Tracy Morgan’s Apology

Watercooler

By Nads | Tuesday, June 21, 2011 | 11:30 am | 10 Comments
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Posted in: Watercooler

tracy morgan

Tracy Morgan held a press conference in Nashville to apologize for his anti-gay rant. I’m obviously happy that he apologized, but he should take his own advice of using comedy “to heal people, not hurt” them. He’s clearly a troubled human being and I’m glad he ate some humble pie with this whole thing. He used to be such a monster on stage when he used to drink, and got off easy. I’m glad he was forced to look in the mirror.

Here’s his apology:

About

Although comedy is her profession, Nadine has accomplished a lot in her young age. She is a national champion black belt, a world-class soccer player, and an avid snowboarder. She started playing soccer at the age of 4, and continued playing through college where she majored in Biology, but quickly realized her destiny was to tell jokes, not to wear a lab coat. So she decided to be funny while finishing her Bachelors Degree in biology and continued on to get her M.B.A. Nadine’s comedy style is much like her athleticism, fearless. She’s made her way up the comedy ladder very quickly, and has become a club favorite at many of the country’s top comedy clubs, including the Improv chain. Performing in the Boston Comedy Festival and being noted as the “one of the youngest and brightest up and comers” and traveling to the Middle East to entertain the troops are just a few of her notable accomplishments. These days Nadine splits time between the stage, a radio studio, her computer blogging, and a television studio. Nadine’s TV, Radio, Writing credits include: national commercials, talking head roles on E! Entertainment, Showtime’s Hot Tamales Live, The Skinny: Fat Free News, The Sunny Side of The Truth: Real World Hollywood, TVgasm, Zazreport, Daddy’s Girls, Jerseylicious, celebrity interviews on Mania TV, a weekly half-hour television show that syndicates to colleges across the country for National Lampoon and a nightly radio show on XM Satellite Radio.

10 Comments

  1. 1
    Betsy Furman
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    I wish he’d just go away. I’ve never thought he was funny and him being gone from 30 Rock would be a plus. Seriously, who would miss him? I find all of these “apologies” offensive!

  2. 2
    CattyFan cattyfan
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    I don’t like what he said on stage, but I don’t think he should apologize for it. 90% of what comics say is offensive to someone, and based on ridiculing a certain group of people.

  3. 3
    vallegirl vallegirl
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    I disagree. The first amendment may guarantee his right to say offensive things legally, and his profession may give him some leeway in what he should be able to say publicly, but if while exercising his legal right to be a bigoted asshole he offended enough people that a groundswell emerged telling him he crossed a line, I think he should apologize. Being a comic doesn’t mean accepting every awful, bigoted thing a comic says.

    His apology, for what it’s worth, does seem to accept and understand why people were hurt and offended. I accept that what he said he said in the moment without regard to how it would be interpreted or received and just how awful it was, even in the spirit of performance, and the remorse at least sounded sincere.

    Everyone’s human and everyone screws up. I always thought accepting responsibility for ones actions and apologizing when they cross a line is a virtue, not a weakness or a flaw.

  4. 4
    Nads
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:29 pm

    what he said was careless. sorry catty! I’m usually with you on most things, but as a comic who doesn’t believe in apologizing for a joke, i think even tracy had overstepped his boundaries. then again, tracy has bugged me forever. but his comments were pretty malicious.

  5. 5
    Classy Drunk classy drunk
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    I don’t think he HAD to apologize but if he cared that he offended enough people then the apology should be appreciated, accepted and we should all move on.

  6. 6
    Nads
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:35 pm

    his apology did seem 100% humble. i’m with you on that. don’t think he’ll be making that mistake again. also, i don’t think he’ll be blacklisted like Michael Richards–that dude broke the ice for saying sh*tty things on stage.

  7. 7
    Derek Hazelton
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:39 pm

    Tracy Morgan is no more homophobic than Michael Richards is racist. I mean that to say that TM is going to be as irrelevant as MR is now/was after his racist rant. It’s funny how those situations mirror each other. I don’t think what TM said was funny, biting, or incisive, however, I don’t think there’s a way to regulate humor and what should be funny to everyone.

  8. 8
    nads
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    the problem with tracy on stage (if you’ve seen him) is that he’s belligerent–it’s like he has no idea what he’s saying up there, and keeps on going. he’s almost like his character, tracy jordan.

  9. 9
    vallegirl vallegirl
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 12:52 pm

    I don’t think anyone is saying comedy needs to be regulated or to be “funny to everyone.” But just as he was free to say what he wanted to on stage, people are equally free to point out how awful what he, and Richards, said was. No one is guaranteed the right to be a comic and every comic knows that every time he or she steps on a stage. The right to free speech doesn’t mean the right to avoid the repercussions of that free speech.

  10. 10
    juddfan
    Posted June 21, 2011 at 6:03 pm

    I love a spirited debate. The subject makes me think of Sarah Silverman . . . I believe she’s being deliberately offensive to everyone, and yet trying to make it funny. I’m not sure if she’s ever explained. I don’t always find it funny, but I’m very sensitive to “racial” humor–likely just the type she’s mocking. As far as TM goes, I wasn’t there, and I could see that perhaps the audience was reacting and so he carried it further, but it is hurtful in this climate of bullying and “It gets better”, to condone violence and death to any group. And he’s not Sarah, so it’s not part of his schtick.

    Being gay myself, it’s hard to see how others unite by hating people like me, but there always seems to be someone people unite against. I don’t see the big deal, I don’t see why anyone cares. Gays are such a diverse group, it’s sad to me that we are seen as lesser humans and deviants, and that joking about killing us would be funny to anyone. I find it even worse that they are the people we have to beg for approval.

    I always hope, one day, we will all realize that we are never all going to agree on anything, religion included, so to get all angry, and have wars and kill people for not agreeing with one is folly. I don’t know why everyone thinks they’re right either, what do we know . . . what does anyone . . . I choose to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

    I do think it’s appropriate to apologize, but I feel like every time “gays” object to something, the haters hate us even more.

    Nad’s. it was great insight you gave about TM on the latest podgasm. I don’t know him at all, just read the rant.

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