NEW YORK (AP) — 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."
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
(AP
Photo/Charles Sykes, file)
