1 00:00:03,337 --> 00:00:05,380 I'm Tracy Morgan! 2 00:00:05,380 --> 00:00:06,506 I'm handsome. 3 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:08,133 I can see why I got so many kids. 4 00:00:08,133 --> 00:00:10,093 Tracy Morgan is one of the most 5 00:00:10,093 --> 00:00:12,679 naturally funny people that exists. 6 00:00:12,679 --> 00:00:14,389 I can't breathe, Liz Lemon! 7 00:00:14,389 --> 00:00:16,725 This is my impression of a pregnant woman. 8 00:00:16,725 --> 00:00:18,185 [narrator] The world knows Tracy Morgan 9 00:00:18,185 --> 00:00:19,561 as an off-the-wall... 10 00:00:19,561 --> 00:00:20,854 He didn't have that filter. 11 00:00:20,854 --> 00:00:22,689 I definitely want to get somebody pregnant. 12 00:00:22,689 --> 00:00:23,899 Unpredictable... 13 00:00:23,899 --> 00:00:25,317 -Man! -[Laughing] 14 00:00:25,317 --> 00:00:27,277 [Bird] I'm Brian Fellow! [Tracy] No, you're not! 15 00:00:27,277 --> 00:00:28,612 Comedic genius. 16 00:00:28,612 --> 00:00:31,782 He came in and broke all the rules. 17 00:00:31,782 --> 00:00:34,785 -Get me a soda, bitch! -[Laughing] 18 00:00:34,785 --> 00:00:36,578 He's just so honest. 19 00:00:36,578 --> 00:00:37,996 My name is Tracy Morgan, 20 00:00:37,996 --> 00:00:39,915 or as most of you may know me as... 21 00:00:39,915 --> 00:00:41,750 the other Black guy. 22 00:00:41,750 --> 00:00:45,170 I honestly don't think there's any human being 23 00:00:45,170 --> 00:00:47,839 that has made me belly laugh harder. 24 00:00:47,839 --> 00:00:49,091 Haha, woah! 25 00:00:49,091 --> 00:00:51,009 There's this belief out there that you are 26 00:00:51,009 --> 00:00:52,594 your character on 30 Rock. 27 00:00:52,594 --> 00:00:55,597 No, I'm way more out there. 28 00:00:55,597 --> 00:00:57,140 He was the happening. 29 00:00:57,140 --> 00:00:59,601 And when opportunity meets the happening, 30 00:00:59,601 --> 00:01:01,728 that meteoric rise happens. 31 00:01:01,728 --> 00:01:05,023 What fans may not know is that Tracy's 32 00:01:05,023 --> 00:01:07,484 been a fighter from the day he was born. 33 00:01:07,484 --> 00:01:09,361 His story is not funny. 34 00:01:09,361 --> 00:01:12,030 It was something he had to basically try and survive. 35 00:01:12,030 --> 00:01:16,243 When did you know that comedy was a way out? 36 00:01:16,243 --> 00:01:19,454 Why is a man so driven to escape trauma 37 00:01:19,454 --> 00:01:21,707 hell-bent on self-destruction? 38 00:01:21,707 --> 00:01:23,750 [beep] set up, man! 39 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:27,546 There was this deep pain, and comedy was the saviour. 40 00:01:27,546 --> 00:01:31,133 Oh my god... Oh my god. 41 00:01:31,133 --> 00:01:33,677 [Tracy] I was dancing with the devil, mama. 42 00:01:33,677 --> 00:01:35,053 [Overlapping voices] Ladies and gentlemen! 43 00:01:35,053 --> 00:01:36,555 You are about to be entertained! 44 00:01:36,555 --> 00:01:38,807 Getting the laugh is the greatest addiction. 45 00:01:38,807 --> 00:01:40,309 They want more of it, they want more of it. 46 00:01:40,309 --> 00:01:42,269 He was getting death threats. It [beep] with your head! 47 00:01:42,269 --> 00:01:43,645 He's out of his skull! That's what took her down. 48 00:01:43,645 --> 00:01:45,647 This is a crazy story. 49 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:49,776 I'm Hollywood royalty. 50 00:01:49,776 --> 00:01:50,944 People, a lot of people don't know that 51 00:01:50,944 --> 00:01:53,030 I'm a descendant of Clark Gable. 52 00:01:53,030 --> 00:01:54,531 Now this is my second career. 53 00:01:54,531 --> 00:01:57,617 My first career was, uh, porno. 54 00:01:57,617 --> 00:01:59,494 Yeah, they called me 'Manaconda'. 55 00:01:59,494 --> 00:02:01,121 [Laughing] 56 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:02,998 You can talk to Tracy, 57 00:02:02,998 --> 00:02:05,751 and hear five different stories from this guy. 58 00:02:05,751 --> 00:02:07,044 You said that you're a big fan of the 59 00:02:07,044 --> 00:02:08,503 show 'Khloé & Lamar', is that right? 60 00:02:08,503 --> 00:02:10,213 Yeah, and we just recently found out, 61 00:02:10,213 --> 00:02:12,090 our test results came back, she's my daughter. 62 00:02:12,090 --> 00:02:14,843 -[Laughing] -Khloé is your daughter? 63 00:02:14,843 --> 00:02:16,803 If you hang around this man long enough, 64 00:02:16,803 --> 00:02:20,349 you're gonna hear stories that... 65 00:02:20,349 --> 00:02:22,476 It, it, it's just absolutely material. 66 00:02:22,476 --> 00:02:24,019 The test results just came back from 67 00:02:24,019 --> 00:02:25,937 my biological father. 68 00:02:25,937 --> 00:02:27,814 -Who is he? -Tony Dorsett. 69 00:02:27,814 --> 00:02:29,024 [Laughing] What? 70 00:02:29,024 --> 00:02:30,400 You're related to Charlton Heston? 71 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:33,403 Chuck Heston. I used to call him 'Uncle Chuck'. 72 00:02:33,403 --> 00:02:36,490 In reality, Tracy was a kid from the projects of 73 00:02:36,490 --> 00:02:39,201 New York's Bed-Stuy neighbourhood. 74 00:02:39,201 --> 00:02:41,495 Inner-city Brooklyn is set up for liquor stores, 75 00:02:41,495 --> 00:02:44,122 churches, drug dealers, and... 76 00:02:44,122 --> 00:02:45,874 danger lurks around the corner. 77 00:02:45,874 --> 00:02:47,209 [Sirens wailing] 78 00:02:47,209 --> 00:02:50,087 Tracy grew up in a very conflicted neighbourhood, 79 00:02:50,087 --> 00:02:51,254 we'll call it. 80 00:02:51,254 --> 00:02:53,548 There was gun violence, there was a lot of 81 00:02:53,548 --> 00:02:55,592 stuff happening out on the streets. 82 00:02:55,592 --> 00:02:57,344 My name is Debra Wilson, 83 00:02:57,344 --> 00:02:59,137 I'm an actress and a comedian, 84 00:02:59,137 --> 00:03:03,850 and I met Tracy originally back in New York City 85 00:03:03,850 --> 00:03:06,144 over two decades ago. 86 00:03:06,144 --> 00:03:07,813 When I was a kid in the 80s, 87 00:03:07,813 --> 00:03:09,856 and crack was rampant, you know, 88 00:03:09,856 --> 00:03:11,441 everybody was trying to sell it to get money. 89 00:03:11,441 --> 00:03:13,735 I'm Anthony Bozza, and I co-wrote 90 00:03:13,735 --> 00:03:16,279 'I Am the New Black' with Tracy Morgan. 91 00:03:16,279 --> 00:03:18,198 Tracy's father was a Vietnam vet, 92 00:03:18,198 --> 00:03:21,952 and when he was over there, he got addicted to heroin. 93 00:03:21,952 --> 00:03:25,747 Like so many other vets, he had tremendous PTSD. 94 00:03:25,747 --> 00:03:27,999 Nightmares, mental breakdowns of 95 00:03:27,999 --> 00:03:30,085 all kinds in the house. 96 00:03:30,085 --> 00:03:33,004 So, Tracy's parents split up. 97 00:03:33,004 --> 00:03:35,382 When Tracy's dad starts to get clean, 98 00:03:35,382 --> 00:03:36,967 Tracy leaves his mom's house 99 00:03:36,967 --> 00:03:39,136 to move in with his father. 100 00:03:39,136 --> 00:03:41,346 My mom did the best she could with five kids, 101 00:03:41,346 --> 00:03:43,598 but I needed my dad. 102 00:03:43,598 --> 00:03:46,184 He's the only one that could show me how to be a man. 103 00:03:46,184 --> 00:03:47,644 I couldn't learn nothing from my friends. 104 00:03:47,644 --> 00:03:48,979 They knew what I knew. 105 00:03:48,979 --> 00:03:51,481 But I could learn from my father and his friends. 106 00:03:51,481 --> 00:03:53,066 And he was funny. 107 00:03:53,066 --> 00:03:55,569 Tracy's dad keeps him on track and away from 108 00:03:55,569 --> 00:03:57,737 the influences of the street. 109 00:03:57,737 --> 00:03:59,239 Were you an athlete or something? 110 00:03:59,239 --> 00:04:00,282 Yeah, I was a running back. 111 00:04:00,282 --> 00:04:01,450 What was your sport? 112 00:04:01,450 --> 00:04:02,868 Football, and track and field. 113 00:04:02,868 --> 00:04:04,744 I thought I was Carl Lewis. 114 00:04:04,744 --> 00:04:07,497 No, I ran that fast running from the bullies, you know? 115 00:04:07,497 --> 00:04:08,832 Just being bullied. 116 00:04:08,832 --> 00:04:10,876 And then I learned how to be funny, 117 00:04:10,876 --> 00:04:14,296 so that kept the bullies off my back. 118 00:04:14,296 --> 00:04:18,008 But that will all change when his dad becomes seriously ill. 119 00:04:18,008 --> 00:04:20,844 He got HIV from using dirty needles. 120 00:04:20,844 --> 00:04:22,637 When his dad started getting sick, 121 00:04:22,637 --> 00:04:25,307 Tracy dropped out of high school completely to 122 00:04:25,307 --> 00:04:27,726 take care of him in his final years. 123 00:04:27,726 --> 00:04:31,313 My dad died in 1987 to AIDS, 124 00:04:31,313 --> 00:04:33,648 and something snapped. 125 00:04:33,648 --> 00:04:36,318 So he does what so many others in his position, 126 00:04:36,318 --> 00:04:38,695 living in, you know, the projects did. 127 00:04:38,695 --> 00:04:40,906 I used to sell crack. 128 00:04:40,906 --> 00:04:42,782 Back in the days, everybody would. 129 00:04:42,782 --> 00:04:44,784 Either you was using it or you were selling it. 130 00:04:44,784 --> 00:04:46,620 Either way, you got swept up in it. 131 00:04:46,620 --> 00:04:47,954 Most of the time on the corner, 132 00:04:47,954 --> 00:04:49,414 Tracy would just sit there and make fun of people 133 00:04:49,414 --> 00:04:51,082 and do a little stand-up set. 134 00:04:51,082 --> 00:04:52,459 I would sell them the crack and then be like, 135 00:04:52,459 --> 00:04:54,044 "You know this going to kill you, right"? 136 00:04:54,044 --> 00:04:56,046 [Laughing] 137 00:04:56,046 --> 00:04:57,964 I just started doing comedy all around the hood. 138 00:04:57,964 --> 00:04:59,925 I was always funny, but I just started 139 00:04:59,925 --> 00:05:01,551 doing comedy though. 140 00:05:01,551 --> 00:05:02,844 He needed a rock, he needed someone 141 00:05:02,844 --> 00:05:05,347 to point him in the direction of success. 