagrees with us?Why would oversensitive pukes go to a comedy club to hear \"I think Jello is very nice, I like chocolate. Let\'s ALL huuuug... PUKE. Tell people what, if you can\'t handle the non care bear world, stay home and watch Teletubbies. Morons.
I am of the philosophy that nothing if off limits. My only qualm is that he was asked to apologize, and he didn't at first.
Pretty funny when you consider the fact that typically black comedians get away with joking about whoever they want. Looks like Morgan managed to find a group that even he can't get away with joking about. If he would have just stuck with hateful words about white heterosexuals, everyone would have laughed and he would have been fine.
@witchinsider what a gracious edit! all fixed.
Stupid yes, a joke, NO!This man (I don't know who he is) is plainly dumb.
Morgan doesn't have to apologize for a thing. He's only doing it to save his career and sweet gig on 30 Rock. He should have explained that today's comedy, like reality TV, can get extreme at times and that its only part of an act, not reality. Unfortunately some cannot tell the difference and take it too seriously. It's a sad day for the world of comedy and those who came before him.
Just leave him alone!! It was a freaking joke and I don't think he'd stab his own son... I'm gay and I simply think it was a stupid joke but I'm not running around like a maid in her long dress saying "Oh my lord! This is outrageous!!"People just need something to keep fighting against each other.
You don't say things like he did without having some sort anger/hatred toward gay people and it strikes me that his apology is just an attempt to save his career. On a side note it wouldn't be a huge loss to 30 Rock if it was no longer on the cast, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are what make the show funny.
Tiny Fey? What a cute typo! I don't know how far along she is but I doubt she's still 'tiny' right now, though...
He may say he's sorry but does he mean it?
He said terrible things and now regrets it, though who knows whether he was sincere. You can't expect people to change who they are, but they can and should change how they behave and act toward others. Time will tell whether people can forgive him for this. I'm not sure if I can, but I won't forgive him Season 3 onward of 30 Rock.
"I don’t have a hateful bone in my body."I beg to differ!