SNL 50: Tracy Morgan

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist: In-Depth Conversation with Tracy Morgan Episode: SNL 50: Tracy Morgan | Release Date: February 13, 2025

---

1. Welcoming Tracy Morgan and a Tour of His Home (01:18)

Willie Geist opens the episode by expressing gratitude for Tracy Morgan's invitation to his expansive New Jersey home. Tracy provides an exclusive tour, showcasing impressive features such as a basketball court in the basement adorned with a Knicks mural featuring legends like Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing. Tracy's home is also equipped with a movie theater, bowling alley, arcade, and a unique basement bar and restaurant area. A standout feature is his collection of fish and shark tanks, including a pool table with a built-in shark tank, reflecting his love for marine life.

Willie Geist ([01:18]): "When you step into Tracy's world, there's just a lot going on."

---

2. Tracy Morgan's Career Journey: From SNL to 30 Rock to The Last OG (02:40)

The conversation delves into Tracy Morgan's illustrious career. Willie highlights Tracy's seamless transition from "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) to "30 Rock," emphasizing the blurred lines between his real-life persona and his on-screen characters.

Willie Geist ([02:40]): "It's always hard to tell the difference between the real Tracy and the characters he portrays."

Tracy discusses his collaboration with Tina Fey and how her belief in his talent led to significant roles, including his work on "30 Rock." He also introduces his TBS show, "The Last OG," elaborating on how his personal experiences, especially his near-fatal accident, inspired the series.

Tracy Morgan ([04:55]): "Season two is deep, it's emotional. The comedy is there because the storyline is so grounded. It's ripped from my life."

---

3. Personal Struggles and Resilience: The 2014 Accident (06:54)

Tracy opens up about his tumultuous upbringing, including living between the Bronx and Brooklyn, being on welfare, and caring for his father who succumbed to AIDS. A pivotal moment in the interview is Tracy recounting the devastating 2014 accident when a van he was traveling in collided with a Walmart truck, leaving him in a coma for eight days and resulting in the loss of his best friend, Jimmy Mack.

Tracy Morgan ([07:16]): "I was almost taken from this world. That accident changed everything for me."

He reflects on his recovery, the emotional challenges, and how the incident strengthened his resolve to return to stand-up comedy, ultimately shaping him into a better man.

Tracy Morgan ([36:27]): "He never did nothing to me. That Walmart driver did something for me. I was able to forgive him. It made me a better man."

---

4. Fatherhood and Family Dynamics (07:06)

Tracy emphasizes the importance of family, discussing his role as a father to his five-year-old daughter and three other children from a previous marriage. He illustrates his commitment to being present and involved, contrasting his past experiences of missing out on his children's early years due to his career and personal struggles.

Tracy Morgan ([07:06]): "I can't change the past, but I can start being a father now. I'm your daddy, and I'm a good man."

Tracy shares anecdotes about his interactions with his children, highlighting his dedication to setting standards and being a positive influence.

---

5. The Last OG: Inspiration and Creative Process (09:05)

Tracy delves into the genesis of his TBS show, "The Last OG," inspired by his late friend Jimmy Mack and his own life experiences. He explains that the show is a heartfelt narrative about second chances, family reconciliation, and overcoming past mistakes.

Tracy Morgan ([09:27]): "I named the show after Jimmy Mack because he's my OG. He gave me the knowledge of self in show business."

He draws parallels between the show's themes and classic narratives like "The Godfather," emphasizing the focus on family dynamics over gangster tropes.

---

6. Comedy: A Cathartic Escape and Reflection of Life (16:45)

The discussion shifts to the roots of Tracy's humor, tracing it back to his uncle and his father, who both instilled a sense of laughter amidst adversity. Tracy articulates how comedy served as a coping mechanism during his challenging upbringing, allowing him to navigate poverty and personal loss.

Tracy Morgan ([16:58]): "Comedy and tragedy are two different things. My sense of humor is a way to face the tragedy."

He elaborates on how his life experiences have deepened his comedic material, making his performances more relatable and impactful.

---

7. Relationships with Key Figures: Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey (26:37)

Tracy shares heartfelt sentiments about his relationship with SNL creator Lorne Michaels, whom he likens to a father figure. Their bond remains strong, with Tracy frequently in contact and expressing deep admiration.

Tracy Morgan ([26:16]): "Lorne Michaels is like my daddy. I love him like a father."

His connection with Tina Fey is equally profound. Tracy praises her intelligence and sense of humor, crediting her with elevating his own comedic prowess and fostering a supportive work environment on "The Last OG."

Tracy Morgan ([32:42]): "Her sense of humor is the highest form of intelligence. She took my comedy to another level."

---

8. The Impact of the Accident on Comedy and Personal Growth (36:47)

Tracy reflects on how the accident enhanced his comedic abilities. Contrary to expectations, he feels funnier and sharper post-recovery, attributing this evolution to the resilience built during his rehabilitation.

Tracy Morgan ([36:49]): "Something happened; it made me funnier. I see things sharper, quicker. My timing, my instincts—I'm funny."

He also touches upon the physical and mental hurdles he overcame, reinforcing his commitment to comedy as a source of strength and expression.

---

9. Embracing Marine Life and Personal Interests (44:31)

Tracy's passion for marine life becomes evident as he showcases his extensive aquarium collection. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau, Tracy maintains numerous tanks with diverse marine species, finding tranquility and inspiration in their presence.

