I don’t mean to defend Tracy Morgan’s comments too much, because he said a lot of reprehensible things that aren’t vindicated by any humor (since they weren’t funny, except maybe to homophobes). However, I believe the ‘I would stab my son’ comments which many hold to be the worst of his comments were not just about stabbing his son if he was gay, but was specifically if his son was gay and didn’t stand up to bullies. It doesn’t really help the humor much, and it doesn’t make the comment not homophobic, but it does add a little context.

The guy definitely fucked up and should have known better, but I do think it’s possible that Morgan was doing his common schtick of a guy with somewhat crazy views, and he took it too far. It doesn’t necessarily mean he is the same as the character he portrays as himself on stage; just like Carroll O’Connor didn’t agree with the views he espoused as Archie Bunker. The analogy isn’t perfect… Bunker was clearly a fictional character and Morgan is a real person, but I think many comedians adopt a different, more extreme personality when they’re on the stage. In this case, Morgan let his go too far, maybe testing boundaries.

Or maybe he really does hold those opinions and is a reprehensible person for it. I don’t know, but most of you don’t either. It’s up to you if his acts of contrition redeem him in your eyes, but I for one am reluctant to assume that I could gain a deep insight into a man’s moral fiber from a single stand-up performance that went awry.