Actor-comedians Marlon Wayans and Louis
C.K. have joined Chris Rock in defending Tracy Morgan, who has been
criticized for anti-gay comedy routine.
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.
On Monday, the 42-year-old Morgan
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. He'll also return to Nashville with hip-hop mogul Russell
Simmons to make a public statement in support of gay rights.
Rock, who is known for being
outrageous, suggested to his more than 118,000 followers that Morgan
was simply exercising free speech: “I don't know about you, but I
don't want to live in [a] world where Tracy Morgan can't say foul
inappropriate shit.”
Wayans agreed, telling reporters at the
15th annual Webby Awards: “He has the right to say what
he says. But he has to be a little more responsible and write a
little bit and think more before he does it next time.”
“I don't think he's a homophobe,”
the 38-year-old Wayans added. “I've worked with him. Tracy's a
cool dude. I just think he says dumb stuff.”
Louis C.K., the star of the FX series
Louie, defended Morgan in tweets to followers: “Tracy Morgan
said something wrong, evil, cruel, ignorant and hilarious. He was on
a comedy stage, not a pulpit.”
“It is clear to anyone with an
ability to reason and understand people that he didn't mean a word of
what he said. He was fucking around,” he added.