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Tracy Morgan's Homophobic Remarks In Anti-Gay Stand Up Set UPDATE: Morgan Apologizes

Tracy Morgan

First Posted: 06/10/2011 9:10 am Updated: 08/10/2011 6:12 am

UPDATE: Tracy Morgan issued a statement to The Huffington Post through his representative:

“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.”
_____

PREVIOUSLY: Tracy Morgan's latest standup set is no laughing matter.

Kevin Rogers attended Morgan's standup show last Friday and reported on his Facebook page that Morgan let loose a viciously homophobic rant that, as far as he could tell, was a dead serious attack on gay men and women. Rogers, who is gay, wrote:

I figured at some point the gay jokes would fly and I'm well prepared for a good ribbing of straight gay humor. I have very thick skin when it comes to humor; I can dish and I can take. What I can't take is when Mr. Morgan took it upon himself to mention about how he feels all this gay s*it was crazy and that women are a gift from God and that "Born this Way" is bulls*it, gay is a choice, and the reason he knows this is exactly because "God don't make no mistakes" (referring to God not making someone gay cause that would be a mistake).

Perhaps most strikingly, Rogers wrote that Morgan said:

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 continued to describe the rant, which we've excerpted:

He took time to visit the bulls*it of this bullying stuff and 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 f*ckers that bully them, not whine about it.

After making comments about President Obama, Rogers wrote that Morgan finished his rant defiantly:

Tracy then said he didn't f*cking care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a f*cking dick up their ass... they can take a f*cking joke.

As it stands, Morgan's reps refused to comment to gay issues site Unicornbooty.com, writing, "There is no comment, thank you for your inquiry."

The Ryman Auditorium issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter about the alleged outburst, saying, "The 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."

Morgan has a history of homophobic tirades on stage, saying that being gay was a choice, among other things, at a 2009 standup performance at New York's Carnegie Hall.

In his acting career, however, Morgan has often played gay or at least sexually ambiguous. He played a transvestite inmate in the Adam Sandler comedy, "The Longest Yard," and many of his "Saturday Night Live" characters were of questionable sexuality, including the sophomoric zookeeper Brian Fellows.

The Huffington Post has reached out to his representative for comment, and will update if any statement is given.

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UPDATE: Tracy Morgan issued a statement to The Huffington Post through his representative: “I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stan...
UPDATE: Tracy Morgan issued a statement to The Huffington Post through his representative: “I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stan...
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01:39 AM on 07/04/2011
Homophobic. Go away, society is better off without you.
12:29 AM on 06/23/2011
Ive seen TRACY MORGAN build his career from stand up to actor and the MAN has worked REAL hard to get where he is . Now .....some people like his humor some dont . Thats LIFE. Everybody is not going to like every entertainer for whatever reason. The joke he told in his stand up routine about his son being gay is a joke at the end of the day. People arent going to agree with every joke a comedian puts out . Its so funny how these gay organization go after people but not their own. There is this gay comedian/actor CHUCK KNIPP from Canada who does his stand up routine DISRESPECTING BLACK WOMEN . This is nothing new, he has been doing this routine for years . I have not seen or heard any gay organization go after this guy for the total DIRESPECT he shows towards BLACK WOMEN. Where is the gay media watch dog ? You want to CHECK everybody else except yor OWN. By the way , Tracy MORGAN has been telling that same joke since I saw him at CAROLINES in NEW YORK since 1995.
12:04 PM on 06/22/2011
i dont really follow mr morgan.I've only heard bits&pcs of what they call a "rant"-I have no ideal if he was joking or serious, but i do know mr morgan is a comedian,he gets pd to tell jokes & not everyone is gonna think he's funny,if that's the case,they shouldnt go see him PERFORM.I am the mom of a gay son,he came out when he was 12 to me.He is now 20,in college & very well adjusted;which is suprising to me cuz i have never been well adjusted-lol.One day i want grandkids & would love for my son to be able to get married if he finds mr. right.I hate that our government cares so much about what supposed "christian's" think, to me it is a matter of people judging what they perceive as right & what is wrong--i believe that is up to our maker,our savior,our universe,whatever you call it,I believe most ppl do the best they can.I just cannot stand ppl who think that their way of thinking & beliefs are the only way.I really feel bad for the children of ppl who cant accept that their children are gay,I would never want any of my children feeling bad about themselves--I am straight & i was born that way,my son was born gay & he was born that way.If ppl dont like us being our real selves,then they can go on being stupid & closeminded.Is this close to a "rant"?!?
05:49 PM on 06/21/2011
Almost all of the comments I have read are people who don't get it. There is a difference between the person, and the comedian. Most of you don't seem to realize that.
I think this guy was just trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
How many of you have heard his jokes out of context from this article? All of you.
How many of you have heard Tracy's interview on Fresh Air to know more about him as a person? None that I can tell.
02:12 PM on 06/19/2011
Tracy Morgan is a horrible comedian. I've seen one of his stand up specials and it sucked. He's a really good actor though. The dude should stick with acting and stop doing comedy.