Tracy Morgan ([44:21]): "I love marine life. It helps me relax. I just watched their world, and it's a whole different world."

He humorously ties his love for sharks into his home decor, blending his personal interests seamlessly with his living space.

---

10. Closing Thoughts and Future Aspirations (45:50)

As the interview wraps up, Tracy shares his optimistic outlook on life and comedy. He expresses gratitude for his survival, the support of his family, and the opportunities that lie ahead. Tracy emphasizes the importance of love, forgiveness, and using his platform to spread positivity.

Tracy Morgan ([36:56]): "I'm in the mood to love everybody. We need love. We need forgiveness."

He hints at future projects and continues to highlight his dedication to his craft and his personal growth journey.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Tracy Morgan ([04:55]): "This season is deep, it's emotional. The comedy is there because the storyline is so grounded. It's ripped from my life."

• Tracy Morgan ([16:58]): "Comedy and tragedy are two different things. My sense of humor is a way to face the tragedy."

• Tracy Morgan ([36:49]): "Something happened; it made me funnier. I see things sharper, quicker. My timing, my instincts—I'm funny."

• Tracy Morgan ([36:27]): "He never did nothing to me. That Walmart driver did something for me. I was able to forgive him. It made me a better man."

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist" offers an unfiltered and intimate look into Tracy Morgan's life, blending his professional achievements with personal challenges. From his resilience in the face of tragedy to his unwavering dedication to family and comedy, Tracy's story is one of inspiration and triumph. The conversation not only highlights his career milestones but also delves deep into the experiences that have shaped him into the beloved comedian and father he is today.

For those who haven't listened to the episode, this summary encapsulates the essence of Tracy Morgan's candid discussions, providing valuable insights into his journey and the heartfelt themes of "The Last OG."

Transcript

[Tracy Morgan]

Are your ulcerative colitis symptoms proving difficult to manage? Tremphya Guselcomab can help you manage the cycle of UC symptoms. At one year, many patients taking Tremphya achieved clinical remission and some patients also achieved endoscopic remission. Individual results may vary. Tremphya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. Serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. Ask your doctor if Tremphya can help you manage the cycle of UC symptoms. Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit tremphyaradio.com File your taxes the free and.

[TurboTax Advertiser]

Easy way with TurboTax new to TurboTax didn't file last year with TurboTax no problem. Switch to TurboTax and file for free. If you do your own taxes on the TurboTax mobile app by February 18, all the tax forms you have can be assisted, all 100% free. Now this is taxes intuit TurboTax. New filers and filers who didn't use TurboTax last year only must start and file your own taxes in the app by February 18th. Excludes TurboTax Live full [e-mail] hey guys.

[Willie Geist]

Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along guest this week, Tracy Morgan. Where do I begin in setting the table for this interview for you? Well, I'll start with the fact that he invited us to his home, his palatial home in New Jersey. He said, come shoot the interview here. So we did. As we set up the interview, he gave us a tour of the house, which includes a basketball court in the basement with a Knicks mural with all his favorite Knicks painted on the side. From Willis Reed to Clyde Frazier to John Starks, Bernard King, Patrick Ewing. I think Alan Hughes Houston was on there as well. He's got a movie theater, he's got a bowling alley. He's got a full arcade like the one you played in growing up. He's got like a little bar and restaurant down in the basement and a big theme around that house is the fish and the sharks. And he's got tanks everywhere you look, including one, and I'd never seen this before in his pool table in the basement. The bottom of the pool table is a little tank with sharks in it, I think black tip sharks there's just a lot going on when you step into Tracy's world. He was a great host. We had a good time talking about the second season of his TBS show, the Last OG and the experiences in his own life that inspired the series.

[Tracy Morgan]

It's always hard to tell the difference.

[Willie Geist]

As it was on SNL and especially on 30 Rock where real life Tracy ends and the character begins and sometimes there's not really a difference. That's the case again, if you haven't seen the Last og We talk about his run on SNL when he met Lorne Michaels, the creator and executive producer of that show, of course, and Tina Fey, who saw something in Tracy Morgan that she loved, became one of his closest friends and of course hired him for that job on 30 Rock. He also talks, as you'll hear in our interview, about the struggle in his own life. He grew up between parents between the Bronx and Brooklyn. He was on welfare. He was on he spent his teen years taking care of his father who had AIDS and ultimately died of AIDS in the 1980s. During our conversation, he reflects on the moment in 2014 that you may remember that changed everything for him and almost took his life when a van he was riding in coming home from a comedy show was hit by a Walmart truck in a deadly multi vehicle crash. It killed his best friend. Jimmy Mack. Another comedian who was in the vehicle with them, left Tracy in a coma for eight days. We talk about life after the crash, his return to stand up comedy after the crash, and how he believes it made him a better man. He's married and has a five year old daughter. He has three other children from a previous marriage. Let me take you inside his home office right now. Tracy and I sitting down in an office modeled after Vito Corleone's office in the Godfather, right down to the shades that come down, the darkness of it. I guess some of the biggest differences though are shark tanks, fish tanks everywhere you look. And as we sat there between us in the background and you'll see it when you watch the interview on Sunday Today, as I know you will on NBC. There's an Emmy, there's an Oscar, there's a Heisman Trophy, there's kind of every big award you could win. And I asked him about it and he said no, of course he hadn't won those. He goes, but if you have a couple of bucks, Willie, you can get any award you want. I really hope you enjoy our conversation with Tracy Morgan right now on the Sunday Sit down podcast.

