Filed under: Celeb Updates
After facing a hailstorm of criticism stemming from anti-gay remarks made on June 3 during a comedy show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium, Tracy Morgan has decided to try to redeem himself by returning to the city.
The '30 Rock' star made his way back to Nashville on Tuesday to apologize to anyone who took offense to his homophobic tirade, claiming that he would "pull out a knife and stab" his son to death if he admitted to being gay.
"I apologize to ... the people that were at the show," he professed. "I want to apologize to my friends and my family and my fans and everyone in every community who were offended with this. ... I don't have a hateful bone in my body."
"I don't believe that anyone should be bullied or just made to feel bad about who they are... I don't care who you love, same-sex or not, as long as you have the ability to love."
Although Morgan may have thought his offensive joke would win fans over, one spectator broke the news via his Facebook account. Kevin Rogers, who titled his posting, "I No Longer 'Like' Tracy Morgan -- A Must Read," detailed the comedy routine as totally unexpected and was convinced 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."
Rogers added that about 10-15 people walked out of the auditorium immediately following Morgan's unforeseen comments. And though he was offended, Rogers was adamant about sitting through the duration of the show. "I knew if I got up ... he won... I'm not angry ... just very very, very disappointed," he said.
Since Morgan's rant made headlines, the former 'Saturday Night Live' star has received a flurry of criticism from the masses, some suggesting that the comedian give a full explanation for his actions.
"Tracy Morgan's management needs to investigate these allegations and should they prove true, we call on him to remove these violently anti-gay remarks from his show and send a strong message that anti-gay violence is not something to joke about," GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios told The Hollywood Reporter.
Fellow comedian Chris Rock took to Morgan's defense on Twitter writing: "I don't know about you, but I don't want to live in world where Tracy Morgan can't say foul inappropriate sh*t," he said before going back on his statement.
"When I first heard the statement I thought it was offensive but it also reminded me of my father saying ill kill you if you ever bring home a white girl but after reading everything Tracy said . Wow I get it that sh*t wasn't called for and I don't support it at all. Now can I please go to the Tony Awards without getting my [butt] kicked."
In addition to Tuesday's apology, Tracy Morgan will also participate in GLAAD's upcoming "Amplify Your Voice" PSA campaign, which also includes Russell Simmons, Al Sharpton, and Rashida Jones among others.