142 00:05:05,347 --> 00:05:07,349 ♪ 143 00:05:07,349 --> 00:05:09,142 He met Sabina, who was a few years older, 144 00:05:09,142 --> 00:05:11,436 and she already had two children, 145 00:05:11,436 --> 00:05:15,398 and they started living together and raising the kids. 146 00:05:15,398 --> 00:05:18,944 I don't believe Tracy knew how to connect the dots, 147 00:05:18,944 --> 00:05:21,988 in terms of, how do I help my family? 148 00:05:21,988 --> 00:05:25,992 If you look at the odds stacked against this kid... 149 00:05:25,992 --> 00:05:29,746 Vietnam vet father with PTSD, heroin addiction, 150 00:05:29,746 --> 00:05:31,790 dying of AIDS... 151 00:05:31,790 --> 00:05:34,668 left high school, got married young, 152 00:05:34,668 --> 00:05:39,256 and has nothing really else but this innate comic ability. 153 00:05:39,256 --> 00:05:42,259 There are certain people in life that have an X factor. 154 00:05:42,259 --> 00:05:46,304 They just don't know exactly how their future and 155 00:05:46,304 --> 00:05:48,265 their X-factor will meet. 156 00:05:48,265 --> 00:05:50,183 Tracy wonders if being funny is 157 00:05:50,183 --> 00:05:52,435 his ticket to a better life. 158 00:05:52,435 --> 00:05:54,896 My boy, Tracy Morgan! 159 00:05:54,896 --> 00:05:56,648 [Cheering] 160 00:05:56,648 --> 00:05:59,359 The Uptown Comedy Club was a place that myself and 161 00:05:59,359 --> 00:06:02,737 my brother Andre created as a venue 162 00:06:02,737 --> 00:06:05,448 for the young Black comics to perform, 163 00:06:05,448 --> 00:06:07,701 because they were not getting 164 00:06:07,701 --> 00:06:09,953 adequate opportunities to succeed. 165 00:06:09,953 --> 00:06:13,415 But your ass is so Black, if they put you 166 00:06:13,415 --> 00:06:15,292 into bottles, you'd be a damn Pepsi. 167 00:06:15,292 --> 00:06:16,585 [Laughing] 168 00:06:16,585 --> 00:06:19,671 Who is Tracy Morgan? Is that a loaded question? 169 00:06:19,671 --> 00:06:22,340 No. [Laughing] My name is Flex Alexander, 170 00:06:22,340 --> 00:06:25,218 and I first met Tracy Morgan at the 171 00:06:25,218 --> 00:06:27,721 Uptown Comedy Club in Harlem. 172 00:06:27,721 --> 00:06:31,474 You so fat, when you stepped on a scale 173 00:06:31,474 --> 00:06:33,310 it said, "To be continued." 174 00:06:33,310 --> 00:06:35,729 [Laughing] 175 00:06:35,729 --> 00:06:38,690 First thing I saw was this chunky kid come in with 176 00:06:38,690 --> 00:06:41,401 this hat with a propeller on the top, 177 00:06:41,401 --> 00:06:44,779 doing jokes about the hood and baby mamas. 178 00:06:44,779 --> 00:06:46,156 You know what? You talk too much. 179 00:06:46,156 --> 00:06:47,365 -What, what? -What you wanna do? 180 00:06:47,365 --> 00:06:48,700 Even starting out in the early days, 181 00:06:48,700 --> 00:06:51,745 there was an effortlessness to it, 182 00:06:51,745 --> 00:06:55,206 because Tracy was always himself. 183 00:06:55,206 --> 00:06:57,208 Is this your best man? 184 00:06:57,208 --> 00:06:58,710 Best man? It's my main man. 185 00:06:58,710 --> 00:07:00,545 That's what I'm sayin'! 186 00:07:00,545 --> 00:07:03,590 He was the first one I saw that brought the upbringing 187 00:07:03,590 --> 00:07:05,467 that I knew about to the stage. 188 00:07:05,467 --> 00:07:07,177 Man, you crazy, man. We from the hood. 189 00:07:07,177 --> 00:07:09,012 We can't be hit more times. 190 00:07:09,012 --> 00:07:11,306 Even myself being from the Bronx, 191 00:07:11,306 --> 00:07:14,392 I was kind of afraid to go into those dark places, 192 00:07:14,392 --> 00:07:15,518 and he wasn't. 193 00:07:15,518 --> 00:07:17,938 He just talked about it straight up. 194 00:07:17,938 --> 00:07:19,606 Fast forward to, 195 00:07:19,606 --> 00:07:23,985 we are on the day of shooting a TV show, 196 00:07:23,985 --> 00:07:28,365 and a young comic by the name of Chris Tucker, 197 00:07:28,365 --> 00:07:30,492 he was on the come up. 198 00:07:30,492 --> 00:07:34,621 He missed his flight, and we had an open spot. 199 00:07:34,621 --> 00:07:37,957 And I say, "Yo, Tray. Do you think you could 200 00:07:37,957 --> 00:07:41,920 give me a hilarious four minutes"? 201 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:46,007 And he looked at me and he said, with confidence, 202 00:07:46,007 --> 00:07:50,345 "Yo, Kev, you know me. I got, I got you Kev." 203 00:07:50,345 --> 00:07:51,971 Y'all want to see my version of Michael Jackson 204 00:07:51,971 --> 00:07:53,139 from the projects? 205 00:07:53,139 --> 00:07:54,474 [Audience] Yes! 206 00:07:54,474 --> 00:07:56,685 And he went on that stage, 207 00:07:56,685 --> 00:07:59,938 and did this Michael Jackson, 208 00:07:59,938 --> 00:08:02,440 and he shook it up. 209 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:05,902 He did those things that a kid would do in the house 210 00:08:05,902 --> 00:08:08,363 when they're seven, 211 00:08:08,363 --> 00:08:10,824 and it was hilarious! 212 00:08:10,824 --> 00:08:14,077 When I first saw Tracy start patting his stomach, 213 00:08:14,077 --> 00:08:16,538 you know, I just said, "This boy is wild! 214 00:08:16,538 --> 00:08:18,248 I gotta put him on the show." 215 00:08:18,248 --> 00:08:23,336 ♪ 216 00:08:23,336 --> 00:08:25,088 Martin was a guy from the hood, also. 217 00:08:25,088 --> 00:08:26,965 And Martin was huge. 218 00:08:26,965 --> 00:08:29,008 Hustle Man is in the house. 219 00:08:29,008 --> 00:08:30,343 I was like, "This is brilliant." 220 00:08:30,343 --> 00:08:32,011 That was somebody he talked about 221 00:08:32,011 --> 00:08:34,597 on stage from the block, you know, 222 00:08:34,597 --> 00:08:36,307 somebody who's always selling something. 223 00:08:36,307 --> 00:08:39,060 I got food stamps, I got incense, 224 00:08:39,060 --> 00:08:41,771 I got a Greyhound bus in the parking lot. 225 00:08:41,771 --> 00:08:43,898 Martin Lawrence gave me a shot when he put me 226 00:08:43,898 --> 00:08:45,859 in front of this national audience. 227 00:08:45,859 --> 00:08:48,319 So now he's moving on an echelon 228 00:08:48,319 --> 00:08:50,947 that is like an escalator. 229 00:08:50,947 --> 00:08:52,574 And in the entertainment industry in general, 230 00:08:52,574 --> 00:08:55,702 once you're on it, it's taking you on a ride. 231 00:08:55,702 --> 00:08:57,120 Behind the scenes, 232 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,248 Tracy is using alcohol to calm his nerves. 233 00:09:00,248 --> 00:09:03,585 It's a habit he's able to keep under the radar 234 00:09:03,585 --> 00:09:05,754 along with some troubling symptoms... 235 00:09:05,754 --> 00:09:08,882 pain in his legs, headaches, and mood swings. 236 00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:10,675 What you, what you selling Hustle Man? 237 00:09:10,675 --> 00:09:13,011 I got a special on some free-range chicken. 238 00:09:13,011 --> 00:09:15,263 But he's too focused on his career to 239 00:09:15,263 --> 00:09:16,848 pay attention to why. 240 00:09:16,848 --> 00:09:19,059 What the hell is free-range chicken, man? 241 00:09:19,059 --> 00:09:20,727 It means for me it was free. 242 00:09:20,727 --> 00:09:23,229 For you it's gonna cost you in the range of $15. 243 00:09:23,229 --> 00:09:24,689 [Laughing] 244 00:09:24,689 --> 00:09:27,484 He didn't take any particular steps to make it happen. 245 00:09:27,484 --> 00:09:30,653 He was the happening, and when opportunity 246 00:09:30,653 --> 00:09:32,113 meets the happening, 247 00:09:32,113 --> 00:09:34,365 that meteoric rise happens. 248 00:09:34,365 --> 00:09:36,159 Hi, my name is Tracy Morgan. 249 00:09:36,159 --> 00:09:38,411 I'd like to introduce you to one of my friends. 250 00:09:38,411 --> 00:09:40,121 Soon he's auditioning for the 251 00:09:40,121 --> 00:09:42,082 ultimate springboard to fame... 252 00:09:42,082 --> 00:09:44,042 Saturday Night Live. 253 00:09:44,042 --> 00:09:46,503 I was like, "This guy, yo, he must be smart, man. 254 00:09:46,503 --> 00:09:50,090 He must be a intellect." Then the cat was like- 255 00:09:50,090 --> 00:09:52,467 [Inhaling], "Nah, Drake, nah. 256 00:09:52,467 --> 00:09:54,135 I think he a Scorpio. 257 00:09:54,135 --> 00:09:57,430 I'm on Saturday Night Live, and Lorne Michaels 258 00:09:57,430 --> 00:09:59,349 pulled me in his room and he goes, "Jim, 259 00:09:59,349 --> 00:10:02,977 what do you think about Tracy Morgan"? 260 00:10:02,977 --> 00:10:05,730 I didn't want to be too obvious, 261 00:10:05,730 --> 00:10:08,566 but I was like, "Oh my God! 262 00:10:08,566 --> 00:10:10,735 I didn't want to go there like, "You gotta hire him, Jim"! 263 00:10:10,735 --> 00:10:13,655 I went, "I honestly don't think 264 00:10:13,655 --> 00:10:16,199 there's any human being in the world 265 00:10:16,199 --> 00:10:19,118 that has made me belly laugh harder, 266 00:10:19,118 --> 00:10:22,080 being raw and unfiltered 267 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,249 and completely natural." 268 00:10:24,249 --> 00:10:26,876 It's Saturday Night Live! 269 00:10:26,876 --> 00:10:29,003 With Tracy Morgan... 270 00:10:29,003 --> 00:10:30,547 Soon as they told me, I went right back to 271 00:10:30,547 --> 00:10:32,632 the projects and told, like, my boy Supreme. 272 00:10:32,632 --> 00:10:34,217 I was like, "Yo, I got Saturday Night Live." 273 00:10:34,217 --> 00:10:37,428 And they was like, "What! We made it"! 274 00:10:37,428 --> 00:10:38,721 [Laughing] 275 00:10:38,721 --> 00:10:40,723 I think it's obvious that if anyone gets on SNL, 276 00:10:40,723 --> 00:10:41,933 it's gonna be your big break. 277 00:10:41,933 --> 00:10:44,519 "Mom, Tracy got Saturday Night Live! 278 00:10:44,519 --> 00:10:46,729 Tray, my mom said pick up a couch." 279 00:10:46,729 --> 00:10:49,440 [Laughing] 280 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:51,109 ♪ 281 00:10:51,109 --> 00:10:53,778 [Tracy] Saturday Night Live was like a university for funny. 282 00:10:53,778 --> 00:10:56,781 But I felt like Noah, who had built his ark, 283 00:10:56,781 --> 00:10:59,242 and the first thing I wanted to do is get my family to 284 00:10:59,242 --> 00:11:02,036 higher grounds, 'cause I knew the floods was gonna come. 285 00:11:02,036 --> 00:11:03,288 [Interviewer] What were the floods? 