[Tracy Morgan]

All right, so where do we pick it up. Season two, Tracy.

Okay, season two, first of all, season one, you were on the outside. So you know me coming home from prison, prison life and all that. Her and her family being introduced. Now, season two, you're on the inside of this family. You learn we are visiting places of Josh's parents. For example, in season one, I did 15 years in prison. I get to see my kids being born. Season two, she filmed it. I found out she filmed it. And I watched the birth of my daughter, watched the birth of my son. So these examples of us, you being on inside, like watching the Godfather, it wasn't just a gangster movie. There are great gangster movies out there. But the Godfather was a movie about a family. You see Tessio wipe the side of the pot with the tomato sauce. And how they were as a family. Vito Corleone was a family man. He wasn't just a gangster killing people. He was a family man. The way he talked to his sons, Sonny. And you saw the difference in the sons, the three sons, the three differences. And Fredo and Sonny and Michael. Michael was all business. Sonny was a hothead. He might have lived if they had easy pass. And Fredo was just a meatball. Fredo was the meatball running around town with Mo Green. So that's the OG In a nutshell. And people are going to enjoy this season. This season is deep, it's emotional. The comedy is. You know, the comedy is there. That's gonna be there. When you got the talent that we had, me, Tiffany, Cedric, we had the talent, but the storyline is so grounded. It's real. It's ripped from my life. All of this stuff. Really? You gonna meet my mother? My mother kicked me out the house when I was 17. Cause she found my crack spot, my crack stash. You're gonna see all of that?

Well, that's. I mean, when you read anything about your show, it's. This is Tracy's life. These are things you wanted to say about your experience?

Well, the story has to be told. You can't write it. So my life, my world.

So if I'm watching that show, I watched the first episode this morning of season two. What pieces of your life do I see in there?

The first show in season two. I don't know what show that is. I don't know the order well, just.

The show in general. I'm seeing your mother, seeing some of your father. Right?

I mean, yeah, we have writers and all that. And they add and all of that. But the authenticity is me. This really happened to me in my life. And I give them. And they put the Listen. A great artist doesn't keep adding clay. He strips away till he gets to the bare essentials. So what you saying is what happened? This is what happened. Whatever show you watched, that happened to me. I knew people like that. If it ain't happened to me. I knew people like that. I knew people that got locked up and went away. Every woman, everybody. My husband mess up. Your father messed up trying to get back in his kid's life, their kid's life. I know that. You can't throw nobody away just because they got incarcerated. Every crime is not a violent crime. That's what prison reform and all of that is about, you know? Yeah. I know somebody that did 45 years, literally. And I told him when he came to the set the first season, every song, every word in this song is about you trying to. Second chances. What do we say in the last. Oh, geez. Second chances is a beautiful thing, man. I know. I got hit by a truck. I wasn't supposed to walk away from that. That truck was doing 75 miles per hour with 85,000 pounds of frozen food in the back. And I walked away from that. Second Chances is a beautiful thing. You woke up this morning. Second chances is a beautiful thing. Right? Make something happen today, forget about tomorrow or yesterday. Not tomorrow, but yesterday. Forget about yesterday. You a million miles away from that. Even though it happened 18 hours ago, it's over. Ain't nothing you can do about it. But the future, we could change.

So what was the inspiration for this show? Because you talked about the accident.

Last Friend. The last OG comes from my friend Jimmy Mack, who died in an accident. Cause he was an OG to me, my first OG is my daddy, but my last OG is Jimmy Mack. Because he's my og. He gave me that knowledge of self as far as show business is concerned. So I named the show after him. He's the Last og. But what was that question again?

Well, just the moment in your life when you thought of this show. So it's after the accident, and you're thinking about, what am I gonna do next? What does my career look like?

Well, I always wanted to do a show like this. I always wanted to do a show like this because I know these stories. I'm from this world.

Yeah.

So I always wanted to do a show like this. But with comedy. When you look at. The Last OG is not a show about the community. It's a show starving the community. And what inspired me was years and years ago, when I first watched Cooliha When I first watched Cooley High, I'm like, dag, that's my community. So I'm doing a show about it. But it's not a black show. It's a human show. Old Asian women, white people, black people. Everybody can identify and relate. And that's how my standup is the truth. The truth is the truth. Let's not act like crack wasn't here. I know it's a dark premise, but we color in it. The thing I like about the Last OG is a kind show. She had to let me back in my kid's life after going for 15 years. She told me not to go down there. You saw it. She told me not to go down there and sell that crack. I did it anyway. I missed out on all of that. That really happened with my first family. I became Tracy Morgan, and I started leaving my wife behind. My first wife. And when I got back to her, she was emotionally gone. So I know what it is to miss that. I lost my family. Drinking, being a star and all of that. I know what I miss. I ain't gained nothing. I don't care about celebrity. I know what I lost, and he lost that 15 years in prison. You see your kids. You know what that do. You can't change the past, but you can start being a father now. And that's what Trey Burke is about. That's what Trey Barker is about. I can't get back the time that I lost with y'all. I didn't know your mother pregnant with you. But I'm here, y'all, here. And we gonna start right now, this second. I'm your daddy, and I'm a good man. I just made mistakes. We all do. I was just telling Jews earlier, man, there's no such thing as perfection. As you strive for perfection, you will achieve excellence. That's what it's about, Excellence. It's all about excellence.

