January 20th, 2012
01:57 PM ET
'30 Rock' addresses Tracy Morgan's homophobic rantAs “30 Rock” often does, the NBC sitcom drew humor from real-life on last night's episode. The show used Tracy Morgan's character Tracy Jordan to address the actor's homophobic rant at a Nashville, Tennessee, comedy show. NBC, Morgan and series creator and star Tina Fey all issued formal apologies for Morgan's behavior after the incident in June. And last night's episode of "30 Rock" played out like one last, comedic "I'm sorry." Interrupting Liz’s blissful morning with her new boyfriend Criss (James Marsden), “The Today Show” reported that Tracy was caught on tape saying offensive things about gay people. Liz rushed to work and berated Tracy, asking him why he had to offend the gay community, “the most organized of all the communities." She then reminded him that many of his co-workers are gay (though, when it came to Lutz, they agreed “that one’s a puzzler”). Liz told Tracy, “You’re a public figure and, believe it or not, the dumb things you say may influence or hurt people.” In damage control mode, Liz issued a statement, calling Tracy an idiot. Horribly offended, Tracy organized his people, the idiots, and they staged a protest - complete with celebrity spokesperson Denise Richards. Tracy wasn’t Liz’s only problem. Jack didn’t approve of Criss, who video-chatted Liz to tell her that he got funding for his organic gourmet hot dog truck. He held up the check, signed by Jack with the memo, “I used your bathroom.” The episode ended with a cliffhanger. Will Kelsey Grammar save Pete from "mercury poisoning"? Will the idiots keep Tracy’s promise to “be here every day. Misremembering movie quotes"? And what will happen with the Liz-Criss relationship?
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We've hurt a lot of people and encouraged bigots. Now – how can we make money off this?
Tracy Morgan's insincere apology:
"Dears gays, I've changed my mind. All of a sudden I think you are all wonderful and their should be millions more just like you. I hope and pray my son ends up just like you. You are the salt of the Earth."
De fcraiee data cand ma mai uit la filmu asta ma aleg cu cate ceva. Ar trebui sa il bage si in scoli ca vizionare obligatorie
There's nothing wrong with Morgan being disgusted by gay people. He is certainly not alone there. Many people in Hollywood feel exactly the same way. The only problem is , they have to keep a tight lip and they cannot say anything about it. LMAO. Just the way it is
lets respect all kind of human...we are all one race, one people belong to one Creator....
Right. The same creator who is going to throw 98% of the population into Hell.
Just another Hollywood Obama a$$h$$$ ranting.
I used to make gay jokes like you, then i took a penis to the knee
I seriously like to pump gayboyz in da poop chute! I am a flamin fudge packer and just wanna pound your pooper!!
Well, us blacks that have`nt soldout dont like whites,mexicans,gays,asians,police,oprah, indians,anybody that has the last name bush,rush limbaugh,people that wanna be like us including your whitechildren,so you are right this is america we dont have to like u
Wow you're ignorant. I'm sure you don't speak for your entire race...at least I hope you don't.
That wasn't an apology. It was mockery of the controversy. And while mockery may pass for humor in some circles, it is a cruel, jeering, hateful sort of humor. Shame on Morgan and his writers for undoing what little credibility his initial apology had.
booyaaa.go back to jersey flatlanders
why is it that famous people get crucified for talking about gays blacks or jews negatively..this is america..we dont have to like you and truth be told i live in vermont a 'liberal' state and most natives i know dont really care for these people..and by natives i mean people actually born in vermont whose parents and theyre parents born were born in vermont..and while im ranting there are too many out of staters moving here and trying to make this a liberal state..talk to any real vermonter and youll soon realise otherwise
Because if negative talk is condoned against minorities, then more hateful people feel more free to take violent action. Also, an atmosphere of relentless negativity is an unlivable situation. School is compulsory. Kids must attend. But anti-gay bullying leads to a lower average GPA, poor attendance and a disturbingly high suicide rate.
Morgan said "if my son told me he were gay I'd stab him with a knife". That's humor?
Nunya, I am a native Vermonter who still lives in this wonderful state, and I would appreciate it if you didn't speak on behalf of us. Vermont is a progressive state that is very accepting of different lifestyles and people and to paint it as anything other than that is not accurate.
Nunya–I've heard the same about Maine too. Natives complain that people move in and try to make it a liberal state.
Kingdom–Being progressive isn't always a good thing. Just because an idea is new doesn't mean it should be shoved down people's throats. If you doubt the validity of what I'm saying, look up the effect of a scientific approach called Eugenics and read about the effects it had on the Nazi Germany.
Hey Mark, way to go trying to change the subject.
Freedom of speech is of course a fundamental right, but that right protects you from government censorship. It doesn't protect you when you say offensive things towards a group of people. And that's called bigotry. Being against bigotry is not a progressive concept; it's something we as a nation have accepted as a whole. Unfortunately, we have some in this country that have been mislead to think that bigotry is acceptable if they say that their imaginary friend told them it's okay.
It's not okay.
If you say bigoted things, in public, or on the internet, expect to be called out on it.
I just dont find him that funny or that good of a performer. I don't see why anyone would take personal offense to what comes out of an over spoken B-rated at best comedian's mouth.
Truth be told, I thought Morgan played for that side himself. just sayin.
We all viewed Tracy Morgan as a wimp after this: