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Tracy Morgan said Friday that he was sorry for telling an audience in Nashville, Tenn., that if his son were gay, he would “pull out a knife and stab” him.

The comedian and “30 Rock” actor apologized to his fans and the gay and lesbian community for what he called “my choice of words” during his June 3 appearance at the Ryman Auditorium.

A Facebook account posted by an audience member said Morgan’s stand-up performance was full of homophobic references. The Ryman issued its own apology afterward for Morgan’s behavior.

Morgan’s outbursts triggered heated comment on Twitter, making him a “trending” topic Thursday and Friday.

Meanwhile, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation called on Morgan to remove anti-gay remarks from his show “and send a strong message that anti-gay violence is not something to joke about.”

The Human Rights Campaign said apologizing wasn’t enough. The gay civil rights organization it said Morgan “now has a responsibility to make amends for his horribly hurtful and dangerous `comedy’ routine.”

In his statement, Morgan, who has three sons, denied being a hateful person and acknowledged that “even in a comedy club” what he said went too far “and was not funny in any context.”

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is recovering from a kidney transplant undergone earlier this month, his publicist said in a statement on Monday.

Morgan, 42, will miss at least two episodes of the television show, “30 Rock”, in which he co-stars with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin and plays a caricature of his own days on “Saturday Night Live.” His successful transplant occurred around December 10.

“Tracy is doing well and taking some much needed time to recover after the surgery,” said the statement. “He is looking forward to going back to work after the holidays.”

Morgan was diagnosed with diabetes nearly 15 years ago, but said in his first “30 Rock” season he did not take the disease seriously. The episodes Morgan will miss are due to air in March.

Fans expecting to see Tracy Jordan at Tracy Morgan’s Carnegie Hall performance Friday night got a rude awakening.

The bawdy comedian packed the venerable performance venue with fans expecting his “30 Rock” character’s prime-time humor. But minutes after Morgan started his routine, many walked out in disgust.

It turns out that some New Yorkers really can’t take a joke — especially when it’s unspeakably filthy.

“People seemed to not be laughing at his jokes, but more because they were shocked and appalled with what was coming out of his mouth,” reports one audience member. Morgan talked trash about homosexuality (saying it’s “a choice,” which drew gasps), drugs, pornography and what he calls “politricks” — far edgier subjects than what his alter ego, Jordan, gets air time for.

“There was a continuous flow of people getting up and leaving throughout the show,” our spy reports, adding that many in the crowd clearly didn’t know what they were getting themselves into. Middle-aged women were the most flabbergasted when he started mimicking explicit sex acts on stage.

When Morgan found something shocking, he held onto it for minutes on end.

Some of the controversial jabs he made included a set about the First Family.

“Obama is really changing the White House, because he and Michelle will have the first presidential sex tape out,” he said to a stunned crowd.

Morgan did better at his second try on politics, saying he wouldn’t vote for Mayor Bloomberg because all he does is go to Yankee games — a gag that seemed to at least draw a hoot from the crowd.

The comedian has made his name off his eyebrow-raising opinions — most recently, he recounted his sordid life story of sex, drugs and strip clubs in a tell-all, “I Am the New Black.”

Despite a reputation for outrageous behavior during TV interviews, he made a mainstream comedy comeback when Tina Fey tapped him for “30 Rock” in 2006.

No one knew better than Morgan himself that the crowd got more than they bargained for. At one point Friday night, he addressed shocked showgoers, saying, “You want the clean Tracy? Turn on the TV.”

Still, not everyone was horrified by the spectacle.

Spike Lee, John Singleton and “Rock” co-star Jane Krakowski were all in the audience— and gave a standing ovation.

(source)