You mentioned Tiffany Haddish. You guys have such good chemistry on screen.

Well, that off screen, that's because off screen, we like brother and sister. Yeah, we love. We fight like brother and sister, but we family. She knows it and I know it. We are family. That's my girl. That's my girl. I'd rather die with that.

What do you fight about off camera?

Just brother and sister stuff. She's saying I took her sandwich. I ain't taking a sandwich. Tiffany. I seen the sandwich sitting right there. I did not touch it. She walk away and just do this. She always do this. She see the tuna fish hanging out. I Know you took it, you eating it. It's in your hand. And then we laugh it off. And it's love. You can't. That's on the screen.

Yeah.

When you see the love, it's on the screen. It's on the screen. Tracy Morgan, Tiffany Adams. Cedric, my man. Alum, Maldonado, Bobby. Oh, this year we got Method man coming. It's gonna be awesome.

You mentioned too that. Yeah, it's funny, but it's also got heart to it.

When I'm watching it, I won't be a part of it. It doesn't. I learned that. And what inspired me with that was watching Busting Loose by Richard Pryor. He was a hustler, con artist. And then you surround him with wayward children. And those children fixed him. He didn't fix him. These are children that nobody wanted to love. Nobody wanted. They were throwaways. It was Cicely Tyson. You remember Busting Loose?

Of course.

Watching that stuff, Classics. They wound up fixing him. And it's inspired me. That stuff inspires me. I just can't. In order for me to watch a movie or tv, I gotta get something out of it. They got to move me. I like to watch Glory. When Denzel is getting beat and he starts to cry, he's not crying because the beating hurting. He's crying because he feels betrayed by Matthew Broderick. Oh, guess who's coming to dinner. Sidney Portieres arguing with his father. His father's telling him what it should be and this and that. And he starts going crazy on his father. Then he turns around and comes back for more than that very second, he realizes this is my dad. He turns around and come back. He said he's about to tear his father another. You're my dad. You my dad. You watch stuff like that. I notice stuff like that. Jesus Christ. His father's already broken what you said to him. And you come back for more and you realize it. Or watch Raising in the Sun. I watch Glenn Glary, Glen Ross, if you want to study. All of that stuff goes into glass. OG the premise for last year, the first season was the Godfather. This year might be Star Wars. Ben Kenobi. You see Empire Strike Back? Ben Kenobi told him, don't go to the ice planet. Remember the ice planet? Then the ice bear. Remember the ice bear with the black nail. Ben, Luke, go to the Dagobah system. There you'll meet a Jedi Master named Yoda. Remember?

No. Of course.

Young Skywalker. That's what they call me on the street. Young Skywalker, AKA Caligula.

How do those go together? Skywalker, Caligula. Caligula.

I can't tell you that. Tree. Burke.

So the inspiration for this is your life. And I'm thinking about your childhood, the way you grew up between the Bronx and Bed Stuy in the heart of the.

Well, when people ask me where I'm from, I just tell them I'm a Brooklyn dude with a Bronx heart.

Okay.

I found my heart in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium. Light up the Bronx, man. Six months of the year. It sparks nostalgia. So that's inspired me. The people that are new in Brooklyn and the people that I know in the Bronx. I grew up in Brooklyn. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, but I grew up in the Bronx. That's where I learned to hustle.

And you grew up in the middle of the eighties of the AIDS epidemic, The crack epidemic.

Oh, my dad died of aids.

I know you had a lot of tragedy in your life.

My oldest brother was born with cerebral palsy. He's two years older than me, but he's my og, Taught me who I am. Mom and dad broke up when I was 6. My mom's had to let him go. He didn't go to Vietnam a junkie. He came back that way. But she got kids now and she can't have that stuff around our kids. So my mom went all out. I love my mom. My mom's. You know what I got from my mom's? I get my sense of from my dad. But you know what I got from my mom's? Her stubbornness. She always refused to take no for an answer. That's why I don't here right now. Cause I'm not having it. I'm going all out for mine. I'm be funny. I refuse to let the audience fool me. I'm going all out. I'm gonna be prepared and all that. That's what I get from Ma. I love you, Ma.

So where does the funny come from? Where does the comedy come from?

Both sides. Both sides. I got an uncle named Fatty Love. He was very funny in the projects. Then I got my dad, who was Richard Pryor funny, did comedy in Vietnam. But you gotta understand, when you grew up in the ghetto, being funny took my mind away from being poor. And that goes back to slavery entertainment. You pick cotton all day and you go back to the village. You had to entertain yourself to forget slavery and poverty and pick and cotton. So that's where that comes from, the root of it.

So it's to compensate for what's happening in your life every day.

The tragedy.

Yeah.

Cause comedy and tragedy is two different things. Playthrough the happy face and the sad face. My sense of humor. God didn't bless me with material. Never cared about material. Material is right there in front of you as long as your third eye is clean. He blessed me with a sense of humor. If I can't laugh at it, I'ma cry. I'm dumb crying. That's why I did the special, Staying Alive. That was based. That was right after I got hit by the truck. Staying Alive. I tell my writers, if you ain't got nothing in the writers room, go home and argue with your girl, man. I don't do comedy just to do it. I do it when I got something to say. I gotta go through some stuff. Ups and downs and turns arounds and all that. Gotta go through some stuff. Then you just inject your sense of humor.

But you've gone through a lot of stuff.

