Tracy Morgan

Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968)<ref name="autogenerated2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy television series Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2003, and played Tracy Jordan in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock from 2006 to 2013, each of which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He also starred as Tray Barker in the TBS comedy The Last O.G.

Early life

Morgan was born on November 10, 1968, in Brooklyn<ref name="Jimmy Kimmel Live! Season 20 Episode 172">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and raised in Brooklyn's Marlboro Houses and Tompkins Houses in its Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood.<ref name=bowling/> He is the second of five children<ref name=bowling/> of a homemaker, Alicia (née Warden),<ref name=autogenerated2/> and James Morgan Jr IV, a musician who left the family when Morgan was six years old.<ref name=bowling>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He is the third cousin of rapper Nas.

His father named him Tracy in honor of a platoon mate and friend who shipped off to Vietnam with him and was killed in action days later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The target of bullies as a child,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Morgan attended DeWitt Clinton High School.<ref name=bowling /> In 1985, during his senior year, he learned that his father had contracted HIV from hypodermic needle use.<ref>The Star Ledger. section 1. pg 20. June 8, 2014</ref> His father died in January 1987, aged 38.<ref name=bowling/>

Morgan married his girlfriend Sabina that year and dropped out of high school just four credits short of his diploma to care for his ailing father.<ref name=bowling/> Living on welfare, Morgan sold crack cocaine with limited success,<ref name="Fresh Air">Template:Cite episode</ref> but began earning money performing comedy on the streets<ref name=bowling/> after his best friend was murdered. He said in 2009: "He would say to me, 'Yo, Tracy, man, you should be doing comedy.' A week later, he was murdered. And that for me, that was like my Vietnam. I had my survival guilt when I started to achieve success. Why I made it out and some guys didn't."<ref name="Fresh Air"/>

Morgan embarked on a stand-up comedy career, successfully enough that he "finally moved to a nice community in [The Bronx neighborhood of] Riverdale, from a run-down apartment next to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx."<ref name="Fresh Air"/>

Career

Early work in comedy and television

Morgan made his screen debut playing Hustle Man on the sitcom Martin. The character sold various items from the "hood", always greeting people with his trademark "What's happ'n, chief?," and had a pet dog he dressed as a rapper. (Later, in the 2003 Chris Rock film Head of State, Morgan appeared as a man watching television, often questioning why they are not watching Martin.)

Morgan was also a regular cast member on Uptown Comedy Club, a sketch-comedy show filmed in Harlem that aired for two seasons, from 1992 to 1994.

Morgan joined the cast of the comedy series Saturday Night Live in 1996, and performed as a regular until 2003. Producer Lorne Michaels chose him over Stephen Colbert in the final round of auditions. Morgan's regular characters included the kindly but deluded vagrant Woodrow; outspoken apartment maintenance man Dominican Lou; lusty Astronaut Jones whose shorts skits ended with blunt sexual propositions towards beautiful extraterrestrial ladies; and Safari Planet host Brian Fellow who was enthusiastic but deeply ignorant about animals. Morgan's celebrity impressions on SNL included Della Reese, Harry Belafonte, Maya Angelou and Little Richard.

Post-SNL, 30 Rock, and film career

After leaving the cast of SNL in 2003, Morgan starred in his own sitcom, The Tracy Morgan Show, debuting in 2003. The show was subsequently canceled after one season.<ref name="Historical Dictionary of African American Television">Template:Cite book</ref> During the same year, he was featured on an episode of Punk'd in which his car was towed from the valet parking.

File:Tracy Morgan Traveling Virus Worcester 2006.jpg

Morgan on stage during Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour in 2006

From 2006 to 2013, Morgan was a cast member of the television series 30 Rock. He played the character Tracy Jordan, a caricature of himself. His work on 30 Rock was well-received, and he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 2009 Emmy Awards.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> He returned to the role in July 2020 for a reunion episode during the COVID-19 pandemic that was an upfront special for NBCUniversal.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> After 30 Rock, beginning in 2018, Morgan began starring in the TBS series The Last O.G.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It ran for four seasons until 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He also returned to host SNL on March 14, 2009, and reprised his roles as Brian Fellow and Astronaut Jones. He then made a guest appearance on the 2011 Christmas show, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, and again hosted the show on October 17, 2015.

