Tracy Morgan is opening up about his early struggles on “Saturday Night Live,” revealing the challenges he faced as a newcomer on the show.
Morgan, whose tenure on the show spanned from 1996 to 2003, admitted that his earlier days on the program were anything but welcoming. According to his testimony in the new Peacock docuseries “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” which chronicles the show’s history, the comedian faced an uphill battle finding his place.
“I wanted to show them my world, how funny it was,” Morgan said. “But the first three years, I felt like I was being culturally isolated sometimes.”
The actor, who is originally from New York City’s Bronx borough, shared that he comes from a world of Black culture and wanted to infuse that unique perspective into the iconic show.
“I’m an inner-city kid. To be on the whitest show in America, I felt by myself. I felt like they weren’t getting it,” Morgan said.
The tide turned, however, when Morgan had a pivotal conversation with the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels.
“Lorne Michaels had that talk with me,” Morgan said. “He said, ‘Tracy, I hired you because you’re funny, not because you’re Black. So just do your thing.’ And that’s when I started doing my thing.”
In the docuseries, Morgan joins several former cast members for a trip down memory lane, revisiting his old audition tape for the show. As he watched, Morgan reflected on how he never fully understood what Michaels and the “SNL” team saw in him, but they “saw something.”
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Morgan’s story is all the more remarkable given the near-fatal car accident he survived in 2014. After spending two weeks in a coma, the actor was given a second chance at life. On the 10th anniversary of the crash, the “30 Rock” alum shared a message with People magazine.
“Today is 10 years since our fateful accident, and I want to say to everyone who was in the van with me that night I Love you, and we miss you, Uncle Jimmy Mac and God bless your family,” the comedian said, referring to his late collaborator and mentor, James McNair, who died in the crash. “And to the driver that night and his family, me and my comrades forgive you.”