I mean, you talk about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But listen, my grandmother said, just when you think things are bad for you, there's people out there worse for sure. There's somebody out there right now on the street with nobody to love and nobody love them. That's what I'm concerned with. It ain't about me. It's bigger than me. Imagine that. Loneliness is a sad affair.

A sad affair, no question. But it doesn't diminish what you went through.

Yeah, I've been through some stuff. Yeah. But wasn't nothing that I couldn't handle. God put it all on me. Give me the diabetes. Get me. Get it by the truck. Just leave my wife and my daughter and my sons alone. Let them live. I take it all. Give it to me. I can handle it. I'm strong.

What was it like taking care of your dad when he was sick? It's a lot for a teenage boy.

It was. It was bad because I lost him already. I lost him when I was six. Now I'm gonna lose you again. So it was hard for me, but that's still my dad. I gotta take care of him. It was hard for me. I lost you when I was six. Now you leaving me again. But he did what he could do in the amount of time he had. That was give me knowledge of self. He taught me who I was. I know who I am. And I know what I'm about. I'm a good man. Forget what I say. I'm a good man.

So you're funny where you live? It's one thing to be funny in your neighborhood, it's something else to be professionally funny.

Yeah, but in my house, I don't feel the need to be funny. I don't feel no pressure.

Now you're talking. Yeah, I'm daddy and I'm husband for sure. But back then, how do you make that leap from being funny in the neighborhood to being funny on a stage somewhere?

Everybody can't do that. I started because I was on the stage in high school. It started in high school. My peers, I knew being. And it's the same motivation I knew in high school. I learned at an early age I was funny and the girls liked it. You got the girls if you made them laugh. That falls true today. I don't care what woman you see, excuse my French. The thing she most love most in man is this sense of humor. You make her laugh, she's yours. You make her. Because women are emotional. They got the world on they shoulder. And you make her forget that for one minute and laugh, she gonna love you. I learned that early. Look at me. And I got the top cheerleader. Cause I was the funniest one in school. Everybody say how he do that made me laugh.

But that's one thing. Another thing is being a professional comedian. Yeah, so what's that? First time you step on a stage in a club, What'd that feel like?

Listen, this is how it happened. I remember me and my brother Jim, my oldest brother Jim. We had a friend named Raul that worked at Def Jam. He was an intern at Def Jam. And Def Jam had just started. And I would watch it. I watched one episode and Martin Lawrence had me. I said, wow, he looked like me, he sound like me. She was talking the same stuff. I'm talking. And then Raul got us tickets to see Def Jam. Two weeks later we watched. I saw it. And I was sitting up in the bleachers. Martin down there. Do you know, four months later, I did the first season because once I was bit by the bug. Wow. Once I saw Martin doing it, four months later, I was on there from the workshop. From that day, I saw that I wanted to do comedy. I wanted to do stand up. Martin knows Martin is my og. I love Martin. I bust my gap for Martin. Martin know that I love Martin Lawrence. He knows that he's my older brother in show business, him at Eddie. I love both of them. And everybody else are my comrades in comedy. Where Richard Pryor was the king and we're all just his princes. But if you ask Richard Pryor, he would say Charlie Chaplin was the greatest. He did it with no noise. So that's where it started from. My dad was Richard Pryor funny. He was in Vietnam. He was a magician. And he also was funny like Richard Pryor. Listen, when I first started doing comedy, I had a wife and three kids, okay? After I saw that Def Jam, started wearing a propeller hat. And I was being funny around the neighborhood and at Rutgers park. That's where then I started getting a reputation in New York for being this funny dude. And then I came home one day and I told my wife I was going to do stand up. That was after my drug dealer friend told me, yo, you never heard of the Uptown comedy club? I said, what's the Uptown? And he took me down there and I started going to the workshops. And I came home one night and I told my wife, then my ex wife, God bless her dad, I told her I had a propeller hat on. I told her I was going to do standup. Now, by all rights, we had three kids. She could have been the one that said, what? UPS is hiring. You better get a job. She did. She said, pull the trigger, Tracy. I know you funny. We got kids in there. I know you funny. But if you start doing this, Tracy, you go to these comedy clubs, it better not be about no girls or no fame or no money. You better do this for a legacy. So she allowed me, by all rights, she could have said, you better go get a job. She could have got my way and hassled me about doing stand up. She knew I was gonna make it. So this is one of my angels. Oh, my dad, your people, they've got people, they with me. So I don't feel fair. I face death. Not by no truck. Every day. You don't have to wake up. So when I wake up and I go hard, when I go to the show and I do shows, I go hard. Then I come home and I go harder as a dad and a husband. Cuz I don't want my wife to leave me. Cuz I became Tracy Morgan and left her behind emotionally. No, I'm there. I'm there. That's my. These are my biggest fans. Matter of fact, they're not my fans. They're my family. They're my kids and my wife. So I gotta go all out. Cuz Vito Corleone told Michael, women and children can afford to be a careless. They can afford to be careless. Men cannot. You remember that when he told Michael that sitting in the garden.

Oh yeah.

Because when you ain't on point and I ain't on point and we make a mistake, guess who that affects. So I'm on point every day with mines.

Do they think you're funny?

[Willie Geist]

They laugh.

[Tracy Morgan]

Your kids, your wife, of course.

But when I'm here, you know, when I move my wife and my kids and all of that, especially in public, I got my game face on.

Yeah.

