Tracy Morgan has apologized for, and thus confirmed, the anti-gay meltdown he had in Nashville onstage at the Ryman Auditorium:
“I want to apologize to my fans and the gay and 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.”
We at Truth Wins Out appreciate Tracy’s apology. We are glad that he recognizes that he hurt and offended people. However, questions remain. When Michael Richards and Mel Gibson had their respective meltdowns, people rightly asked where those sentiments actually came from. And the fact of the matter is, parts of Tracy’s Nashville rant have appeared in earlier performances.
So we wonder: Where do Tracy Morgan’s anti-gay sentiments come from? What leads him to go only so far with anti-gay sentiments and then suddenly let loose with one of the most vicious tirades imaginable? Does he understand why people — LGBT or not, in Tennessee and beyond — were so hurt by what he said?
Again, we appreciate that he recognized a need to come forward and apologize. But is the damage already done? Tracy Morgan should be an “equal-opportunity jokester.” Sarah Silverman, Lisa Lampanelli and Zack Galiafanakis are. Richard Pryor certainly was. In this case, though, there still seems to be a certain animus involved, as well as a pattern, that we don’t quite understand. Will this be the last time Tracy Morgan makes the news for unleashing anger against gay people? We certainly hope so, but only Tracy Morgan can effectively answer these questions.
