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Morgan Apologizes For Anti-Gay Rant
Morgan, star of NBC’s “30 Rock,” went on a tirade that caught the attention of one audience member, Kevin Rogers, who posted his concerns on Facebook. It made news quickly.
“I have to say [the show] was hilarious and well worth at least 40 percent of the $86 we spent per ticket to see him,” Rogers wrote. “I figured at some point the gay jokes would fly and I’m well prepared for a good ribbing of straight gay humor.”
However, Rogers said Morgan seemed “truly filled with hate against us.”
“He said if his son … 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.”
Morgan also apparently said that President Barack Obama needed to “man up” and stop speaking in favor of gay rights. Other salacious comments were apparently made.
GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios condemned the rant, saying in a statement that Morgan needed to remove “violently anti-gay remarks” from his show.
Morgan issued a statement to The Huffington Post: “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.”
The venue provided Pollstar with the following statement:
“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.”