Tracy Morgan's 'anti-gay rant': Is his apology enough?

On 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan plays Tracy Jordan, an actor prone to outrageous behavior that often gets him in trouble. Well, his offscreen behavior isn't much different. Morgan has come under fire for an "anti-gay rant" he made at a comedy club in Nashville last week, when he said that if his son was gay, "he would pull out a knife and stab that little n***er to death. Morgan also said that "gays needed to quit being pussies and not be whining about something as insignificant as bullying." On Friday, Morgan issued an apology, saying, "I'm not a hateful person and don't condone any kind of violence against others." Is his apology enough?

No, it's insufficient: Morgan "needs to go further than his apology and correct the record," says Fred Sainz of the Humans Rights Commission, in a statement quoted by the Los Angeles Times. "No one should feel ashamed because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, and they should definitely not become a victim of violence." A mere apology is not enough. Morgan needs to do something meaningful to "make amends for his horribly hurtful and dangerous 'comedy' routine."

"Tracy Morgan apologizes for homophobic rant at Nashville show"

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There's a precedent for not forgiving Morgan: "This apology doesn't exactly ring true," says Michael Jensen at After Elton. "Morgan has spewed such homophobia under the guise of entertainment" before, and this shouldn't be tolerated. When Seinfeld's Michael Richards said horribly racist things during a standup act, Hollywood turned its back on him, and his career never recovered. Morgan deserves the same fate.

"Tracy Morgan apologizes for anti-gay tirade: "I'm not a hateful person." Facts say otherwise."

C'mon, he didn't even need to apologize: While what Morgan said was "outrageous," I don't think he should have apologized, says Jacqueline Burt at The Stir. "If there was a line, he crossed it years ago." He's clearly an "equal-opportunity trash-talker," skewering various races, religions, genders, and sexual orientations — "nothing is sacred." People shouldn't laugh when he makes one kind of offensive joke and then get pissed off when he makes another. "If you're signing up as a Morgan fan, you've got to check those politically correct tendencies at the door."

"Tracy Morgan fans don't deserve his apology"