'30 Rock' comedian Tracy Morgan apologizes for homophobic tirade
Fri. June 10, 2011 1:25 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
tracy morgan
photo credit // wikipedia.org
Morgan is accused of going berserk when talking about how he’d treat a gay son: "I'd kill him."
Comedian and 30 Rock actor Tracy Morgan, who went on a homophobic tirade during a show in Nashville, is now apologizing.
Morgan's vicious anti-gay attack came to light when audience member Kevin Rogers, who is gay, wrote about the June 3 show on Facebook. Rogers who said he was prepared for gay humor described Morgan as "truly filled with hate against us."
"He said if his son that was gay he better come home and talk to him like a man and not [he mimicked a gay, high pitched voice] or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N (one word I refuse to use) to death," Rogers wrote. "Tracy then said he didn't fucking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a [expletive] dick up their ass... they can take a [expletive] joke."
After news of Morgan's homophobic tirade swept through the Internet, including a GoPride.com article on Thursday, the actor quickly issued an apology.
"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," he said in a statement released by a spokeswoman. "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."
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, is calling on Morgan to do more.
"He also needs to go further than his apology and correct the record: no one should feel ashamed because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and they should definitely not become a victim of violence," said Human Rights Campaign Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz said in a statement. "Words have consequences and Morgan should be held to a higher standard. Until he does something meaningful, his brand will remain tarnished."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which gave an award to Morgan's 30 Rock boss Tina Fey this year, agreed that an apology is not enough. They want Morgan to meet with a family who lost a gay or lesbian loved one to violence.
During her acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards, Fey talked about the delicate line that comedians must walk.
"Jokes are tricky things, and what makes a joke funny is the context it's in and the intention behind it," she said at the time.
Truth Wins Out, a gay rights advocacy group, has called on 30 Rock producer and star Tina Fey, who is a gay rights ally, to "forthrightly condemn any sort of anti-gay hatred."
Morgan's vicious anti-gay attack came to light when audience member Kevin Rogers, who is gay, wrote about the June 3 show on Facebook. Rogers who said he was prepared for gay humor described Morgan as "truly filled with hate against us."
"He said if his son that was gay he better come home and talk to him like a man and not [he mimicked a gay, high pitched voice] or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N (one word I refuse to use) to death," Rogers wrote. "Tracy then said he didn't fucking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a [expletive] dick up their ass... they can take a [expletive] joke."
After news of Morgan's homophobic tirade swept through the Internet, including a GoPride.com article on Thursday, the actor quickly issued an apology.
"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," he said in a statement released by a spokeswoman. "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."
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, is calling on Morgan to do more.
"He also needs to go further than his apology and correct the record: no one should feel ashamed because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and they should definitely not become a victim of violence," said Human Rights Campaign Vice President of Communications Fred Sainz said in a statement. "Words have consequences and Morgan should be held to a higher standard. Until he does something meaningful, his brand will remain tarnished."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which gave an award to Morgan's 30 Rock boss Tina Fey this year, agreed that an apology is not enough. They want Morgan to meet with a family who lost a gay or lesbian loved one to violence.
During her acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards, Fey talked about the delicate line that comedians must walk.
"Jokes are tricky things, and what makes a joke funny is the context it's in and the intention behind it," she said at the time.
Truth Wins Out, a gay rights advocacy group, has called on 30 Rock producer and star Tina Fey, who is a gay rights ally, to "forthrightly condemn any sort of anti-gay hatred."