30 Rock actor Tracy Morgan has issued an apology to fans and the gay and lesbian community for an anti-gay rant during his weekend gig at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium that has landed him in hot water.
“I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & 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,” Morgan said in a statement. “While I am an equal opportunity jokester, and my friends know what is in my heart, even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context.”
Nashville native Kevin Rogers, whose detailed account of the event on Facebook first grabbed media attention, spoke with EW earlier today and said he had gone to the show expecting a night of comedy, but left feeling “like the butt of the joke” after the 30 Rock actor launched into his tirade. ”I can take a joke, but I absolutely did not expect a rant like this in the middle of a comedy act,” Rogers told EW via phone.
Ryman Auditorium regrets that people were offended by statements made by Tracy Morgan during his June 3 appearance. The Ryman does not control the content presented by people appearing on its stage, nor does it endorse any of the views of, or statements made by, such persons.”
The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization and issued a statement on Friday calling for action from both Morgan and his employer, NBC Universal.
“Hateful remarks that mock youth suicides and the very real emotional and sometimes physical bullying LGBT kids face on a daily basis have no place in a comedy routine,” the organization's vice president of communications, Fred Sainz, said. “I’m shocked that Tracy Morgan would find humor in so viciously attacking our youth. If these allegations are true, Tracy Morgan must immediately accept responsibility and apologize. His employer, NBC Universal, also must come forward and condemn these atrocious comments.
Ah there’s nothing like a caring parent expressing support for his child in such endearing terms.
And here’s the worst part of the rant that Rogers writes about. He writes:
“Morgan… informed us that the gays needed to quit being pussies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying. He mentioned that gay was something kids learn from the media and programming, and that bullied kids should just bust some ass and beat those other little fuckers that bully them, not whine about it.”
No Tracy, after the rash last year span of teenager suicides and suicide attempts from anti-gay bullying, it’s probably more than “insignificant.” Out of all the comments Morgan made at his June 3rd performance, this gem stands out to be the most insensitive and dangerous one. Especially in Tennessee, where a bill was recently passed in the State Senate nicknamed the “Dont Say Gay” bill. The legislation would “bar teachers from discussing homosexuality with elementary and middle school students.” Though the State House still needs to vote on the bill, it has already been introduced and is now floating around in the political sphere of the state.
And at the end of Morgan’s rant, Rogers reports that “All of this being followed by thunderous cheer and “You go Tracy”s. Tracy then said he didn’t fucking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a fucking dick up their ass… they can take a fucking joke.”
Morgan issued a statement to the Huffington Post on Friday after the LGBT community’s outrage grew too loud for his wallet: “I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & 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. While I am an equal opportunity jokester, and my friends know what is in my heart, even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context.
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