In addition to his television and comedy career, Morgan has acted in several comedy movies, alongside Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and Will Ferrell. In Adam Sandler's film The Longest Yard, he plays a transgender inmate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He has also taken on a number of voice acting roles. He plays Spoonie Luv on the Comedy Central program Crank Yankers and as Woof in the animated series Where My Dogs At?. He also was the voice of Luis in the animated film Rio.

File:Tracy Morgan standup 1.jpg

Morgan performing stand-up in 2008.

Morgan has had a number of solo stand-up specials produced throughout his career. One Mic was produced and aired on Comedy Central in 2002. His other comedy specials include Tracey Morgan: Bona Fide<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in 2014 and Staying Alive,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> released in 2017, after he was severely injured in a car accident. Afterwards, he Morgan made a surprise appearance at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, and was greeted with a standing ovation. He also hosted the first Spike Guys' Choice Awards, which aired on June 13, 2007.

Current work

Morgan acted in commercials for NFL 2K, NBA 2K, and NHL 2K, co-starring with Warren Sapp, Ben Wallace and Jeremy Roenick.

In July 2019, he hosted the ESPYs in Los Angeles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2022, the New York Friars Club bestowed the Entertainment Icon Award on Morgan at the club's spring gala. Morgan is the ninth recipient of the prestigious comedy award, and the first Black recipient.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In May 2025 it was announced that Morgan would star in the Tina Fey-produced television series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Erika Alexander.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In October 2025, a live, situational comedy starring Morgan was released on Paramount+. The show, Crutch follows Morgan as a recent widower who is both a devilish, yet loving father to two adult children who move back home to Harlem.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Autobiography

On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography, I Am the New Black, was released. The book includes stories about living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Morgan appeared on National Public Radio's Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times becoming very emotional about his former life in a New York ghetto.<ref name="Fresh Air" />

Influences

Morgan has listed Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor as among his primary comedic influences.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Family

In 1987, while in high school, Morgan married his girlfriend Sabina. The pair have three sons together. Morgan filed for divorce in August 2009, after having been separated for approximately eight years.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Morgan credits one of his sons with having saved him from his alcoholism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Of his extended family, Morgan said in 2009, "I'm estranged from my own mother and most of my family, and I'm not sure that's going to change much".<ref name="Fresh Air" /> Morgan dated Tanisha Hall. She donated one of her kidneys to Morgan in December 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2011, on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards, Morgan announced he and model Megan Wollover had become engaged six months earlier in San Francisco.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their first child, a daughter, was born in New York City on July 2, 2013.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Morgan and Wollover married on August 23, 2015.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Morgan filed for divorce July 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2023, on an episode of Finding Your Roots, Morgan discovered he is third cousins with American rapper Nas.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Health

In 1996, Morgan was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and for years has been an alcoholic. Morgan has conceded that many of his own troubles were incorporated within 30 Rock episodes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In early December 2010, Morgan received a kidney transplant necessitated by his diabetes and alcohol use.Template:Citation needed

In August 2023, Morgan responded to a comment about his healthy appearance during an episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna by disclosing that he was using semaglutide.<ref name="Etienne2024">Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2024, he told Jimmy Fallon that he had "learned to out-eat Ozempic" and "gained 40 lbs," but later clarified that he was joking, saying "Ozempic did great by me and I was glad to use it."<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

On March 17, 2025, while sitting courtside at an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, Morgan experienced an episode of food poisoning, which caused him to vomit onto the basketball court sideline and suffer a bloody nose. He joked on his Instagram post from the hospital saying, "More importantly, the Knicks are now 1-0 when I throw up on the court so maybe I'll have to break it out again in the playoffs."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Comments on homosexuality