286 00:11:03,288 --> 00:11:06,040 [Tracy] More gunfire, more violence. 287 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:10,211 Tracy's sudden good fortune can't prevent what comes next. 288 00:11:10,211 --> 00:11:13,715 He wakes up one morning completely blind. 289 00:11:13,715 --> 00:11:17,093 He discovers he's been living with untreated diabetes. 290 00:11:17,093 --> 00:11:18,303 It was already pretty far along, 291 00:11:18,303 --> 00:11:20,096 if it was at that level. 292 00:11:20,096 --> 00:11:21,848 ♪ 293 00:11:21,848 --> 00:11:24,767 But his fragile health takes a backseat to surviving 294 00:11:24,767 --> 00:11:27,353 his scary new reality on SNL. 295 00:11:27,353 --> 00:11:29,564 [Tracy] I was coming from a different world. 296 00:11:29,564 --> 00:11:32,108 I was coming from a world of Black people, 297 00:11:32,108 --> 00:11:34,152 and knowing how to make them laugh, 298 00:11:34,152 --> 00:11:37,113 and I was out of my comfort zone. 299 00:11:37,113 --> 00:11:40,283 -85th and Columbus. -You got it. 300 00:11:40,283 --> 00:11:43,953 When he first arrived at SNL, he was a very shy kid 301 00:11:43,953 --> 00:11:46,372 from the projects of New York City. 302 00:11:46,372 --> 00:11:48,999 In the beginning, he's the one who felt insecure, 303 00:11:48,999 --> 00:11:50,668 like, "I don't know if I belong here." 304 00:11:50,668 --> 00:11:53,671 Hello America, my name is Tracy Morgan. 305 00:11:53,671 --> 00:11:56,841 As most of you might know, the other Black guy. 306 00:11:56,841 --> 00:11:59,385 Changes were happening so rapidly, 307 00:11:59,385 --> 00:12:02,764 that he was trying to adjust in a new cultural community, 308 00:12:02,764 --> 00:12:04,766 a new comedy community. 309 00:12:04,766 --> 00:12:07,894 And so in a space like that, the jokes that you tell about 310 00:12:07,894 --> 00:12:10,438 growing up in the Bronx, growing up around 311 00:12:10,438 --> 00:12:13,399 gun violence, growing up around drugs and 312 00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:16,778 all of these things, is not necessarily relatable 313 00:12:16,778 --> 00:12:18,154 to other people... 314 00:12:18,154 --> 00:12:19,489 especially white people. 315 00:12:19,489 --> 00:12:21,366 I mean these people are nice and everything, man, 316 00:12:21,366 --> 00:12:23,368 but sometimes I feel a little culturally isolated. 317 00:12:23,368 --> 00:12:24,661 Right, right, right. 318 00:12:24,661 --> 00:12:26,245 Even when you're a cast member at SNL, 319 00:12:26,245 --> 00:12:28,039 there's no guarantee you're gonna see much air time. 320 00:12:28,039 --> 00:12:29,958 It's highly competitive every week, 321 00:12:29,958 --> 00:12:32,543 and he wasn't really sure how he could get the 322 00:12:32,543 --> 00:12:35,255 kind of skits written where he could shine. 323 00:12:35,255 --> 00:12:38,216 -Pissing me off, man! -[Laughing] 324 00:12:38,216 --> 00:12:40,426 I imagine at the end of each day, 325 00:12:40,426 --> 00:12:43,846 the substances come in to help numb some of that 326 00:12:43,846 --> 00:12:46,474 hyper-vigilance that's going on from just 327 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:48,518 being at work day to day. 328 00:12:48,518 --> 00:12:50,478 So, of course because of commitment, 329 00:12:50,478 --> 00:12:54,023 he's going to press junkets, and events, and signings. 330 00:12:54,023 --> 00:12:55,692 They're huge! 331 00:12:55,692 --> 00:12:58,403 He's also entering a world where bad habits 332 00:12:58,403 --> 00:13:00,279 can become a norm. 333 00:13:00,279 --> 00:13:02,615 He kept drinking, and kept living his lifestyle. 334 00:13:02,615 --> 00:13:04,909 Every single thing that he was putting in his body was 335 00:13:04,909 --> 00:13:08,246 what a doctor would tell you not to do if you had diabetes. 336 00:13:08,246 --> 00:13:10,581 And, ah... he just ignored it. 337 00:13:10,581 --> 00:13:12,834 ♪ 338 00:13:17,755 --> 00:13:19,757 It's Saturday Night Live! 339 00:13:19,757 --> 00:13:22,010 For Tracy Morgan, entering the world of 340 00:13:22,010 --> 00:13:25,305 Saturday Night Live is a massive culture shock. 341 00:13:25,305 --> 00:13:28,725 You have come to the right place. Behold! 342 00:13:28,725 --> 00:13:31,853 And he's working amongst Harvard Lampoon 343 00:13:31,853 --> 00:13:35,857 graduates and comedians, almost all white. 344 00:13:35,857 --> 00:13:37,525 I don't think there was a Black writer 345 00:13:37,525 --> 00:13:38,735 on the show at the time. 346 00:13:38,735 --> 00:13:40,069 They didn't know how to write for him. 347 00:13:40,069 --> 00:13:41,487 And I don't blame them for that. You know, 348 00:13:41,487 --> 00:13:43,448 someone who came from Harvard and Yale, 349 00:13:43,448 --> 00:13:45,825 what do they know about drive-by shootings? 350 00:13:45,825 --> 00:13:48,995 I also feel Tracy didn't want to 351 00:13:48,995 --> 00:13:51,497 exploit that side of him. 352 00:13:51,497 --> 00:13:53,624 Oh hey, hi Tracy. 353 00:13:53,624 --> 00:13:55,918 Tracy always was his authentic self. 354 00:13:55,918 --> 00:13:58,504 It was a matter of how they're gonna write for me, 355 00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:02,717 or are they gonna just see me as a stereotype? 356 00:14:02,717 --> 00:14:04,677 And if the writing that's gonna come back from 357 00:14:04,677 --> 00:14:09,098 white writers is all so stereotypical that it is 358 00:14:09,098 --> 00:14:12,769 askewed view of the way I grew up, 359 00:14:12,769 --> 00:14:15,646 and a skewed view of what I can do. 360 00:14:15,646 --> 00:14:18,191 -What's up, baby? -What's happening, homie? 361 00:14:18,191 --> 00:14:20,401 Like imagine, you feel like you gotta carry 362 00:14:20,401 --> 00:14:23,654 the whole load for, for Blacks. 363 00:14:23,654 --> 00:14:27,075 It's not, you know, gonna be all that comfortable. 364 00:14:27,075 --> 00:14:29,494 [Tracy] When I first got to Saturday Night Live, 365 00:14:29,494 --> 00:14:31,287 I thought people was like, 366 00:14:31,287 --> 00:14:32,997 isolating me and all of that stuff. 367 00:14:32,997 --> 00:14:34,582 Stop laughing at me! 368 00:14:34,582 --> 00:14:36,125 When other Black people come up to me and say, 369 00:14:36,125 --> 00:14:37,794 "So you work at Saturday Night Live"? 370 00:14:37,794 --> 00:14:39,212 And I go, "Yeah"! 371 00:14:39,212 --> 00:14:41,881 And then they say, "So, what you do there"? 372 00:14:41,881 --> 00:14:43,758 And I say, "I'm Tracy Morgan. 373 00:14:43,758 --> 00:14:46,928 I'm the guy who smiles real big at the Goodnights." 374 00:14:46,928 --> 00:14:49,806 Here's me and my big scene with Sylvester Stallone. 375 00:14:49,806 --> 00:14:50,890 Oh, oh, oh! 376 00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:53,101 Me with Tom Hanks, that's my man. 377 00:14:53,101 --> 00:14:55,103 -[Laughing] -Oh, man! 378 00:14:55,103 --> 00:14:58,731 He was so under-utilized. 379 00:14:58,731 --> 00:15:00,316 And he was falling down the ranks. 380 00:15:00,316 --> 00:15:02,735 And he wasn't really sure how he could get the 381 00:15:02,735 --> 00:15:05,404 kind of skits written where he could shine. 382 00:15:05,404 --> 00:15:07,407 Man I'm sorry, the pimp chat got cut. 383 00:15:07,407 --> 00:15:09,325 Oh don't sweat it, man, I'll do it next week, man. 384 00:15:09,325 --> 00:15:10,493 I'm just gonna say Goodnights tonight. 385 00:15:10,493 --> 00:15:11,494 Oh, cool. 386 00:15:11,494 --> 00:15:13,079 I think he struggled for a while, 387 00:15:13,079 --> 00:15:15,456 thinking that maybe he had turned his back on the 388 00:15:15,456 --> 00:15:17,625 community that bred him, and kind of who he 389 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:20,002 really is as a comic and as a person. 390 00:15:20,002 --> 00:15:21,796 ♪ 391 00:15:21,796 --> 00:15:24,132 Tracy comes in, "Jim, I bought a 392 00:15:24,132 --> 00:15:25,800 big, expensive truck." 393 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,177 He's like, "Man, I went through the hood, 394 00:15:28,177 --> 00:15:29,971 and they popped my tires"! 395 00:15:29,971 --> 00:15:31,889 And he was really bothered by that. 396 00:15:31,889 --> 00:15:33,391 He was really hurt by that. 397 00:15:33,391 --> 00:15:37,019 He goes, "I was showing them that you can make it." 398 00:15:37,019 --> 00:15:39,021 We think we leave somewhere, 399 00:15:39,021 --> 00:15:41,107 we're gonna come back and jump right back in. 400 00:15:41,107 --> 00:15:42,900 But life went on without you. 401 00:15:42,900 --> 00:15:45,444 So, coming back and seeing, "Maybe I wasn't 402 00:15:45,444 --> 00:15:47,738 as important to people as I thought"? 403 00:15:47,738 --> 00:15:51,284 It's a crushing feeling of grief. 404 00:15:51,284 --> 00:15:54,412 It's not knowing who I am, 405 00:15:54,412 --> 00:15:57,331 because my old community doesn't embrace me, 406 00:15:57,331 --> 00:16:00,001 and the new community doesn't embrace me. 407 00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:01,419 These are strange times. 408 00:16:01,419 --> 00:16:03,421 One point, he was so low that he kind of broke down. 409 00:16:03,421 --> 00:16:04,839 [Interviewer] Did you feel like you were failing? 410 00:16:04,839 --> 00:16:06,799 [Tracy] Yeah. There were times where you weren't in. 411 00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:08,551 But I thought it was 'cause I was Black, 412 00:16:08,551 --> 00:16:10,595 they wasn't putting me in the sketches. 413 00:16:10,595 --> 00:16:12,680 Then, an exchange with Lorne Michaels 414 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:14,348 changes everything. 415 00:16:14,348 --> 00:16:15,808 Lorne told him directly, 416 00:16:15,808 --> 00:16:17,894 "I didn't choose you because you're Black. 417 00:16:17,894 --> 00:16:19,604 I chose you because you're funny." 