Since the tragic car crash in June of 2014 that severely injured Tracy Morgan and killed his friend James McNair, the brash comedian has largely stayed out of the limelight. He made an emotional appearance on the Today show a few months ago, showing the progress he had made with physical, speech, and cognitive therapy specialists. When asked about a return to comedy, he said, “Right now, my goal is just to heal and get better because I’m not 100 percent yet. But when I’m there, you’ll know it.”
This past weekend, he took another big step in his recovery, appearing on stage for the first time since the accident at the Emmys. He presented the award for Outstanding Drama Series and cracked a few typically offensive Tracy Morgan jokes, which thrilled his former 30 Rock co-star Tina Fey. Via Entertainment Weekly:
“We both got very emotional,” Fey told EW after Sunday’s telecast. “We were hugging and stuff. I was glad he was able to right himself and go out [and speak]. I was so happy there was a joke in there!”
…
Fey was proud of her old buddy. “I really thought he was going to be sincere and everybody loves him and then he dug out a joke,” Fey said. “He’s really been through something terrible. For him to have survived this is nothing short of a miracle.”
No one knew that Tracy Morgan was going to show up at the Emmys, not even friends like Tina Fey. The producers of the show went to great lengths to keep his appearance secret, resorting to code names to make sure no one even mentioned Tracy Morgan by accident. The ruse worked, and Tracy was able to surprise everyone with his heartfelt speech in what has to be the most genuine moment you may ever see at a Hollywood awards show.
And for those looking forward to seeing more jokes from Morgan, he’ll be hosting Saturday Night Live on October 17.
(via Entertainment Weekly)
