While being funny is an enjoyable process, the world of stand-up comedy is not for everyone. Even though that was the world that the perma-raunchy Tracy Morgan carved his hole in for years - pun intended - his horrifying accident in 2014 was a life-changer in all meanings of the word. After waking from his coma, he took his time returning to the entertainment world, and one of Morgan's first post-accident highlights was a trip back to Saturday Night Live as a host last October. And it's that experience that the 30 Rock oddball credits with motivating him to get back on stage.
I was in there at the pitch meeting, and this young cast -- Kenan, Les[lie Jones], everybody, the whole cast -- I know they were doing their hardest pitches, their best pitches. And they inspired me so much. Aw man. After I left the pitch meeting, I went to the [Comedy Cellar] and grabbed the mic for the first time. For the very first time, it was like a new life, and I did five minutes. . . . I will forever be indebted to that cast for inspiring me to go back and be funny.
That's the kind of story that makes one want to stand up and start pumping a fist and wooting like an Arsenio Hall Show studio audience is nearby. Obviously all anyone wanted to know for certain was that Tracy Morgan was physically and mentally healthy in the days after his wreck, especially since he was also coping with the death of his friend and fellow comic James McNair. If he wouldn't ever feel good or comfortable enough to go back to talking about getting people pregnant behind adjacent buildings, that would be as respectable a decision as any. But let's give a hand to Saturday Night Live's cast - or at least what remains - for sparking the chuckle-inducing flame inside him.
Morgan shared this story on The Howard Stern Show, and it is downright touching to watch him tell it, because there isn't a single iota of anything disingenuous in his words. After all, Saturday Night Live is where he became a household name, and it led him to his hysterical primetime presence as 30 Rock's Tracy Jordan. It's excellent that he was able to find the ability to move forward comedically from a place so near and dear to him.
You can watch a clip from that emotional interview below.
Now we just need to get Tracy Morgan back in front of cameras on both the big and small screen for years and years, keeping him focused and feeling alive. He'll be in Richie Keen's upcoming comedy Fist Fight with a ton of other funny people in 2017, and he is attached to play legendary comic Redd Foxx for an upcoming biopic. Keep on keepin' on, Mr. Morgan.