Because I'm not being a comedian here. That would be so corny. My wife. My wife ain't into that like that. She want a husband, she don't want Brian Fellows.

Right.

She don't identify or relate to him. So I'm not in here doing that. I'll deal with that when I get to the set or when I get to the show.

Right.

Not concerned. It's a 30 year career you see, sitting here.

So Brian Fellows, it's funny you bring that up. So you get the job on Martin and then it's only a couple years later before you get a call from SNL to do an audition. How did that come about? Did you know somebody first at snl?

No. I was with my first manager, Barry Katz. My second manager, Barry Katz, who had Dave Chappelle and Jim Brewer at the same time and Jay Moore, and he had all of them. So he got me an audition and I was scared to death. Scared to death. But guess what? This young Tracy ain't had nothing to lose. I know if I land this, it's gonna change my kid's life. Thank God, Lauren. Glad he chose me. Changed me and my kids world.

What do you remember about the audition? What'd you do that day?

Going all out? I don't remember the material. I remember doing stuff from where I'm from. Lorne Michaels was Lorne Michaels. Marcy Cline and Ryan Shirocki pointed. That's the one.

They knew it was you.

That one. Look, Lorne Michaels is like my daddy. I love him like my father. My father died in 1987 and I just think that my father's gotten him take care of my boy. I love that man. Lorne Michaels. Love that man.

And he keeps up with you still, right? You guys talk all the time.

What? Whenever I'm in, ah, he comes see me. Yeah, he know I'm in the building. Yeah, he know I'm in the building. I'll call him. I don't spend time wasting my people if you, me and you was tight friends if I thought about y'all Call. Pick up the phone.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Tracy Morgan]

Yo, what up? You all right? Yeah, I'm good. I'll speak to you later. Simple to blame I don't spend time wasting nobody missing nobody rather don't have to miss you just call you.

Yeah.

So what's my thinking? What's People welcome to the wonderful world of Tracy.

I love it. I'm happy to be in it for a minute.

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Tracy Morgan right after the break.

[TurboTax Advertiser]

File your taxes the free and Easy Way with TurboTax new to TurboTax didn't file last year with TurboTax. No problem. Switch to TurboTax and file for free. If you do your own taxes on the TurboTax mobile app by February 18, all the tax forms you have can be assisted. All 100% free. Now this is taxes intuit, TurboTax. New filers and filers who didn't use TurboTax last year only must start and file your own taxes in the app by February 18th. Excludes TurboTax Live full terms at TurboTax.com.

[High5 Casino Advertiser]

High5casino lets you play your favorite slot and live table games like blackjack with the chance to redeem for real cash prizes. High Five Casino has a giant selection of over 1200 games, including hundreds of exclusive games only found on High Five Casino. It's always free to play and free coins are given out every four hours. Ready to have your own high five moment? Visit high five casino.com that's high the number five casino.com no purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 21 years or older. Terms and conditions apply.

[Al Roker]

Hey everybody, I'm Al Roker from the Today Show. Let's kickstart your wellness journey with the all new Start Today app. Everything you need for a healthier you all in one place. Fitness challenges for all levels, meal plans that are easy and delicious and so much more. It's built to fit your lifestyle and our experts will guide you every step of the way. Come on, let's do this.

[Tracy Morgan]

To subscribe, download Start today from the App Store on your Apple device. Now terms apply. Cancel anytime through Apple under profile settings.

[Willie Geist]

Welcome back to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Tracy Morgan.

[Tracy Morgan]

Is it important to you, Tracy, to give your kids all those things that you had no access to when you were a kid?

Well, what's important to me is to make sure that my young men, my sons, they're young men. That was important to me to give them not. What's important to me to give my kids is love and knowledge itself. Once you have knowledge of self, can't nobody fool you, can't nobody Pull a wool over your ass. Can't nobody tell you where you from. Can nobody tell you where you come, where you at or where you going? You know, you got knowledge yourself. I know who I am. Can't nobody pull a wool over my eyes. And that's important. Because if you don't have knowledge of self, guess what? You lost. You lost. You are lost. So that love, especially my daughter, that unconditional love that he love. That's my baby. That's the princess. So she gets a lot of attention from me. A lot of love for me, a lot of affection for me. She gets all that because I'm setting standards for her boyfriend, the first one. You got to feel my father. My father set standards. Now, if you don't fit those standards, I can't deal with you. And I will tell him, listen, buddy, it's my daughter. I got a gun, I got a shovel and I got a goddamn alibi. Treat mine's right. I see how things are going now with men, with women. And that's crazy. It's just like gender equality. Well, they were good enough to go to space with us. Why? She can't get what I get. We took them in the space shuttle. We took them up in space. We went together. Right? Remember when it blew up? Two teachers on there, two females was on there. No, I'm all for that.

They were also on the ground.

I'm all for gender equality.

Putting the shuttle up in the air too. Along the street.

They were responsible for all that.

Yeah. We're talking about important women in your life. Your wife, obviously.

My mother.

Your mother. We talked about Tiffany a minute ago. What about Tina Fey? What does she meant to you?

He trying to choke me up now. Tina Fey is my sister. Tina Fey is my sister. When I was on Saturday Night Live and she came, she recognized my. Funny, that's when you start seeing Judge Judy and all those things. That was her and Paula Pell. Ironic. All the women in my life put me on. My mother was the first. I just. I bought my mother some for Christmas and she thanked me so much. And I said, mommy, stop disrespecting me. She said, what? I said, no, I thank you are my mother. I thank you. I thank you.