During a performance in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 3, 2011, Morgan made remarks about homosexuals, reportedly stating that if his son were gay, his son better speak to him like a man or he would "pull out a knife and stab him." Morgan apologized, saying that he had "gone too far."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In response, head of NBC Entertainment Bob Greenblatt and Morgan's coworker on 30 Rock, Tina Fey, stated they did not condone the comments made by Morgan, and were happy to see him make a sincere apology. <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2014 traffic collision and lawsuit

On June 7, 2014, Morgan was a passenger in a Mercedes Sprinter minibus involved in a six-vehicle crash in New Jersey. Just after 1:00 am the vehicle was traveling northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike near Cranbury, when it was struck from behind by a Walmart tractor-trailer,<ref name="ChicagoTrib140607">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> causing a chain reaction crash.<ref name="CNNcrash">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="complaint">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Morgan and three other comedians, including Harris Stanton, along with Morgan's assistant and two limousine company employees, were returning from an engagement at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino in Dover, Delaware, as part of Morgan's "Turn it Funny" stand-up comedy tour.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The crash killed Morgan's friend and collaborator, 62-year-old comedian James McNair (Jimmy Mack).<ref name="ChicagoTrib140607" />

Morgan was taken by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with a broken femur, broken nose, a traumatic brain injury, and several broken ribs, and underwent surgery on his leg on June 8.<ref name="ABC 14-6-11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From June 20 until July 12, 2014 Morgan stayed in a rehabilitation facility to recover from the injuries sustained during the crash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The driver of the Walmart transport-truck, Kevin Roper of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded not guilty to one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto. The complaint alleges Roper dozed off and hit Morgan's limousine after swerving to avoid slowed traffic ahead of him.<ref name="CBS 14-6-16">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that Roper had been on the clock since 11:20 the previous morning and was very close to the federal limits of 14 hours per day and 11 hours behind the wheel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On July 10, 2014, Morgan sued Walmart for negligence. The suit alleged that Walmart either knew or should have known that Roper had not slept for more than 24 hours. The complaint alleged that before his shift, Walmart forced Roper to drive from his home in Jonesboro to a Walmart distribution center in Smyrna, Delaware—a distance of some Template:Convert over 11 hours—even though there were several other distribution centers within a much more reasonable driving distance. Morgan filed the suit on behalf of himself, comedian Ardie Fuqua, Morgan's personal assistant Jeffrey Millea, and Millea's wife Krista. Fuqua and Millea were both on the bus with Morgan and injured in the crash, while at the time of the crash, Krista Millea was eight months pregnant, and the suit charges that she suffered loss of consortium due to the injuries suffered by her husband.<ref name="complaint" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2014, Walmart in court papers cast partial blame on Morgan and the other victims for not wearing seat belts, a claim both Morgan and his counsel denied, noting that the driver who caused the crash had been charged with vehicular homicide and that the police report stated that seat belts were not an issue in the case.<ref name="seatbelts">Template:Cite news</ref> On May 27, 2015,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Walmart settled the lawsuit for a multi-million-dollar amount, estimated near $90 million US.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On June 1, 2015, Morgan made his first public appearance since the crash, in an interview with Matt Lauer on Today, stating he still suffered from symptoms of his injuries. On the November 3, 2016 episode of Conan, Morgan said that he was no longer angry about the collision and had forgiven Roper.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Morgan's 2017 Netflix standup special Staying Alive joked about Walmart and the lawsuit, while detailing his hospitalization, rehab and recovery.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards and nominations

• Emmy Awards
  • 2009, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock, nominated
  • 2016, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Saturday Night Live, nominated
• Image Awards
  • 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock, nominated
  • 2008, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock, nominated
• Entertainment Icon Award
  • 2022, New York Friar's Club

