He’s made an entire career out of being that comedian who goes well beyond the line of decorum. He often makes shocking statements that you know you’re not supposed to laugh at, but you still find funny just the same. But has Tracy Morgan finally gone too far?
During a recent routine at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Morgan was slaying the audience with his irreverent brand of comedy — that is until he unwisely went into a riff about homosexuality:
“If my son was gay, he better come home and talk to me like a man and not [mimicking a stereotypically gay, high pitched voice] or I would pull out a knife and stab that little N*gga to death.”
While some in the audience laughed immediately, others uncomfortably recognized it as a violent slur against the GLBT community that would likely not end well. And for those Gay and Lesbian audience members in attendance, the promotion that it’s OK to stab someone over their sexuality was a subject that hit far too close to home and was no longer about comedy.
It’s surprising that Morgan didn’t realize the risk in his words and the fallout it could create, particularly since other comedians have been ruined professionally for similar statements. But what’s even more surprising is that Chris Rock made the odd choice to insert himself into the mix and support Morgan and his words. “I dont know about you, but I dont want to live in world where Tracy Morgan cant say foul inappropriate sh*t,” Rock tweeted, before quickly coming to his senses (or his PR rep having a conniption fit) and tweeting a brand new statement:
“Tracy morgan is a tad off we all know that so when tracy says something i usually don’t take it anymore serious than i would a statement from gary busey or flavor flav. when i first heard the statement i thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything tracy said. wow i get it that sh*t wasn’t called for and i don’t support it at all. now can i please go to the tony awards without getting my ass kicked.”
Granted, Morgan may have thought it would be hilarious to push the envelope in saying he’d stab his son to death if he were gay and he may not have meant any harm. But it’s time for Morgan and other public personalities to learn the lesson that their words carry power and they come with consequences. Saying he would “stab that little N*gga to death” is no more funny than if a white comedian had taken to a stage to say if his daughter married a black man, he would “stab that N*gger to death.”
With so many regular cases of violent attacks and murders against Gays and Lesbians, to joke about that is not a joke — it’s irresponsible and just not funny. Since the public fallout over his remarks (and likely after a conniption fit from his PR rep), Morgan has released the following statement:
“I want to apologize to my fans and the gay and lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stand-up act in Nashville. I’m not a hateful person and don’t condone any kind of violence against others.”
Does he apology carry weight, or is it a case of too little, too late?
DJ:"<span>"it's time for Morgan and other public personalities to learn the lesson that their words carry power and they come with consequences. Saying he would "stab that little N*gga to death" is no more funny than if a white comedian had taken to a stage to say if his daughter married a black man, he would "stab that N*gger to death." And let the Church say AMEN!!! When I first heard about this, my initial thoughts were (1) He was probably under the influence of alcohol at the time and (2)I hope he thought the rant was worth it because it just may cost him his career. No. I'm not buying his apology because my understanding is that he's made anti-gay remarks before just not to the degree of this recent rant. Frankly, few things are sadder to me than seeing/hearing a Black, hate-mongering racist or bigot.</span>