So what do you think Tina saw in you in those early years on snl?

Funny. My sense of humor. The gift that God gave me. She saw it. Me and her was probably brother and sister in the last life. We just picking up in this life. That's how I look at it. I've always Looked at her like that. We was probably. Cause me and Tina, I love Tina. Tina, we tight. And we were probably brother and sister in the last life. I was her younger brother. But I beat somebody on the basketball court. Cause they said something to her. They made my sister cry. And I came downstairs and I turned her into a credible hulk. Cause I'm like that. I'm protective of her now. Like that. She knows that.

And on the other side of it, what makes her so talented? What makes her so good at what she does?

Smart. Smart. This lady's very highly intelligent. And her sense of humor. But you know, sense of humor is the highest form of intelligence. She put me my stance, she took my comedy and my sense of humor and put her on another level. I adore that she is. Oh, I would be up under her and just listen to a conversation. Cause you're gonna. And her self awareness is incredible. I love it. You always learn something new with this girl. I'm just so. The attraction is intelligence. She taught me how to handle my set on the last OG I seen. The way she handled 30 rocks. She was cool. She was a fearless leader. She was cool to everyone on the set. Everybody on the set loved her. And that made for a great work environment. She gave us all someplace safe and loving and warm to work every week. And that's what I bring to the.

Last OG You've mentioned a couple times. The accident and how it changed you.

Wouldn't it change you?

Yeah.

You get hit by a semi truck doing 75 miles per hour, 85,000 pounds of frozen food. Guess what? My room wasn't ready. My room wasn't ready. You know how invincible I feel? Not invincible. I feel the only thing on this earth that could ever destroy me is marrying a Kardashian.

Why would that destroy you?

They are man eaters. Chew you up and spit you out. No, I love the girls. They're good. But that's a good funny joke. I'm gonna put that on stage.

There you go. You're looking out material. It's good.

I'm Iron Man. I walked away from that. Forget Robert Downey Jr. If he would have got hit by Walmart truck, only thing that would have been left, like is a spot of blood, tufts of hair and a messed up Rolex. You know, I am. I, you know, I just feel very fortunate. A lot of people look at me and they say, you lucky. I said, no, I don't believe in luck. If you want luck, go to Atlantic City or Vegas. I'm fortunate. I feel Very blessed to be here in this world talking to you. And I don't take that for granted. People who haven't faced death don't know what it is. All they know is life. They take it for granted that they go to sleep and they wake up every day. That's all they know. I faced it. I know what it did to my family and my friends and my fans and people. I know. I was there. So I'm happy. I'm not mad at nobody. I don't care what they got on YouTube and all that. I'm not in the mood to be mad at nobody. I'm just not in the mood. I know what I've faced in the last four years. I'm not in the mood. I know what I lost. I'm just not in the mood. I don't care what you saying. I know where I'm at and I know who I am. Like I told you, knowledge itself. Right now, I'm in the mood to love everybody, man. It's all good. It's all good. Cause I know one day I could have been gone. I would have been. Four years, my daughter wouldn't have had a father. I'm here. He's still got stuff for me to do. And I know what that is. Spread that love, man. We need it. We see the world. We need love. We need forgiveness. If I could forgive that Walmart driver, I could forgive everybody.

You said you're a better man since the accident.

Well, he never did nothing to me. That Walmart driver didn't do nothing to me. He did something for me. I was able to forgive him. So it made me a better man. Whenever you're able to forgive those, it makes you better. Just makes you a better person.

Did it change your comedy, Tracy, the way you saw the world after the accident?

I think it made me funnier.

Really?

Something happened. It made me funnier. I see things sharper quicker. My timing, my instincts. I'm funny.

How do you explain that?

I don't know. I can't. I can't. You go through it, and then people appreciate you a little bit more. Cause you survived it. Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt like that. But as far as stand up, I'm sharper. It might have something to do with the brain trauma. I had to learn how to say my name. I had to learn how to talk. I had to learn how to walk all over again. All over again. That probably made me work harder. And then I got sharper. That's how I feel. I don't Care what nobody else said. There's nobody in my shoes. I know how I was before on stage. Maybe I got lazy. Maybe it almost God got away. God said, I'm gonna slow you down. Not gonna kill you, I'm gonna hurt you, bang you up a little bit. But I'm gonna slow you down. Cause you might miss the blessing. Slow down. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna use Walmart. Yep, that's how I feel about it.

Was there ever a point in your recovery where you thought, I may never return to comedy? I don't know if my brain.

Every day I'm scared to death. Forget comedy. I never know if I was ever going. I was bigger than comedy, man. I ain't know if I was going to walk again, man. I didn't know if I was going to talk again. I don't know what could happen to me now, three years from now, five years. I don't know. I took a pretty big bump on the head, man. I'm just living my life one day at a time. That's all I'm doing. One day. I'm doing no drama, no nothing. I don't know where I could be every day, sitting in my wheelchair, looking at that YouTube, watching Tina and Kevin and everybody do their thing. You know how depressed I got. My wife was there with me every day for over a year, watching everybody do what I love to do. Not worrying, not knowing if I was ever gonna do it again. If I could ever do it again. I remember the first time I took the stage, it was on a Monday. The day after I went. The day that I went to Saturday Night Live and I hosted. I was so inspired by that cast. Cause I could just see it was high profile, really high profiling. All those people was in the pitch meeting. All the cast was just giving their best. And that inspired me. And I went straight from Saturday Night Live to the Cellar and I did seven minutes. And they laughed. They laughed. And confidence. I started doing it more and it's confidence. Your confidence grows. Stand up comedy is only confidence. Funny is confidence. Funny is confident. You gotta have confidence. I'm telling you. Women love a man with confidence, man.