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	A Thin Line Between Love and Hate	Bartender
1998	Half Baked	V. J.
2000	Bamboozled	TV personality
2001	How High	Commercial actor/Field of Dreams Guy	Uncredited
	WaSanGo	Woo Ping	English dub
	Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back	Pumpkin Escobar
	30 Years to Life	Troy
2002	Frank McKlusky, C.I.	Reggie Rosengold
2003	Head of State	Meat hustler
2004	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Joel's Neighbour	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2005	The Longest Yard	Ms. Tucker
	Are We There Yet?	Satchel Paige Bobblehead	Voice
2006	Little Man	Percy
	VH1's Totally Awesome	Darnell
	Farce of the Penguins	Marcus	Voice
2008	First Sunday	Leejohn
	Superhero Movie	Professor Xavier
2009	G-Force	Blaster	Voice
	Deep in the Valley	Busta Nut
2010	Cop Out	Paul Hodges
	Death at a Funeral	Norman
	The Other Guys	Himself
2011	Rio	Luiz	Voice
	The Son of No One	Vincent Carter
	Chick Magnet	Tracy
2012	Why Stop Now	Leopold "Sprinkles" Leonard
2014	Rio 2	Luiz	Voice
	The Boxtrolls	Mr. Gristle
	Top Five	Fred
2015	Accidental Love	Keyshawn
	The Night Before	Narrator / Santa Claus
2017	Fist Fight	Coach Crawford
	The Clapper	Chris
	The Star	Felix	Voice
2019	What Men Want	Joe "Dolla" Barry
2020	Scoob!<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> || Captain Caveman || Voice; Cameo<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2021	Coming 2 America	Kareem "Uncle Reem" Junson	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022	Spirited	Yet to Come	Voice

Television

Year	Show	Role	Notes
1992–1994	Uptown Comedy Club	Various
1994–1996	Martin	Hustle Man	7 episodes
1996–2003	Saturday Night Live	Various roles	128 episodes
2000	3rd Rock from the Sun	Tracy Morgan	Episode: "Dick'll Take Manhattan: Part 1"
2002–2005, 2019–present	Crank Yankers	Spoonie Luv	Voice
2003–2004	The Tracy Morgan Show	Tracy Mitchell	18 episodes; also producer
2006	Mind of Mencia	Captain Black Cawk	Episode: "Stereotype Olympics"
	Where My Dogs At?	Woof	Voice; 8 episodes
2006–2013, 2020	30 Rock	Tracy Jordan	137 episodes
2008	Human Giant	The Invisible Man	Voice; Episode: "I Want More Corn Chowder"
2008–2013	Scare Tactics	Himself (host)	20 episodes
2009	Saturday Night Live		Episode: "Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson"
2011	Tracy Morgan: Black and Blue	Himself	Stand-up special
2014	Tracy Morgan: Bona Fide		citation	CitationClass=web }} </ref>
	Mr. Pickles	Skids	Voice; Episode: "Dead Man's Curve"
2015	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	Episode: "Tracy Morgan/Demi Lovato"
2017	Tracy Morgan: Staying Alive	Himself	Stand-up special
2018	Somebody Feed Phil		citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	The Raw Word		1 episode
	The Simpsons	Himself, Tow Truck Driver	Voice; 2 episodes
	Animals	Toaster	Voice; Episode: "Stuff"
2018–2021	The Last O.G.	Tray Barker	Main cast
2019	The Twilight Zone	J.C. Wheeler	Episode: "The Comedian"
	Green Eggs and Ham	Michael the Fox	Voice
	Bubble Guppies	Dr. Bigmouth Bass	Voice; Episode: "Secret Agent Nonny!"
2021	Squidbillies	Early Cuyler	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2022, 2025	The Neighborhood	Curtis Butler, Francois "Crutch" Crutchfield	Episodes: "Welcome to Bro Money, Bro Problems", "Welcome to Family Value"
2023	The Santa Clauses	Easter Bunny	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2025	Octopus!	Himself	2 Episodes<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
2025	Crutch	Francois "Crutch" Crutchfield	Main cast

External links

• Official website
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

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• Interview with Tracy Morgan
• National Transportation Safety Board report on Morgan's 2014 accident
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