418 00:16:19,604 --> 00:16:21,689 [Tracy] He let me know that I was here with Will Ferrell 419 00:16:21,689 --> 00:16:23,357 'cause I'm just as funny as him. 420 00:16:23,357 --> 00:16:25,359 [Anthony] That was a turning point for him. 421 00:16:25,359 --> 00:16:26,485 He certainly wasn't gonna let this 422 00:16:26,485 --> 00:16:28,571 wonderful opportunity pass him by. 423 00:16:28,571 --> 00:16:32,074 [Singing] Dum, dum, dum... 424 00:16:32,074 --> 00:16:34,911 The second year we asked to be in a room together, 425 00:16:34,911 --> 00:16:36,495 so we shared an office. 426 00:16:36,495 --> 00:16:40,499 Me and Tracy would bounce off each other nonstop. 427 00:16:40,499 --> 00:16:42,168 -Yikes! -Woah! 428 00:16:42,168 --> 00:16:43,711 Hey, hey, hey, hey! 429 00:16:43,711 --> 00:16:45,755 There was nothing more beautiful than 430 00:16:45,755 --> 00:16:48,507 watching him in his element, crushing. 431 00:16:48,507 --> 00:16:50,510 What the hell is going on here? 432 00:16:50,510 --> 00:16:52,845 I'm sorry! Don't be scared, I'm sorry. 433 00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:54,222 -We're sorry! -We're sorry! 434 00:16:54,222 --> 00:16:56,891 [Tracy] I realized that I had to put my guards down, 435 00:16:56,891 --> 00:17:00,019 and let the writers see my flaws... 436 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:01,812 to make fun of them. 437 00:17:01,812 --> 00:17:03,773 And that became my process. 438 00:17:03,773 --> 00:17:05,650 Tracy what'd you do last night? 439 00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:07,401 I just chilled out with the homeboys, 440 00:17:07,401 --> 00:17:08,653 you know what I'm saying? 441 00:17:08,653 --> 00:17:09,987 Busted down a couple of bottles of Cristal at 442 00:17:09,987 --> 00:17:12,782 the club, drove around in my baby blue Jaguar. 443 00:17:12,782 --> 00:17:15,743 -Typical bad boy stuff. -Cool, cool. 444 00:17:15,743 --> 00:17:18,955 What about you, Dratch? What you did last night? 445 00:17:18,955 --> 00:17:21,249 Um, I went to this Brazilian restaurant on the 446 00:17:21,249 --> 00:17:23,334 Upper West Side with a couple Dartmouth friends. 447 00:17:23,334 --> 00:17:26,128 Um... you should go, they have really good flan. 448 00:17:26,128 --> 00:17:28,297 Yeah, I don't know what that is. 449 00:17:28,297 --> 00:17:29,548 [Laughing] 450 00:17:29,548 --> 00:17:31,717 He sort of found ways to talk to some of the.... 451 00:17:31,717 --> 00:17:33,219 the, the writers. 452 00:17:33,219 --> 00:17:36,514 Thanks, Tina. You are looking good as always. 453 00:17:36,514 --> 00:17:38,849 [Tracy] Tina Fey was basically the first one to go, 454 00:17:38,849 --> 00:17:40,184 "Wait a minute, this dude is funny, 455 00:17:40,184 --> 00:17:42,019 but you gotta let him be him." 456 00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:44,480 I got this character, one is called 457 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,400 'Sugarfoot Jones', and 'Lay Lady Lay'. 458 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:48,651 [Laughing] 459 00:17:48,651 --> 00:17:50,403 You can't be afraid. Yeah, he's edgy. 460 00:17:50,403 --> 00:17:53,573 He's from the ghetto! But let's let him be him. 461 00:17:53,573 --> 00:17:54,699 And it worked. 462 00:17:54,699 --> 00:17:56,784 Nah! [Laughing] 463 00:17:56,784 --> 00:17:59,203 Tina Fey recognized my funny. 464 00:17:59,203 --> 00:18:01,289 That's when you started seeing Judge Judy and 465 00:18:01,289 --> 00:18:02,415 all those things. 466 00:18:02,415 --> 00:18:04,375 -Yes, I am a lawyer. -[Laughing] 467 00:18:04,375 --> 00:18:06,085 I think the character everyone remembers best 468 00:18:06,085 --> 00:18:08,629 from Tracy on SNL is 'Brian Fellows'. 469 00:18:08,629 --> 00:18:12,091 -I'm Brian Fellows. -[Laughing] 470 00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:15,052 Hello Brian. I want you to meet my porcupine friend, 471 00:18:15,052 --> 00:18:16,470 his name is Willie. 472 00:18:16,470 --> 00:18:19,181 -That rat needs a haircut. -[Laughing] 473 00:18:19,181 --> 00:18:22,518 I think Brian Fellows became a hit because it was what I 474 00:18:22,518 --> 00:18:26,689 talk about with Tracy being authoritarian and crazy. 475 00:18:26,689 --> 00:18:28,691 That's the biggest dog I've ever seen. 476 00:18:28,691 --> 00:18:30,026 [Laughing] 477 00:18:30,026 --> 00:18:32,028 What's wrong with that dog? 478 00:18:32,028 --> 00:18:35,114 -I'm Brian Fellow! -That bird is a liar. 479 00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:36,574 [Laughing] 480 00:18:36,574 --> 00:18:38,701 -I'm Brian Fellow! -No, you're not! 481 00:18:38,701 --> 00:18:39,785 Hey! I... 482 00:18:39,785 --> 00:18:40,911 When the cameras aren't rolling, 483 00:18:40,911 --> 00:18:43,456 Tracy decides to blow off steam. 484 00:18:43,456 --> 00:18:47,043 You like drinking? Yeah, you like drinking. 485 00:18:47,043 --> 00:18:48,627 Who the hell don't? 486 00:18:48,627 --> 00:18:50,630 Usually during the week, and we'd be like, 487 00:18:50,630 --> 00:18:52,173 "Hey, you know what, we're having writer's block. 488 00:18:52,173 --> 00:18:55,217 Let's go take a walk. Let's go have a beer." 489 00:18:55,217 --> 00:18:56,552 I'll never forget this. 490 00:18:56,552 --> 00:18:58,346 I don't know what bar we were in. 491 00:18:58,346 --> 00:19:00,264 There was nobody in there, like... 492 00:19:00,264 --> 00:19:02,099 five people, tops. 493 00:19:02,099 --> 00:19:04,852 And next thing you know, "I'm starting to feel, 494 00:19:04,852 --> 00:19:06,729 I'm starting to feel it"! 495 00:19:06,729 --> 00:19:09,065 And then his shirt comes off, 496 00:19:09,065 --> 00:19:11,150 and he's slapping his belly. 497 00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:13,694 "Somebody gonna get pregnant up in here. 498 00:19:13,694 --> 00:19:15,905 Somebody gonna get pregnant"! 499 00:19:15,905 --> 00:19:18,282 I was mortified, 500 00:19:18,282 --> 00:19:22,244 but yet it was, it was hilarious. 501 00:19:22,244 --> 00:19:23,746 Once he unleashed it, 502 00:19:23,746 --> 00:19:25,122 he would walk around the hallways. 503 00:19:25,122 --> 00:19:27,041 I definitely want get somebody pregnant. 504 00:19:27,041 --> 00:19:29,293 I want her to get pregnant, have my daughter. 505 00:19:29,293 --> 00:19:30,795 Alright. 506 00:19:30,795 --> 00:19:33,589 That became a battle cry: "Somebody gonna get pregnant!" 507 00:19:33,589 --> 00:19:34,924 Everyone would say that. 508 00:19:34,924 --> 00:19:36,258 Somebody gonna get pregnant. 509 00:19:36,258 --> 00:19:37,718 Somebody gonna get pregnant while I'm in town. 510 00:19:37,718 --> 00:19:39,136 Two days, watch. 511 00:19:39,136 --> 00:19:41,931 Tracy's catchphrase, it's said with such confidence, 512 00:19:41,931 --> 00:19:43,432 but it's also like... 513 00:19:43,432 --> 00:19:45,184 you're talking about Betty White. 514 00:19:45,184 --> 00:19:46,894 She can't have kids. 515 00:19:46,894 --> 00:19:49,438 I whipped out my belly and went like this. 516 00:19:49,438 --> 00:19:50,523 [Laughing] 517 00:19:50,523 --> 00:19:53,275 That right there is a mating call. 518 00:19:53,275 --> 00:19:55,736 It was never not funny. 519 00:19:55,736 --> 00:19:58,781 Tinga-linga-linga-ling! Dinner's ready! 520 00:19:58,781 --> 00:20:00,241 [Laughing] 521 00:20:00,241 --> 00:20:03,327 Tracy liked to party, and when he maybe 522 00:20:03,327 --> 00:20:05,121 over served himself, he would turn into 523 00:20:05,121 --> 00:20:07,039 someone called 'Chico Divine'. 524 00:20:07,039 --> 00:20:08,791 You don't want him to come out. 525 00:20:08,791 --> 00:20:12,753 -Who's 'Chico Divine'? -[Cheering] 526 00:20:12,753 --> 00:20:17,299 ♪ 527 00:20:17,299 --> 00:20:19,135 If you're looking at paparazzi shots and 528 00:20:19,135 --> 00:20:20,678 the shirt's off, that's Chico. 529 00:20:20,678 --> 00:20:22,096 It's Chico. 530 00:20:22,096 --> 00:20:23,973 You're always in the paper for taking your shirt off. 531 00:20:23,973 --> 00:20:26,559 -What is that all about? -[Cheering] 532 00:20:26,559 --> 00:20:28,811 I'm a sex symbol, baby! 533 00:20:28,811 --> 00:20:32,273 Tracy's rise was really, really huge, 534 00:20:32,273 --> 00:20:34,733 that it would be obvious that he would be a 535 00:20:34,733 --> 00:20:36,360 part of the party scene. 536 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:40,156 And I think to navigate that, bringing out a character that 537 00:20:40,156 --> 00:20:43,200 is an alter ego that can push envelopes beyond 538 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,786 the Tracy Morgan, makes sense. 539 00:20:45,786 --> 00:20:49,165 It was almost like having a bodyguard to protect yourself. 540 00:20:49,165 --> 00:20:51,125 Oh, Im'a get you pregnant, word up. 541 00:20:51,125 --> 00:20:53,377 Tracy ignores that drinking is 542 00:20:53,377 --> 00:20:55,838 catastrophic for his health. 543 00:20:55,838 --> 00:20:57,965 I think his attitude was that he is a survivor, 544 00:20:57,965 --> 00:20:59,842 and he is tough, and he's made it this far. 545 00:20:59,842 --> 00:21:02,219 He even treated the diabetes that way. 546 00:21:02,219 --> 00:21:04,722 He was like, "The bad sugar's not gonna take me." 547 00:21:04,722 --> 00:21:07,975 Tracy had some legendarily 548 00:21:07,975 --> 00:21:11,604 notorious drinking stories. 549 00:21:11,604 --> 00:21:14,148 Too much partying, burning the candle on both ends, 550 00:21:14,148 --> 00:21:16,108 passing out in the club, 551 00:21:16,108 --> 00:21:20,196 funding strippers' entire college careers. 552 00:21:20,196 --> 00:21:22,323 So, nothing was gonna slow him down. 553 00:21:22,323 --> 00:21:24,241 [Tracy] Love! It's all love! 554 00:21:30,748 --> 00:21:32,917 Hey Lou, what's the dealio on that weather, son? 555 00:21:32,917 --> 00:21:35,294 It's that... it's cold. 556 00:21:35,294 --> 00:21:39,089 It is "vetty" cold. You can see for Tuesday. 557 00:21:39,089 --> 00:21:42,009 After a rocky start on Saturday Night Live, 558 00:21:42,009 --> 00:21:44,345 Tracy has become a fan favourite. 