In an interview with hip-hop mogul
Russell Simmons, comedian Tracy Morgan said his anti-gay jokes were
indefensible.
In a routine delivered last weekend in
Nashville, Morgan, the star of NBC's 30 Rock, condoned
anti-gay bullying and said he would stab his son to death if he found
out he was gay.
Morgan apologized for his comedy set on
Friday, but gay rights groups said they hoped he would do more. On
Monday, he agreed to meet with troubled LGBT youth from the Ali
Forney Center in New York City and committed to participate in
GLAAD's upcoming Amplify Your Voice video campaign to combat
anti-LGBT bullying.
Morgan's interview with Simmons, a
strong gay rights ally, was
published on the site GlobalGrind.com.
“Of all the sicknesses, there is
probably none more abusive than homophobia,” Morgan said. “My
heart is committed to giving everyone the same rights that I deserve
for myself. I don't care if you love the same sex as long as you
have the ability to love someone. Also, you should have the right no
matter who you are to protect and serve our country. I am deeply
sorry for the comments I made. What I am most sad about is the
comments I made about kids and bullying. I would never want any
young person to think that I wasn't on their side and if any young
person thinks they can bully a young gay kid, come see me at 30
Rock.”
The 42-year-old actor added: “I
believe everyone deserves the right to be happy and marry who they
want to; gay, white, black, male or female. Let me know where the
rally's at Russ. I'm there!”
Several
openly gay celebrities, including
George Takei, Cheyenne Jackson and Wanda Sykes, had harshly
criticized Morgan. However, fellow
comic Chris Rock came to Morgan's defense, suggesting he had a
right to say outrageous things.