Tina Fey: Tracy Morgan Is "Not a Hateful Man"
Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images ; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Tracy Morgan's 30 Rock costar, Tina Fey, is coming to her friend's defense after Morgan apologized for violent, anti-gay jokes he made during a stand-up routine in Nashville on June 3.
Telling TMZ she is glad Morgan apologized, Fey, 41, says she was deeply disturbed by his rant, and his words are not indicative of the Morgan she knows.
PHOTOS: Other stars who've lost it
"The violent imagery of Tracy's rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the GLBT Community," Fey told the site Friday night, hours after Morgan, 42, offered a public apology saying he "clearly went too far."
During his bit, Morgan joked that he'd stab his son if he ever said he was gay.
Morgan's hate-filled speech "doesn't line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-centered to ever hurt another person," says Fey.
PHOTOS: How Tracy Morgan slimmed down in 2010
"I hope for his sake that Tracy's apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian coworkers at 30 Rock, without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with, or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket," Fey's statement to TMZ continued.
In his public apology, issued to Us Weekly Friday, Morgan said, "I'm not a hateful person and don't condone any kind of violence against others...even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context."
PHOTOS: Another star who's gotten in hot water for offensive remarks
But many groups charge that Morgan's apology isn't enough. Says Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG Nation: "At a time when bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth is at an all-time high – when kids are being assaulted, are dying – to joke about committing violence against a child is outrageous and reprehensible. As a celebrity, Mr. Morgan needs to understand that his words have power."
Tell Us What You Think
18we accept his apology. now please do the right thing and take him off the 30 Rock cast. why tolerate homophobia?
Tracy apologized that his comments weren't funny, not for his bigotry! Freedom of speech is a right, but that doesn't mean speech is without consequences. I will never support this entertainer again! Sorry Tina, I still like you, but that bigot on your show means I'm not watching.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental right. Welcome to Americaâ?¦ if you donâ??t like that you can move to a different country. People are allowed to hate, and express their hateâ?¦ even laugh about it http://bit.ly/jh5q10
I love it when Palin supporters try to spell and use words of more than two syllables. It's so CUTE! Ronnie Smith Says: For tina fay to comment on this after the outragerous lies and haterd she expressed against Sarah Palin just because she was a female daring to run for public office is ironic, and silly. fay is oneof the most distrubed women in the intertainment industry today and sjhould be swept under her disgusting rug. she's trashy
I love it when Palin supporters try to spell and use words with more than two syllables. It's so cute! Ronnie Smith Says: For tina fay to comment on this after the outragerous lies and haterd she expressed against Sarah Palin just because she was a female daring to run for public office is ironic, and silly. fay is oneof the most distrubed women in the intertainment industry today and sjhould be swept under her disgusting rug. she's trashy
I'm starting to lose respect for Tina Fey as well. She's got to stop defending the indefensible. Any man who would stand in front of an audience and say that he would stab his son for any reason (short of Abraham and Isaac, I guess) is a hateful man.
Tracy Morgan is STRAIGHT??????????
From where Morgan experienced the "permission" for his rant is as important as the rant itself. That many others did not experience that same "permission" is equally important. What does he do next? Let him examine, seek from where he experienced the "permission," identify its source, sources. He is in a pefect position to create benefit. Let him do so. Harold A. Maio khmaio@earthlink.net
"DO UR THING TRACY...WOULD BE MAD AS HELL IF MY SON SAID HE WAS GAY, DONT KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO TO HIM" Stacious Lee, all-caps means you're really worked up at just the thought. For the sake of your son, you need to seek help from a professional ASAP. You are EXACTLY what makes TM's rant so dangerous.
And why is it that no one is addressing the vile misogynistic things he said about women? Women are always fair game in the media, but blacks, Jews, gays, everyone comes to their defense. Lovely country we live in.
Thank-you David Scott!! You are the ONLY one here who has made any sense at all!! The people here are bigots and homophobes and donâ??t deserve the time of day!!
I think his apology said enough. What he said is said in households all the time. It's just not to be said in mixed company. It's called putting a 100 on 10. He'd never stab his son but that extreme illustrates the level of disappointment he'd feel. This level of comedy (ie. Bernie Mac's 'bust his head to the white meat') used to be okay and not it isn't and Tracy had to figure that out. Will it still be said? absolutely. In households across the world.
Funny how Michael Richards aka Kramer got run out of town on a rail for this exact same thing except is was about blacks. How come Morgan get a pass? You poor people have become what you hate racists to the core. WEAK!!
it's no one's business what he thinks about homosexuals. it's ok to make jokes or degrade christians or whites or straights than it's ok to make jokes , degrade homosexuals, blacks, and homosexuals and muslims. pretty siomple, and anyone not likeing it can go to hell
For tina fay to comment on this after the outragerous lies and haterd she expressed against Sarah Palin just because she was a female daring to run for public office is ironic, and silly. fay is oneof the most distrubed women in the intertainment industry today and sjhould be swept under her disgusting rug. she's trashy
WHO GIVES A F**K!!!!! DO UR THING TRACY, DONT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GAYS AND LES BUT WOULD BE MAD AS HELL IF MY SON SAID HE WAS GAY, DONT KNOW WHAT I WOULD DO TO HIM
I still donâ??t and never will think his apology was enough. And on top of that I never liked Tina Fey. Tracy Morgan and Alec Baldwin also star on that show and both of them are clearly homophobic makes me wonder what Tina Feyâ??s intentions really are.
whatever.