Tracy Morgan's apology to Nashville regarding his homophobic remarks at The Ryman. Nashville Convention Center, 6/21/11.
This morning, Tuesday, June 21, actor/comedian Tracy Morgan held a press conference at the Nashville Convention Center to apologize for
the anti-gay remarks he made at his June 3 Ryman gig. You can see Morgan's apology above. You'll see that Morgan was joined by GLAAD's senior director of media programs, Herndon Graddick, as well as Kevin Rogers, the guy who posted
that Facebook note about Morgan's comments— meaning, yes, a Facebook note can in fact be a major part of a national news story. New media!
You'll see that Morgan at least appears to take the press conference seriously, apologizing for "bumming" people "out" and noting that he doesn't have "a hateful bone in [his] body." He even invokes the words of Richard Pryor, referencing how Pryor once used "The N Word" frequently in his act, but ceased after visiting Africa. You'll also see the video end with an embrace between Rogers and Morgan. And the flashbulbs go wild. There are also reports that Morgan is "expected to participate in a GLAAD anti-bullying public service campaign." Because, you know, when you say that you would "pull out a knife and stab" your own son if he turned out to be gay, you'll probably need to pony up a little more than just an apology to salvage your career.