All that said, I don't have a strong opinion on what he said one way or the other. I wasn't there. I don't know the context or tone of his statements. I don't know if he was trying to be ironic and make fun of homophobic people and just sucked at the delivery, or was being sincere because he was in a bad mood that day or something. Or was he just trying to make a gay joke.
03:49 PM on 06/18/2011
I'm at a loss as to why Morgan gets any work at all.
In my opinion, his kind of humor stopped being funny after junior high school.
Adam Sandler, Bobcat Goldthwait, Carlos Mencia....why do these guys get any work at all?
The simple answer, is that America has been dumbed down to this level.
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mrete
11:04 PM on 06/17/2011
Congressman Weiner was urged to resign for less, NBC should request the SAME of Tracy Morgan. Weiner thought he was acting in private when he "exposed" himself, Tracy Morgan made his thoughts PUBLIC, in front of a crowd, aware of what he was doing, intentionally.
Why doesn't NBC ask for Morgan's resignation? Money. Plain and simple. How much DAMAGE has Morgan caused? You can't "Un-Ring" that bell! He meant what he said. So, now we know the RAGE inside that "comedian". NOT FUNNY - ANY MORE!
02:15 PM on 06/19/2011
We have a higher standard for Weiner than for Tracy Morgan because we have higher standards for congressmen than we do for comedians. Congressmen have the power to pass laws that affect us. Comedians have the power to, um, make us laugh?
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
mrete
01:01 AM on 06/20/2011
Thanks Mike Ddd. I was unsure of what Congressmen did, vs, Comedians. Was that a question or was that an um, statement? Duh! My point, Tracy Morgan didn't make ME, um, laugh, thanks. Still not laughing.
09:08 PM on 06/16/2011
Whatever Morgan believes or doesn't, the fact remains that he is 100% stupid! He has a right to think and say whatever he wants. But he is in 'the public eye' to some extent, (I have never watched 30Rock) and was hanging on a small thread to begin with! No apology, how inconsistent. He now has to own up for his big mouth that should've never been allowed in social media to begin with. Whatever his beliefs are, are now public knowledge. Now will the public continue to accept this non-comical behavior? Whether you accept or support the gay lifestyle, has nothing to do with it. People mock straight people all of the time, what's the difference? Answer: He used a hate & violence, and for that, should never be forgiven!
01:07 PM on 06/16/2011
Tracy Morgan is probably gay himself. Ive always gotten a gay vibe from him. One time I saw him at a show, and he was huggin and kissin all over his teenage son. I was like EW! Whys he doing all that.

In any case, from what Ive seen...the biggest homophobes are usually closeted gay men. So with that rant, Tracy Morgan just told on himself. No straight man would be that passionate about gay people and would be talking so lengthy about them. Tracy Morgan? HOW YOU DOOOOOIN!
02:10 AM on 06/16/2011
I don't entirely get the choice thing. I guess I haven't read an article that better sums up my thoughts on the subject. (I don't want to get into ontology here.) Obviously homosexual activity is a choice, as is hetero. Why deny this? It gives fuel to the right. Proclaim that the gay existence is partly a choice (the same part as being straight), and be damn proud of it. You shouldn't be afraid of proclaiming that you are making a choice that you have every right to make, under our constitution, and that has no bearing on morals (no matter what the morally bankrupt corporatist evangelicals say).
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Smurf Daddy
Don't just listen to those you agree with.
07:09 PM on 06/15/2011
See! Maybe that's what David Chappell Was talking about when he said he wouldn't play a woman or homosexual on TV. Feminization of black comics and actors on the big screen. This may not have much to do with what they're talking about in this article, but that's what came to mind when reading how he played feminine characters on screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb1WUVAtseU&feature=related

So...maybe it's not so much that these black actors and comedians are homophobic, but maybe they're fighting the pressure of putting on the dress or putting up with the comments about having put the dresses on. Big Ups to Dave Chappelle!
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ZenFUel
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05:41 PM on 06/15/2011
morgan was def doin a colbert ...lighten up bud...and get elevated
03:31 PM on 06/15/2011
There is a problem with homophobia in the black community. Many black males think it is acceptable to make extremely homophobic statements and to use gay slurs.

Homophobia in the black community is fanned by the churches, who condemn gays. It is very disappointing that people who have had the experience of discrimination and abuse cannot empathize with gays.
03:03 PM on 06/15/2011
If he was gay and made the joke/statement, no one would give a bleep. Blacks can and use the N word constantly and it is accepted. Latin comedians use derogatory comments about Latinos constantly and it is accepted. If these comments and names are so horrible and hurtful, why not set the example and stop with the hypocrisy?

As Rosan rosana dana used to say "it is always something"
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Patriotology
Covering our future as it sprints for safety...
01:49 PM on 06/15/2011
The day a comedian is on stage and he prefaces his comments by saying ok, enough comedy I am being completely serious, I will hold him accountable, until then it's comedy, it's supposed to be uncomfortable or it wouldn't be funny. If you don't like it vote with your wallet.
I swear what is up with the media and the echo chambers, we can't let go of Anthony's Weiner and this comedy thing is ridiculous. If anything Morgan is simply guilty of not being as funny as he should be.