559 00:21:44,345 --> 00:21:46,263 People adapt to Tracy. 560 00:21:46,263 --> 00:21:47,473 -I'm saying. -Alright, come on, let's go. 561 00:21:47,473 --> 00:21:48,807 We're in the middle of a show. 562 00:21:48,807 --> 00:21:51,810 Sometimes Black comedians, I've been guilty of it, 563 00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:55,856 go into a White room and then trying to adapt to the room. 564 00:21:55,856 --> 00:21:57,858 Get me a soda, bitch! 565 00:21:57,858 --> 00:22:00,110 [Laughing & applauding] 566 00:22:00,110 --> 00:22:02,488 But people adapted to him, 'cause he was 567 00:22:02,488 --> 00:22:04,615 gonna be himself, no matter what. 568 00:22:04,615 --> 00:22:06,492 -Okay. -Alright. 569 00:22:06,492 --> 00:22:08,202 As somebody who grew up with nothing, 570 00:22:08,202 --> 00:22:09,828 once he had the ability to get things, 571 00:22:09,828 --> 00:22:12,373 he was spendin' dollars. 572 00:22:12,373 --> 00:22:16,502 He went out and bought a Jaguar in New York City, 573 00:22:16,502 --> 00:22:18,420 and got into a fender bender 574 00:22:18,420 --> 00:22:20,923 his first day driving it in Manhattan. 575 00:22:20,923 --> 00:22:22,299 Two questions. 576 00:22:22,299 --> 00:22:24,885 Why would anyone buy a Jaguar in Manhattan? 577 00:22:24,885 --> 00:22:27,596 And secondly, the money he spent on that fender bender 578 00:22:27,596 --> 00:22:29,640 was probably my yearly salary. 579 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:31,642 There wasn't like, a diva effect. 580 00:22:31,642 --> 00:22:33,310 That didn't happen to Tracy at all. 581 00:22:33,310 --> 00:22:37,231 He just let his natural ridiculousness run wild. 582 00:22:37,231 --> 00:22:38,524 I'm checking this out, this is... 583 00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:39,817 This is great. Look at this. 584 00:22:39,817 --> 00:22:41,318 -You got some bling here. -Yeah this is bling. 585 00:22:41,318 --> 00:22:43,737 Yeah, my family bought this for me for Father's Day. 586 00:22:43,737 --> 00:22:47,074 -They used my money. -[Laughing] 587 00:22:47,074 --> 00:22:49,326 He likes to live a life of excess, and likes 588 00:22:49,326 --> 00:22:51,537 nice things, and fast cars, and gold chains. 589 00:22:51,537 --> 00:22:55,249 But he seems to just be enjoying the ride. 590 00:22:55,249 --> 00:22:58,627 But Tracy feels he has more to offer. 591 00:22:58,627 --> 00:23:00,880 ♪ I GREW UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN. ♪ 592 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:02,423 After 7 seasons, 593 00:23:02,423 --> 00:23:04,925 he leaves SNL for his own sitcom, 594 00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:07,011 a mainstream show inspired by 595 00:23:07,011 --> 00:23:08,804 Tracy's life growing up. 596 00:23:08,804 --> 00:23:10,347 -Hey baby! -What's up? 597 00:23:10,347 --> 00:23:12,808 -You want some coffee? -Yes, I'd like some coffee. 598 00:23:12,808 --> 00:23:14,894 Also, some pancakes, scrambled eggs, 599 00:23:14,894 --> 00:23:17,896 sausage, and a little glass of juice. 600 00:23:17,896 --> 00:23:19,440 [Laughing] 601 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:21,567 I could see that being a relief of, 602 00:23:21,567 --> 00:23:24,194 [Sighing] "Now I can take the mask off and 603 00:23:24,194 --> 00:23:26,280 be true to who I am." 604 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,616 But the show becomes a wholesome dad role, 605 00:23:28,616 --> 00:23:31,410 miles from Tracy's original concept. 606 00:23:31,410 --> 00:23:32,870 -You a funny little man. -Yeah, uh huh. 607 00:23:32,870 --> 00:23:34,872 Now eat your Froot Loops. 608 00:23:34,872 --> 00:23:36,957 This is a Hollywood wheel. 609 00:23:36,957 --> 00:23:40,002 They take a Tracy Morgan who's extremely authentic, 610 00:23:40,002 --> 00:23:42,171 and White writers go, "We have to appease 611 00:23:42,171 --> 00:23:45,883 an audience that's not all Black." 612 00:23:45,883 --> 00:23:47,509 Oh, time out. 613 00:23:47,509 --> 00:23:49,845 You know I don't like her up in my spiz-ace. 614 00:23:49,845 --> 00:23:51,096 [Laughing] 615 00:23:51,096 --> 00:23:52,556 "Oh no, no no! This is gonna be great. 616 00:23:52,556 --> 00:23:54,058 This is gonna be great." We're gonna convince you this 617 00:23:54,058 --> 00:23:58,437 is gonna be great, and then we're gonna flip the script. 618 00:23:58,437 --> 00:24:01,106 By that time, you've been hoodwinked, 619 00:24:01,106 --> 00:24:03,859 bamboozled, led astray. 620 00:24:03,859 --> 00:24:07,154 The Tracy Morgan Show is canceled mid-season. 621 00:24:07,154 --> 00:24:08,906 Because the most genuine thing about Tracy 622 00:24:08,906 --> 00:24:11,283 is where he comes from, 623 00:24:11,283 --> 00:24:15,412 and when you exclude that, as writers, 624 00:24:15,412 --> 00:24:18,666 so that you can appease the network, 625 00:24:18,666 --> 00:24:20,292 you're in for a failure. 626 00:24:20,292 --> 00:24:22,086 And you deserve to fail. 627 00:24:22,086 --> 00:24:25,005 Tracy decides to hit the road with a stand-up tour 628 00:24:25,005 --> 00:24:27,424 aimed at reconnecting with his roots. 629 00:24:27,424 --> 00:24:29,051 I'm telling you, fellas, don't never let no female 630 00:24:29,051 --> 00:24:30,386 up in your ----ing head, man. 631 00:24:30,386 --> 00:24:32,680 It's checkmate, mother----er. 632 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:34,139 There might've been some sense of him that 633 00:24:34,139 --> 00:24:35,391 felt like a failure. 634 00:24:35,391 --> 00:24:37,309 There might've been some sense of him that said, 635 00:24:37,309 --> 00:24:39,144 "I want to return home." 636 00:24:39,144 --> 00:24:41,814 Hurt and embarrassed by the loss of his show, 637 00:24:41,814 --> 00:24:44,692 Tracy indulges in the circuit's party scene. 638 00:24:44,692 --> 00:24:46,610 ♪ 639 00:24:46,610 --> 00:24:49,113 Grizz was a bouncer 640 00:24:49,113 --> 00:24:51,323 at this pretty famous strip club, 641 00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:54,201 witnessing Tracy drinking too much and passing out. 642 00:24:54,201 --> 00:24:56,495 And Grizz would make sure he got home safely, 643 00:24:56,495 --> 00:24:59,790 or make sure nobody robbed him and nobody killed him. 644 00:24:59,790 --> 00:25:04,253 So, Grizz had a relationship with Tracy as a bouncer 645 00:25:04,253 --> 00:25:09,174 protecting the celebrity who didn't know how to stop. 646 00:25:09,174 --> 00:25:11,468 I remember after Saturday Night Live he had a low, 647 00:25:11,468 --> 00:25:15,514 because I don't think he hit his true potential. 648 00:25:15,514 --> 00:25:17,683 Then he lands a role where his faults are 649 00:25:17,683 --> 00:25:19,685 celebrated like never before. 650 00:25:19,685 --> 00:25:21,103 My acting style? 651 00:25:21,103 --> 00:25:23,272 It's like jazz, jazz that you laugh at. 652 00:25:23,272 --> 00:25:26,567 [Vocalizing] 653 00:25:26,567 --> 00:25:28,861 30 Rock is what... [Snapping] 654 00:25:28,861 --> 00:25:30,070 ...that put him on the map. 655 00:25:30,070 --> 00:25:31,739 I want to know how that conversation went. 656 00:25:31,739 --> 00:25:32,990 Tina Fey comes up to you and says, 657 00:25:32,990 --> 00:25:35,784 "I've got this conceited, obnoxious guy that 658 00:25:35,784 --> 00:25:37,119 I think you're perfect for." 659 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:38,620 -Flies over the cuckoo's nest. -Yeah! 660 00:25:38,620 --> 00:25:41,582 I said, "That's right up my alley, suited just for me." 661 00:25:41,582 --> 00:25:43,250 The difference between Tracy Jordan and 662 00:25:43,250 --> 00:25:47,004 Tracy Morgan is... nothing. 663 00:25:47,004 --> 00:25:48,422 They're the same person. 664 00:25:48,422 --> 00:25:50,716 Tracy's onscreen character borrows from 665 00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:52,593 his real life experiences. 666 00:25:52,593 --> 00:25:55,387 [Applauding] 667 00:25:55,387 --> 00:25:57,598 There's this belief out there that you are 668 00:25:57,598 --> 00:25:59,349 your character on 30 Rock. 669 00:25:59,349 --> 00:26:02,770 -No, I'm way more out there. -[Laughing] 670 00:26:02,770 --> 00:26:07,399 He was fearless and hilarious. 671 00:26:07,399 --> 00:26:09,193 I can't read, Liz Lemon! 672 00:26:09,193 --> 00:26:11,487 And unpredictable. 673 00:26:11,487 --> 00:26:15,866 This is who I am. You can't ask a bird not to fly. 674 00:26:15,866 --> 00:26:18,118 You can't ask a fish not to swim. 675 00:26:18,118 --> 00:26:20,078 You can't ask a tiger not to turn back 676 00:26:20,078 --> 00:26:22,331 into a Chinese dude at midnight. 677 00:26:22,331 --> 00:26:23,457 I mean just... you didn't know 678 00:26:23,457 --> 00:26:25,042 what was going to come from Tracy. 679 00:26:25,042 --> 00:26:27,920 Tracy really kept on his, let's just call it the 680 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,755 'Chico Divine Party Train.' 681 00:26:29,755 --> 00:26:31,965 As one does when you go into like 682 00:26:31,965 --> 00:26:35,302 paths of excess like that, things begin to unravel. 683 00:26:35,302 --> 00:26:37,638 ♪ 684 00:26:37,638 --> 00:26:40,974 There is a legend out there about Tracy Morgan's career 685 00:26:40,974 --> 00:26:43,268 beginning and ending in a bottle of liquor. 686 00:26:43,268 --> 00:26:45,604 I would be like, "Yo, Tray... 687 00:26:45,604 --> 00:26:47,147 come on, man." 688 00:26:47,147 --> 00:26:49,983 Tracy's life of excess leads to an arrest 689 00:26:49,983 --> 00:26:51,652 for impaired driving. 690 00:26:51,652 --> 00:26:53,153 You know we just want to get it resolved. 691 00:26:53,153 --> 00:26:54,905 -And get back to work. -And that's it. 692 00:26:54,905 --> 00:26:57,324 ♪ 693 00:27:02,204 --> 00:27:03,372 Did you know in the morning they have 694 00:27:03,372 --> 00:27:05,666 food, TV, almost everything. 