Tracy Morgan has had a lot of time pass and things happen since his days as a Saturday Night Live cast member but for some of his fans, his characters are still fresh in their minds. In fact, Morgan, who is currently on a press tour to promote his new TBS comedy, The Last O.G., said one of the questions he's most frequently asked comes from one of his characters on the show, Brian Fellow. Morgan addressed the question in an interview, saying this:
It might be something to do with Brian Fellows. They ask me, 'Was Brian Fellows gay?' and I said, 'No, he's ambiguous.' That's the question I got asked the most. Little do people know, Brian Fellows has a wife and three kids.
Tracy Morgan said Brian Fellow is not gay, and that he has a wife and three kids. Morgan's factoid was never made clear in the Saturday Night Live sketches for "Brian Fellow's Safari Planet," which was a skit Morgan often performed on the show. The sketch centered around a Jack Hanna-type interview show hosted by Brian Fellow who, as the intro narration said, was an enthusiastic young man with a sixth-grade education and an abiding love for all of God's creatures. The sketches would usually result in an interview with an animal and animal expert who would be berated by Fellow with random questions that often made zero sense. Inevitably, Fellow would get so worked up that he would kick the guest off his program, but never was the character's sexual orientation discussed. Check out one of Morgan's appearances as Brian Fellow!
Fans questioning Tracy Morgan on whether or not Brian Fellow is gay is a bit strange, considering none of the show's sketches ever touched on the possibility that could be the case. However, Morgan's SNL character did showcase several elements usually deemed stereotypical for gay TV characters, such as wearing lots of lip gloss, rocking a leopard-print ascot, and crossing his legs in just such a way. If part of Morgan's inspiration for the character came from the gay community, the actor didn't wish EW or his fans to know that.
Tracy Morgan has had a rocky relationship with the LGBT community, so it wouldn't be that surprising that even if part of his Brian Fellow character was meant to be a joke towards homosexuals, he wouldn't say so. Morgan's character on Saturday Night Live predated a controversial standup joke Morgan made in 2011, in which the actor said he would stab his son if he found out he was gay and didn't talk "like a man." Morgan faced a lot of backlash for the joke and has since apologized for telling it. Morgan mentioned the joke not long after this question in the interview and said he still wished he could take it back to this day.
Tracy Morgan's The Last O.G. premieres on TBS Tuesday, April 3 at 10:30 p.m. ET. For a look at other upcoming show premieres in 2018, be sure to visit out midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide.