Feel like home being on that stage again.

Yeah. Seeing y'all laugh. When y'all laughing at this. Stand up's brains. Our brains move at the speed of light while you laughing at this joke. I'm already seven jokes down. I'm already seven jokes way ahead of you. I mean, I was. I was doing it one joke at a time then. But as I Got stronger in my legs and you know. Cause when I first got on stage, I would sit down for an hour. Cause my legs, my hips were hurt and all that. So now I'm strong, you know, doing cognitive therapy and you know, that was a long time ago, you know, pretty much got my feet and I'm running now. Did a special TV show. So you see the results. But people who haven't seen me ever, still asking me am I okay? So I like gotta relive that every day. There are people who still that haven't seen me in the world and they remember the accident, you know. But there was a life before that accident. I was funny. So I don't know, I just want to be funny again like I was. And I think I am and more. And the confidence is too. When you get hit by a truck, man, you're confident, you still here, you gonna get more confident. Like, yeah, I'm iron Man. Not to say that I'm not human. I am human and I still consider others feelings and all of that, but you know, there's things that I say that are off color and this and. But that's only to make you laugh. It's only just to be funny. And people laugh at the truth. They don't laugh at lies. Cause lies hurt. If I said something to you as a lie, you would go, wait a minute. Oh, come on. What? But if I tell you the truth, you can relate and identify with that. Cause you've been through it too. You've been through it. Richard Pryor taught me that. Now this office is my office.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Tracy Morgan]

Tell me about this room.

This room right here is very special to me. You see the color and the shades? Yeah. Guess what it's based on. Vito Corleone's room. Office.

Those are the same shades.

Everything is the same Vito Corleone. Guess what the very first words in the Godfather is. I believe in America. I'm gonna get a sign over my door and then I'm gonna get a mortician to come here once a week just to kiss my hand and go, can I be your friend, Godfather? You come here on the day of my daughter's wedding and ask me to commit murder. I love you though. I watch that movie every day. When you are channel surfer and you pass spike TV and you see the Godfather, you better not turn. You can't be disrespectful like that. That's the Godfather. Cause every time you watch it, you're gonna learn something new.

I just love the idea of your front doorbell. Ringing. Your wife says, honey, the mortician's here once a week.

Yeah, once a week. I need that. I need that in my life.

Now, one other thing I'd ask you because people are gonna see this and they're gonna wonder about the Heisman you got down there. When did you win the Heisman? I don't remember that.

Well, I used to run for Buffalo, but then I got traded over to the Chargers and I shared the backfield with Chuck Muncie. But that was when I was in college.

Uh huh.

I was in college. I bought that off. Was it Hershey Walker? I bought it off of Hershey Walker. He got two of them. So he sold me one.

[Willie Geist]

He's fine.

[Tracy Morgan]

Yeah, he's good.

I think Hershey Walker's my second cousin too. Hershey. We related? We are related. Hershey Walker. And you see, I got a lot of fish tanks around. I love marine life.

Yes.

My great, great grandfather was Jacques Cousteau. Jacques Cousteau. Morgan, man took me underwater and I just love marine life.

You got them everywhere too. You got the little sharks.

I love marine life. There's things in this room right now that people don't even know is on earth. So my daughter's being raised and my daughter's a like marine life fanatic too. I love it. It's tranquil. Helps me relax. I just watched their world and it's a whole different world.

And you've got one that's the size of a swimming pool out back.

Yeah. 20,000 gallons in my backyard in a pool house. There's more water in there than in my pool.

Really?

Yeah. 20,000 gallons. Wow.

What do you keep in there? What do you keep in there?

I have sharks. I have black tips, white tips, I have eels. Mori. Eels have a bunch couple of schools of different fish. And I love. I have a great reef. Two gray reefs from Australia. Gray reefs? Yeah.

You got it all in here.

Well, well, I want to buy an orca.

An orca?

Yeah, I'm gonna buy orca. So Elon Musk is sending up rocket ones now and I'm gonna try to get hit by one of those. I'll be on easy street then. I can buy orca in a great way. And once I get hit by the rocket one.

Oh man, you were too good.

[Willie Geist]

Thanks, man.

[Tracy Morgan]

Thank you.

That was fun.

Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

My thanks again to Tracy for an incredible conversation and for opening up his home to all of us. Season two of his show, the Last OG premieres Tuesday, April 2nd on TBS. And thanks as always to you for tuning in every week to hear more of the extended conversations with all of my guests. Be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And as always, don't forget to tune in to Sunday Today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down Podcast.

[TurboTax Advertiser]

File your taxes the free and Easy Way with TurboTax new to TurboTax didn't file last year with TurboTax, no problem. Switch to TurboTax and file for free. If you do your own taxes on the TurboTax mobile app by February 18, all the tax forms you have can be assisted. All 100% free. Now this is taxes intuit, TurboTax. New filers and filers who didn't use TurboTax last year only must start and file your own taxes in the app by February 18th. Excludes TurboTax Live full terms at turbotax.

[Tracy Morgan]

Com.