695 00:27:05,666 --> 00:27:08,460 Tracy Morgan has little time to celebrate 696 00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:10,796 his runaway success on 30 Rock before 697 00:27:10,796 --> 00:27:13,131 he's hit with drunk driving charges. 698 00:27:13,131 --> 00:27:14,925 Yeah, we're just resolving some matters in court. 699 00:27:14,925 --> 00:27:15,801 That's all. 700 00:27:15,801 --> 00:27:17,594 Fancy suits. How was court? 701 00:27:17,594 --> 00:27:18,887 Not great, Beth. 702 00:27:18,887 --> 00:27:20,639 Oh, you really were in court? 703 00:27:20,639 --> 00:27:23,058 He is required to wear an ankle bracelet that 704 00:27:23,058 --> 00:27:25,394 monitors his alcohol intake. 705 00:27:25,394 --> 00:27:27,020 Now I have to wear this for 30 days. 706 00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:28,438 Oh my goodness. 707 00:27:28,438 --> 00:27:31,650 The anklet causes unexpected health complications. 708 00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:34,278 With the ankle bracelet and the diabetes, 709 00:27:34,278 --> 00:27:37,322 he had such a bad wound that just wouldn't heal. 710 00:27:37,322 --> 00:27:39,950 Morning, Mr. Jordan. What's that on your foot, sir? 711 00:27:39,950 --> 00:27:41,159 It's a practice wheel for 712 00:27:41,159 --> 00:27:43,495 when I lose my foot to diabetes. 713 00:27:43,495 --> 00:27:46,123 You can't eat candy if you have diabetes! 714 00:27:46,123 --> 00:27:48,834 There's no link between diabetes and diet. 715 00:27:48,834 --> 00:27:50,919 That's a White myth, Ken. 716 00:27:50,919 --> 00:27:54,172 [Tracy] That bracelet was hurting me and my family. 717 00:27:54,172 --> 00:27:57,092 It was painful for me, wearing that thing. 718 00:27:57,092 --> 00:27:58,886 The thing I liked about Tina was that 719 00:27:58,886 --> 00:28:00,304 she didn't just make fun of it. 720 00:28:00,304 --> 00:28:02,723 No, the ankle bracelet had been off for like, a year. 721 00:28:02,723 --> 00:28:05,350 She didn't do it while I was still hurtin'. 722 00:28:05,350 --> 00:28:07,769 I was with him when the doctors were saying, 723 00:28:07,769 --> 00:28:10,731 "We are gonna have to amputate your foot 724 00:28:10,731 --> 00:28:12,691 because of the diabetes." 725 00:28:12,691 --> 00:28:15,944 Tracy finally makes the choice to stop drinking, 726 00:28:15,944 --> 00:28:19,197 but the damage has already been done. 727 00:28:19,197 --> 00:28:22,034 He was so sick. 728 00:28:22,034 --> 00:28:24,328 He was wheelchair-bound. 729 00:28:24,328 --> 00:28:27,581 He'd get up out the wheelchair, shoot the scene, 730 00:28:27,581 --> 00:28:30,751 they say cut, and he almost fell out. 731 00:28:30,751 --> 00:28:35,422 And we rolled him back to the dressing room. 732 00:28:35,422 --> 00:28:38,216 Between scenes he's laying on the couch, 733 00:28:38,216 --> 00:28:43,013 with the IV running from the ceiling to his arm, 734 00:28:43,013 --> 00:28:45,891 just to give him enough fluids 735 00:28:45,891 --> 00:28:48,226 so he can go shoot the next scene. 736 00:28:48,226 --> 00:28:52,105 It got so bad that he was probably going to go blind. 737 00:28:52,105 --> 00:28:54,858 He had to have an eye surgery where they actually 738 00:28:54,858 --> 00:28:57,152 remove the retina, and then have to, like, 739 00:28:57,152 --> 00:28:59,863 vacuum seal the eyeball back on. 740 00:28:59,863 --> 00:29:01,365 It was rough. 741 00:29:01,365 --> 00:29:02,991 While Tracy's health is falling apart, 742 00:29:02,991 --> 00:29:05,410 so is his personal life. 743 00:29:05,410 --> 00:29:07,955 After a long separation, Tracy and his wife 744 00:29:07,955 --> 00:29:11,083 officially split for good, bringing more than 745 00:29:11,083 --> 00:29:13,669 20 years of marriage to an end. 746 00:29:13,669 --> 00:29:17,714 The decadence of fame has broken up his family. 747 00:29:17,714 --> 00:29:20,425 He was really in this downward spiral. 748 00:29:20,425 --> 00:29:21,551 Yo, let me tell you something about 749 00:29:21,551 --> 00:29:22,844 Sarah Palin, man. 750 00:29:22,844 --> 00:29:25,472 She's good masturbation material. 751 00:29:25,472 --> 00:29:27,391 -Oh! -[Laughing] 752 00:29:27,391 --> 00:29:30,227 Complications from diabetes force Tracy to take a 753 00:29:30,227 --> 00:29:32,354 two-month hiatus from 30 Rock 754 00:29:32,354 --> 00:29:34,690 for a kidney transplant. 755 00:29:34,690 --> 00:29:36,108 You take your medicine every day? 756 00:29:36,108 --> 00:29:39,152 Every day at 9:30, I take my Prograf, you know, 757 00:29:39,152 --> 00:29:41,613 my Mycelex and all this stuff to keep us alive, you know? 758 00:29:41,613 --> 00:29:43,657 It was just one thing after another. 759 00:29:43,657 --> 00:29:46,576 Tracy Morgan once again apologizing this morning 760 00:29:46,576 --> 00:29:49,579 for his recent anti-gay rant. 761 00:29:49,579 --> 00:29:52,958 From the bottom of my heart, I apologize to everybody 762 00:29:52,958 --> 00:29:55,544 who are offended with my words. 763 00:29:55,544 --> 00:29:59,339 It was just really sliding into a non-hireable territory. 764 00:29:59,339 --> 00:30:02,009 ♪ 765 00:30:02,009 --> 00:30:05,470 Tracy Morgan has been quoted as saying 766 00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:07,639 the more famous he became, 767 00:30:07,639 --> 00:30:09,641 the more he needed to act crazy. 768 00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:11,184 Get crazy a little bit! 769 00:30:11,184 --> 00:30:13,729 Is that the best you could ----in' do? 770 00:30:13,729 --> 00:30:15,522 This is a [beep] set-up, man! 771 00:30:15,522 --> 00:30:17,190 Showbiz was hard on him. 772 00:30:17,190 --> 00:30:19,526 He said that showbiz was his Vietnam, 773 00:30:19,526 --> 00:30:22,779 and his life was the greater war that he was fighting. 774 00:30:22,779 --> 00:30:26,116 And I didn't understand until later years when I matured, 775 00:30:26,116 --> 00:30:29,411 and I really reflected on Tracy's life, 776 00:30:29,411 --> 00:30:31,663 of how much he's endured. 777 00:30:31,663 --> 00:30:33,498 He'd even always say, he's like, "Man, 778 00:30:33,498 --> 00:30:36,501 I come from a place people don't understand." 779 00:30:36,501 --> 00:30:39,337 I can't imagine what he saw as a kid. 780 00:30:39,337 --> 00:30:42,632 I remember reading where you said that comedy was 781 00:30:42,632 --> 00:30:45,552 not just a turning point for you, but that it was 782 00:30:45,552 --> 00:30:48,889 your way of asking forgiveness. Was it? 783 00:30:48,889 --> 00:30:50,599 I always believe in that, you know, 784 00:30:50,599 --> 00:30:53,101 the things that I've done that I never wanted to do, 785 00:30:53,101 --> 00:30:54,144 like selling drugs. 786 00:30:54,144 --> 00:30:55,645 Mm-hm. 787 00:30:55,645 --> 00:30:58,315 I never wanted to cross that boundary, but I had to eat. 788 00:30:58,315 --> 00:31:01,026 But nonetheless, I always felt like 789 00:31:01,026 --> 00:31:04,905 if I- [Voice breaking] if I make enough people laugh, 790 00:31:04,905 --> 00:31:06,615 maybe he will forgive me. 791 00:31:06,615 --> 00:31:07,991 Ah. 792 00:31:07,991 --> 00:31:09,242 When we were doing writing sessions, 793 00:31:09,242 --> 00:31:11,286 Tracy really went into all the things that 794 00:31:11,286 --> 00:31:13,789 people didn't know about him. 795 00:31:13,789 --> 00:31:16,875 So, when Tracy enters this brief crack 796 00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:20,170 selling career, he does so with his best friend Alan, 797 00:31:20,170 --> 00:31:21,588 who said he was funny, 798 00:31:21,588 --> 00:31:23,173 and he should pursue comedy. 799 00:31:23,173 --> 00:31:25,133 He was killed and shot because of 800 00:31:25,133 --> 00:31:26,718 being in the crack game. 801 00:31:26,718 --> 00:31:29,054 So, he'd wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to 802 00:31:29,054 --> 00:31:32,307 succeeding to honour Alan's memory. 803 00:31:32,307 --> 00:31:35,268 But Tracy had survivor's guilt that he didn't 804 00:31:35,268 --> 00:31:38,063 get killed, and so many other guys, like Alan, 805 00:31:38,063 --> 00:31:40,148 did get killed. 806 00:31:40,148 --> 00:31:42,484 I think it's almost like an imprint. 807 00:31:42,484 --> 00:31:44,903 Just like when a bullet is shot and you still have the 808 00:31:44,903 --> 00:31:46,947 gun powder around you, it's still there, 809 00:31:46,947 --> 00:31:49,157 so you can have remnants of what happened. 810 00:31:49,157 --> 00:31:52,035 I think he will never forget what happened. 811 00:31:52,035 --> 00:31:53,870 Showbiz and everything that came with it, you know, 812 00:31:53,870 --> 00:31:55,914 the success, the pressure, the money, 813 00:31:55,914 --> 00:31:58,416 the access to anything you want... 814 00:31:58,416 --> 00:32:00,585 that was his struggle. 815 00:32:00,585 --> 00:32:02,129 And it was something he had to just 816 00:32:02,129 --> 00:32:03,755 basically try and survive. 817 00:32:03,755 --> 00:32:05,966 ♪ 818 00:32:05,966 --> 00:32:08,635 The Golden Globe goes to... 819 00:32:08,635 --> 00:32:11,096 -30 Rock. -[Applauding] 820 00:32:11,096 --> 00:32:12,639 When 30 Rock comes to an end after 821 00:32:12,639 --> 00:32:14,641 seven acclaimed seasons... 822 00:32:14,641 --> 00:32:16,852 We love you, thank you very much! 823 00:32:16,852 --> 00:32:20,147 Tracy Morgan is in a very different place. 824 00:32:20,147 --> 00:32:22,649 Congratulations are in order for Tracy Morgan and his 825 00:32:22,649 --> 00:32:25,193 fiancé Megan Wollover, who celebrated the 826 00:32:25,193 --> 00:32:26,945 birth of their first child together. 827 00:32:26,945 --> 00:32:29,447 When he took ownership of his health, 828 00:32:29,447 --> 00:32:31,783 I'm thinking he took ownership of that 829 00:32:31,783 --> 00:32:33,285 addiction as well. 830 00:32:33,285 --> 00:32:36,163 In the time he took his, his life back, 831 00:32:36,163 --> 00:32:38,999 it was literally taking his life back, of, 832 00:32:38,999 --> 00:32:42,502 "I want to be alive." 