Tracy Morgan: Anti-Gay

Tracy Morgan, comedian, says outrageous things.

During an appearance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Morgan said some shocking things.

Kevin Rogers was at Morgan's performance on June 3rd and provides the following account:

WARNING * OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE AND CONTENT * WARNING

So tonight was the night, Tracy Morgan in the hallowed halls of the Ryman Auditorium.

... I have very thick skin when it comes to humor; I can dish and I can take. What I can't take is when Mr. Morgan took it upon himself to mention about how he feels all this gay s--t was crazy and that women are a gift from God and that "Born this Way" is bulls--t, gay is a choice, and the reason he knows this is exactly because "God don't make no mistakes" (referring to God not making someone gay cause that would be a mistake). He said that there is no way a woman could love and have sexual desire for another woman, that's just a woman pretending because she hates a f---ing man. He took time to visit the bulls--t of this bullying stuff and informed us that the gays needed to quit being pussies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying. He mentioned that gay was something kids learn from the media and programming, and that bullied kids should just bust some ass and beat those other little f---ers that bully them, not whine about it. He said if his son that 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. He mentioned that Barack Obama needed to man up and quit being all down with this just because he has a wife and two daughters. All of this being followed by thunderous cheer and "You go Tracys". Tracy then said he didn't f---ng care if he pissed off some gays, because if they can take a f---ing d--k up their ass... they can take a f--ing joke.

The sad thing is that none of this rant was a joke. His entire demeanor changed during that portion of the night. He was truly filled with some hate towards us. As far as I could see 10 to 15 people walked out. I had to fight myself to stay seated, but I knew if I got up... he won. He wanted to piss people off and get a rise. I didn't let him win by chasing me off, he surely didn't get any applause or laughter from me after that point - mainly because he was no longer funny to me. I wasn't holding back, it just wasn't funny. I won't even get started on his rant about how women should be home cooking him a f---ing meal and not becoming CEOs or him talking about f---ing the moms of retards.

So, did Morgan deliver an evening of humor or hate speech?

Is it funny to say that he would stab his son to death if he were gay?

I don't think so.

Apparently, some people found Morgan's comments so offensive that they walked out. This reaction was by far the exception.

I wonder what Morgan was trying to accomplish. What was the point?

Not having personally witnessed his performance, it's hard to judge. I don't want to be unfair.

However, if Rogers' account is remotely accurate, I'm surprised people didn't boo and/or walk out en masse, rather than allegedly responding with "thunderous cheers."

The audience was warned in advance that Morgan would be delivering adult entertainment:

Tracy Morgan isn’t the first comedian to play The Ryman — Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan and Brian Regan have all performed in the Mother Church in recent years — but by a wide margin he’s the filthiest. Morgan has cultivated a reputation for being explicitly vulgar on stage, to the point that walkouts have been reported in multiple cities. Late last year, a comedy club in Denver issued a warning to ticketholders in advance of Morgan’s show, saying that it’s “very, very dirty” and is “the most extreme in nature that we can possibly express.” In short, don’t expect Astronaut Jones or Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet — or even Tracy Jordan, Morgan’s not-so-veiled stand-in on 30 Rock. This is Tracy Morgan, unrestrained and earning that ever-so-rare Ryman “mature audience only” title.

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UPDATE: Tracy Morgan apologizes for homophobic rant

Shortly after his on-stage rant went viral, Morgan issued a mea culpa for his actions.

"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," the "30 Rock" star said in a statement to Gossip Cop. "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," he added.

...But Morgan's apology wasn't enough for GLAAD, whose president said Morgan needs to "assure us that this won't happen again and send a clear message to Americans that anti-gay violence is no joke."

Jarrett Barrios said his organization invited Morgan to meet with families who have lost children to anti-gay violence.

"If Tracy Morgan is sincere, he should take us up on meeting these families who have lost loved ones to the type of violence that he is mocking," Barrios said. "Perhaps by hearing their stories, he will learn that while we all love humor, this is no laughing matter."

Rea Carey, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said that "hateful, homophobic language is not only hurtful and unfunny, it is also dangerous and inexcusable."

"It should not and will not be tolerated," she added.