833 00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:44,462 Oh my God. 834 00:32:44,462 --> 00:32:46,006 Actor-comedian Tracy Morgan 835 00:32:46,006 --> 00:32:48,258 is in critical condition after a deadly car crash- 836 00:32:48,258 --> 00:32:50,760 But then, in 2014, 837 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,680 Tracy is involved in a terrible accident. 838 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,558 He is left fighting for his life. 839 00:32:56,558 --> 00:32:58,685 The chauffeured limo bus Tracy Morgan was 840 00:32:58,685 --> 00:33:01,438 riding in is barely recognizable. 841 00:33:01,438 --> 00:33:04,065 I did not want him to be gone, man. 842 00:33:04,065 --> 00:33:06,860 And, and it sounded really, really bad. 843 00:33:06,860 --> 00:33:08,612 ♪ 844 00:33:13,033 --> 00:33:14,826 Thanksgiving different in the suburbs. 845 00:33:14,826 --> 00:33:16,953 The white people be having nice Thanksgivings, 846 00:33:16,953 --> 00:33:18,705 and they end on time and everything. 847 00:33:18,705 --> 00:33:20,081 [Laughing] 848 00:33:20,081 --> 00:33:21,249 In the hood, our Thanksgivings 849 00:33:21,249 --> 00:33:23,335 didn't start until like, one o'clock. 850 00:33:23,335 --> 00:33:25,879 After 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan embarks on 851 00:33:25,879 --> 00:33:27,547 a new life chapter. 852 00:33:27,547 --> 00:33:29,799 My first show with Tracy Morgan, 853 00:33:29,799 --> 00:33:32,844 I believe, was September of 2012. 854 00:33:32,844 --> 00:33:35,222 There was dudes outside our apartment talk about, 855 00:33:35,222 --> 00:33:36,890 "Yo, is bitches in there"? 856 00:33:36,890 --> 00:33:38,058 People come to me and they would say, "Hey, 857 00:33:38,058 --> 00:33:39,935 you have any funny Tracy Morgan stories"? 858 00:33:39,935 --> 00:33:42,312 I said, "No. Tracy doesn't go out." 859 00:33:42,312 --> 00:33:43,897 When people would send alcohol, 860 00:33:43,897 --> 00:33:45,106 he would say, "No, thank you. 861 00:33:45,106 --> 00:33:46,399 I don't drink." 862 00:33:46,399 --> 00:33:47,734 Cold chicken wings? 863 00:33:47,734 --> 00:33:50,195 In 2014, after finishing a night of stand-up, 864 00:33:50,195 --> 00:33:52,822 Tracy and his crew load into their mini bus 865 00:33:52,822 --> 00:33:55,408 to get home to their families. 866 00:33:55,408 --> 00:33:57,494 I'm sure they're driving, they're laughing, 867 00:33:57,494 --> 00:33:59,412 having a great time talking about the show, 868 00:33:59,412 --> 00:34:02,165 because that's what we would do after a show. 869 00:34:02,165 --> 00:34:03,792 Let's get straight to the breaking news this morning, 870 00:34:03,792 --> 00:34:06,586 involving comedian Tracy Morgan in critical condition 871 00:34:06,586 --> 00:34:09,172 right now after a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. 872 00:34:09,172 --> 00:34:11,341 Morgan was reportedly involved in a six-car 873 00:34:11,341 --> 00:34:14,261 pile up near Cranbury, New Jersey. 874 00:34:14,261 --> 00:34:18,139 Oh my god. Oh my god. 875 00:34:18,139 --> 00:34:20,267 I was sitting in the back of the Sprinter, 876 00:34:20,267 --> 00:34:23,853 and Tracy called me to come talk to him. 877 00:34:23,853 --> 00:34:25,897 So I got up. 878 00:34:25,897 --> 00:34:28,149 We were laughing, we were joking. 879 00:34:28,149 --> 00:34:30,277 And from what I was told, 880 00:34:30,277 --> 00:34:33,738 a truck crashed into us at 65 miles an hour. 881 00:34:33,738 --> 00:34:36,074 And we were flipped over other cars. 882 00:34:36,074 --> 00:34:39,244 ♪ 883 00:34:39,244 --> 00:34:41,121 My heart sank. 884 00:34:41,121 --> 00:34:43,498 ♪ 885 00:34:43,498 --> 00:34:45,959 People looking at me like, "Hey, man, you all right"? 886 00:34:45,959 --> 00:34:47,544 I'm like, "I, I..." They just didn't know- 887 00:34:47,544 --> 00:34:50,547 I was just sobbing. I was watching the news. 888 00:34:50,547 --> 00:34:53,758 Morgan and three others are still in critical condition. 889 00:34:53,758 --> 00:34:56,386 The comedian recovering from a broken leg, 890 00:34:56,386 --> 00:34:58,805 femur, nose, and several ribs. 891 00:34:58,805 --> 00:35:00,849 Tracy's injuries were so bad from the crash that 892 00:35:00,849 --> 00:35:02,517 he was put into a medically-induced coma 893 00:35:02,517 --> 00:35:04,602 in the hospital for some time. 894 00:35:04,602 --> 00:35:08,606 I climbed around and heard Tracy screaming for help, 895 00:35:08,606 --> 00:35:10,900 but I couldn't reach him and pull him. 896 00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:12,610 I'm not gonna lie, I didn't know if he was 897 00:35:12,610 --> 00:35:13,862 gonna make it. You know? 898 00:35:13,862 --> 00:35:17,032 I didn't know if Tracy was going to make it. 899 00:35:17,032 --> 00:35:20,744 Comedian James McNair, also known as Jimmy Mack, 900 00:35:20,744 --> 00:35:22,495 died at the scene. 901 00:35:22,495 --> 00:35:25,040 Devastated. We're devastated. 902 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:26,875 James, I love you. 903 00:35:26,875 --> 00:35:30,920 James McNair, affectionately known as Uncle Jimmy Mack, 904 00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,298 rest in peace, Uncle Jimmy Mack. 905 00:35:33,298 --> 00:35:36,968 He was always funny, always personable, 906 00:35:36,968 --> 00:35:39,929 and he was one of Tracy Morgan's best friends. 907 00:35:39,929 --> 00:35:42,682 Any time I talk to him, he go, "Ha-ha!" 908 00:35:42,682 --> 00:35:45,185 I met him the same time I met Tracy at the 909 00:35:45,185 --> 00:35:47,729 Uptown Comedy Club, and we were all friends. 910 00:35:47,729 --> 00:35:50,065 We all knew each other for, for three decades. 911 00:35:50,065 --> 00:35:53,109 I could have just as easily been in the Sprinter 912 00:35:53,109 --> 00:35:56,237 as anybody else in there. 913 00:35:56,237 --> 00:35:58,406 Nothing is more important to Tracy than 914 00:35:58,406 --> 00:36:00,658 honouring where he came from. 915 00:36:00,658 --> 00:36:01,868 That's the kind of guy he is. 916 00:36:01,868 --> 00:36:03,203 You know, he's kept those people around him, 917 00:36:03,203 --> 00:36:04,913 he's taken care of a lot of 'em, 918 00:36:04,913 --> 00:36:07,374 and he hasn't turned his back on anybody. 919 00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:09,167 When you struggle with poverty, 920 00:36:09,167 --> 00:36:10,919 and there are other opportunities that are 921 00:36:10,919 --> 00:36:14,047 given to you, you want to pursue those opportunities, 922 00:36:14,047 --> 00:36:16,716 but you can't bring people with you. 923 00:36:16,716 --> 00:36:18,676 The guilt is, 924 00:36:18,676 --> 00:36:22,305 "I can't go back, but why me? 925 00:36:22,305 --> 00:36:24,974 Am I deserving of this"? 926 00:36:24,974 --> 00:36:26,643 [Tracy] I am the new Black. 927 00:36:26,643 --> 00:36:29,062 Why is there garbage on the streets where I come from, 928 00:36:29,062 --> 00:36:31,773 and where I'm living now, there's no garbage? 929 00:36:31,773 --> 00:36:34,150 So you have to take care of your own. 930 00:36:34,150 --> 00:36:36,903 Period. 931 00:36:36,903 --> 00:36:41,574 Tracy would work real hard to stay connected to the people. 932 00:36:41,574 --> 00:36:43,326 One guy, a guy named Sharky... 933 00:36:43,326 --> 00:36:45,662 Sharky is Tracy's barber, 934 00:36:45,662 --> 00:36:48,957 and Tracy brought him in to 30 Rock. 935 00:36:48,957 --> 00:36:51,167 He had a special connection with the young lady that 936 00:36:51,167 --> 00:36:55,088 dressed him, because they were still real people. 937 00:36:55,088 --> 00:36:58,383 I was invited to his house to watch the Super Bowl. 938 00:36:58,383 --> 00:37:02,470 I kind of showed up expecting a celebrity party, 939 00:37:02,470 --> 00:37:04,931 and it was basically me and his friends from high school, 940 00:37:04,931 --> 00:37:07,058 a few that were convicted felons, 941 00:37:07,058 --> 00:37:10,562 eating Popeyes that was brought down from the Bronx. 942 00:37:10,562 --> 00:37:12,272 We just hung out and watched the game, 943 00:37:12,272 --> 00:37:14,607 which was real as hell. 944 00:37:14,607 --> 00:37:18,862 He brought the Bronx to, to the stage. 945 00:37:18,862 --> 00:37:21,239 He painted a beautiful picture, 946 00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:23,324 'cause he gave us so much colour. 947 00:37:23,324 --> 00:37:26,661 And for me what stuck was 948 00:37:26,661 --> 00:37:30,707 I could see that there was this deep pain, 949 00:37:30,707 --> 00:37:34,794 and comedy was the saviour. 950 00:37:34,794 --> 00:37:37,881 I'm taking all my pain and struggles and all of that 951 00:37:37,881 --> 00:37:39,299 that I've been through in my life, 952 00:37:39,299 --> 00:37:40,633 and I'm turning it funny now, man, 953 00:37:40,633 --> 00:37:42,510 'cause I'm tired of crying. 954 00:37:42,510 --> 00:37:45,430 If you don't laugh, you gonna cry, man. 955 00:37:45,430 --> 00:37:47,640 To make a joke out of something and to make 956 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,393 other people laugh, you are healing other people, 957 00:37:50,393 --> 00:37:52,937 but you're really healing yourself first and foremost, 958 00:37:52,937 --> 00:37:57,066 because you have to be vulnerable and let people in, 959 00:37:57,066 --> 00:38:00,403 let them see that you hurt just like they hurt, 960 00:38:00,403 --> 00:38:03,406 you live just like they live, you are no superhuman. 961 00:38:03,406 --> 00:38:07,452 If I can do it, you can do it too. 962 00:38:07,452 --> 00:38:10,497 After the accident, Tracy faces a whole new 963 00:38:10,497 --> 00:38:13,333 journey of physical and emotional recovery. 964 00:38:13,333 --> 00:38:15,502 -I'm okay. -You look great, man. 965 00:38:15,502 --> 00:38:16,753 I love you, thank you very much. 966 00:38:16,753 --> 00:38:17,921 Thank you. 967 00:38:17,921 --> 00:38:20,173 The accident, obviously, was gonna require 968 00:38:20,173 --> 00:38:22,884 months of rehabilitation, and Tracy's health 969 00:38:22,884 --> 00:38:24,344 isn't that great anyway. 970 00:38:24,344 --> 00:38:27,096 So, if you have diabetes, what needs to happen for the 971 00:38:27,096 --> 00:38:30,517 body to heal yourself doesn't happen as easily for him. 972 00:38:30,517 --> 00:38:32,936 I was always looking, and reading, 973 00:38:32,936 --> 00:38:34,687 and finding out, is he gonna walk again? 974 00:38:34,687 --> 00:38:35,813 Is he gonna live again? Is he gonna breathe 975 00:38:35,813 --> 00:38:37,815 on his own again? All of these things. 976 00:38:37,815 --> 00:38:42,987 He started passing these milestones and getting better. 977 00:38:42,987 --> 00:38:46,366 We laid Jimmy to rest. 978 00:38:46,366 --> 00:38:48,117 Now, I live with that to this day 979 00:38:48,117 --> 00:38:49,953 'cause I asked him to be there. 980 00:38:49,953 --> 00:38:51,913 It was my tour. 981 00:38:51,913 --> 00:38:54,165 I love him and I miss him. 982 00:38:54,165 --> 00:38:56,584 I miss him a lot. 983 00:38:56,584 --> 00:38:58,711 In the face of trauma, comedy has 984 00:38:58,711 --> 00:39:01,589 always been Tracy's path to healing. 985 00:39:01,589 --> 00:39:03,800 The whole question is, "Will he do stand-up again"? 986 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:06,219 It's so crazy how that's where we go. 987 00:39:06,219 --> 00:39:09,764 I heard that he may have had some brain injuries, 988 00:39:09,764 --> 00:39:12,267 that it was going to affect his ability to be funny, 989 00:39:12,267 --> 00:39:14,602 and to perform. I remember thinking that 990 00:39:14,602 --> 00:39:17,272 it could be a career -ending thing. 991 00:39:17,272 --> 00:39:20,024 Tracy was never anyone other than Tracy. 992 00:39:20,024 --> 00:39:22,193 Are we ever gonna see the Tracy Morgan 993 00:39:22,193 --> 00:39:23,528 that we know again? 994 00:39:23,528 --> 00:39:26,281 ♪ 995 00:39:30,201 --> 00:39:33,079 Tracy Morgan is with us now. You're a sight for sore eyes. 996 00:39:33,079 --> 00:39:34,789 -Thank you. -How do you feel? 997 00:39:34,789 --> 00:39:39,252 I'm, I'm... I can't believe I'm here. 998 00:39:39,252 --> 00:39:41,713 After months of intense rehab, 999 00:39:41,713 --> 00:39:44,549 Tracy Morgan makes an emotional return to 1000 00:39:44,549 --> 00:39:46,426 Saturday Night Live. 1001 00:39:46,426 --> 00:39:50,722 -[Applauding] -Thank you so much! 1002 00:39:50,722 --> 00:39:53,725 [Slurring] Thank you so much! 1003 00:39:53,725 --> 00:39:56,394 -Nah, I'm just playing! -[Laughing] 1004 00:39:56,394 --> 00:39:58,605 Y'all thought for a minute that was real! 1005 00:39:58,605 --> 00:40:00,023 But I'm back. 1006 00:40:00,023 --> 00:40:01,691 It feels so good to be here. 1007 00:40:01,691 --> 00:40:03,359 [Cheering] 1008 00:40:03,359 --> 00:40:07,739 The first thing I had to do was learn to forgive myself. 1009 00:40:07,739 --> 00:40:11,367 I couldn't do comedy anymore if I didn't. 1010 00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:13,786 I remember when I first went back on stage after 1011 00:40:13,786 --> 00:40:16,748 the accident, I was hosting Saturday Night Live. 1012 00:40:16,748 --> 00:40:18,750 And then that night I decided, 1013 00:40:18,750 --> 00:40:20,835 "Let's go to the Cellar." And my boy was like, "What"? 1014 00:40:20,835 --> 00:40:22,503 I said, "Let's go to the Cellar. 1015 00:40:22,503 --> 00:40:25,548 Let's go to the Cellar." And I grabbed the mic... 1016 00:40:25,548 --> 00:40:29,844 ♪ 1017 00:40:29,844 --> 00:40:31,971 It felt so good just to be welcomed back. 1018 00:40:31,971 --> 00:40:33,056 [Applauding] 1019 00:40:33,056 --> 00:40:35,391 People were wondering, "Can he speak? 1020 00:40:35,391 --> 00:40:38,144 Does he have 100% mental capacity"? 1021 00:40:38,144 --> 00:40:39,729 But the truth is, I never did. 1022 00:40:39,729 --> 00:40:40,938 [Laughing] 1023 00:40:40,938 --> 00:40:43,191 The younger comics, they need to take notes. 1024 00:40:43,191 --> 00:40:45,318 This thing is not easy. 1025 00:40:45,318 --> 00:40:47,320 It's a fight within yourself. 1026 00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:50,073 -Don't call it a comeback. -No, no, no. 1027 00:40:50,073 --> 00:40:51,699 I've been here for years. 1028 00:40:51,699 --> 00:40:54,077 Even all the times when you feel like, "Oh, 1029 00:40:54,077 --> 00:40:56,162 I didn't do my best." You have to turn that around, 1030 00:40:56,162 --> 00:40:58,665 and you have to just get back out there. 1031 00:40:58,665 --> 00:41:01,918 And for someone to come from death's door, 1032 00:41:01,918 --> 00:41:04,170 to being able to walk again, to be able to 1033 00:41:04,170 --> 00:41:08,174 think correctly, and get back to it? 1034 00:41:08,174 --> 00:41:11,010 You ain't got no excuse, homeboy. 1035 00:41:11,010 --> 00:41:13,680 [Laughing] 1036 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:15,181 A year after the accident, 1037 00:41:15,181 --> 00:41:17,767 Tracy receives a hefty settlement. 1038 00:41:17,767 --> 00:41:19,727 "Walmart did right by me and my family," 1039 00:41:19,727 --> 00:41:21,312 Morgan says in a statement. 1040 00:41:21,312 --> 00:41:24,440 "I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably." 1041 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,192 Could've been worse. 1042 00:41:26,192 --> 00:41:29,570 I could've got hit by a Bob's Discount Furniture truck. 1043 00:41:29,570 --> 00:41:32,031 You know they ain't got no ----ing money. 1044 00:41:32,031 --> 00:41:34,242 He came back even stronger. 1045 00:41:34,242 --> 00:41:36,661 ♪ YOU HEAR ME? AND HERE IT COMES. ♪ 1046 00:41:36,661 --> 00:41:38,621 I used to be just like y'all. 1047 00:41:38,621 --> 00:41:40,331 Check your own potential, man. 1048 00:41:40,331 --> 00:41:42,041 Actually, sorry to interrupt. 1049 00:41:42,041 --> 00:41:44,919 -Let's go to brunch! -Ah! 1050 00:41:44,919 --> 00:41:47,338 What's happened to Brooklyn? 1051 00:41:47,338 --> 00:41:50,174 This story is based on my life. 1052 00:41:50,174 --> 00:41:52,260 The people I've lost. 1053 00:41:52,260 --> 00:41:54,929 I... nobody on that set ever sold crack but me. 1054 00:41:54,929 --> 00:41:56,431 Mm-hm. 1055 00:41:56,431 --> 00:41:59,100 The people I've lost in the game in the 80s and the 90s. 1056 00:41:59,100 --> 00:42:00,476 Mm-hm. 1057 00:42:00,476 --> 00:42:03,062 Before God came in my life in the form of comedy. 1058 00:42:03,062 --> 00:42:05,440 When Tracy went through that tragedy, 1059 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:08,359 he became even, even more appealing, 1060 00:42:08,359 --> 00:42:11,195 because not only did he survive that, 1061 00:42:11,195 --> 00:42:13,573 his humility even expanded. 1062 00:42:13,573 --> 00:42:15,616 He didn't turn the tragedy into a commodity to 1063 00:42:15,616 --> 00:42:19,495 make it about, "Woe is me." Tracy is just Tracy. 1064 00:42:19,495 --> 00:42:22,749 Never a victim, always the victor. 1065 00:42:22,749 --> 00:42:25,668 That's how we want to be, in our own lives. 1066 00:42:25,668 --> 00:42:28,379 I know my purpose in life now is to spread love, 1067 00:42:28,379 --> 00:42:31,382 especially in the world right now that we living in. 1068 00:42:31,382 --> 00:42:35,261 I'm glad if I'm the one to spread that love, I love you. 1069 00:42:35,261 --> 00:42:39,599 I think he came out of that just so grateful to be alive, 1070 00:42:39,599 --> 00:42:41,476 that now it's just, he's exponentially 1071 00:42:41,476 --> 00:42:45,772 more grateful and happy and present. 1072 00:42:45,772 --> 00:42:48,065 He's even more powerful. 1073 00:42:48,065 --> 00:42:50,693 We gave TBS a #1 show and they asked me, 1074 00:42:50,693 --> 00:42:52,111 "What do you want, Mr. Morgan"? 1075 00:42:52,111 --> 00:42:54,405 I said, "I want to fix my neighbourhood up." 1076 00:42:54,405 --> 00:42:56,616 ♪ 1077 00:42:56,616 --> 00:42:57,825 These kids gonna have some place nice 1078 00:42:57,825 --> 00:42:59,869 to play this summer. 1079 00:42:59,869 --> 00:43:03,039 No matter how big you get, if you can't come home 1080 00:43:03,039 --> 00:43:05,416 and get love, it ain't real. 1081 00:43:05,416 --> 00:43:07,710 I look at it as he enjoyed himself. 1082 00:43:07,710 --> 00:43:09,128 Like, what do you want to do? 1083 00:43:09,128 --> 00:43:12,215 You wanna live your life, you have your career, 1084 00:43:12,215 --> 00:43:14,509 then you pass on, and then you, 1085 00:43:14,509 --> 00:43:16,177 right before you pass on, you're like, "Man, 1086 00:43:16,177 --> 00:43:18,054 I didn't really get to enjoy myself." 1087 00:43:18,054 --> 00:43:20,640 Tracy enjoyed hisself. [Laughing] 1088 00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,059 Hey, welcome to our home, we're the Morgans. 1089 00:43:23,059 --> 00:43:26,395 ♪ 1090 00:43:26,395 --> 00:43:30,817 In 2019 Tracy purchases a $2 million Bugatti. 1091 00:43:30,817 --> 00:43:33,861 $2 million car. Just bought it. 1092 00:43:33,861 --> 00:43:35,905 He's struck by another driver... 1093 00:43:35,905 --> 00:43:38,658 shortly after he leaves the dealership. 1094 00:43:38,658 --> 00:43:42,036 That car was three minutes and 72 seconds old. 1095 00:43:42,036 --> 00:43:44,455 Okay? I ain't even turned the radio on. 1096 00:43:44,455 --> 00:43:45,832 Yeah. [Laughing] 1097 00:43:45,832 --> 00:43:48,709 The dealer was still waving goodbye when I got hit. 1098 00:43:48,709 --> 00:43:50,211 But that's why I'm out there on the Turnpike 1099 00:43:50,211 --> 00:43:51,963 looking for an Amazon truck, man. 1100 00:43:51,963 --> 00:43:53,005 [Laughing] Wait, you're trying to 1101 00:43:53,005 --> 00:43:54,257 get hit by an Amazon truck? 1102 00:43:54,257 --> 00:43:56,300 I got my beach chair and I just wait for Amazon. 1103 00:43:56,300 --> 00:43:58,511 [Laughing] 1104 00:43:58,511 --> 00:44:00,888 If I survive it, Im'a be in it. 1105 00:44:00,888 --> 00:44:02,306 If I survive it.