In one of the most genuinely poignant moments from Sunday's Emmy ceremony, Tracy Morgan made a surprise appearance to present the Best Drama Series winner.
The comedian was involved in a car accident in June 2014 that left him in a coma for eight days. Since then, he has been on a slow road to recovery and has made very few public appearances, except for an interview he did with Matt Lauer this past June, nearly a year after the accident.
However, Sunday's ceremony marked his first time back onstage in over a year.
Morgan opened up about his decision to return to comedy in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
According to Morgan, the initial idea to speak at the Emmys came from his publicist Lewis Kay.
"[Kay] said, "What you want to do is let Hollywood welcome you home." And I loved that idea. I loved the idea of getting back with my community, the show business community. I loved it." Morgan told The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite the devastating accident and the long road to recovery, Morgan believes it is necessary that he returns to comedy. He sees it as his way of "giving back." Morgan says this powerful message was given to him by "Saturday Night Live" creator Lorne Michaels.
"I sat on that for a year, and I finally got to say thank you. And now with my community, this is my way of saying, 'Thank you for your support, and I love you.'" Morgan said. "And then we can get back to business, and we get back to making the world laugh. That's what I learned from Lorne Michaels."
Morgan was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" from 1996 until 2003. He starred as Tracy Jordan in the Tina Fey-created, Lorne Michaels-produced "30 Rock." As part of his comeback, Morgan will also host an upcoming episode of "Saturday Night Live."
"A month, month and a half ago, I was speaking to Lorne Michaels. I love Lorne Michaels like I love my dad. I'm very close to him. The conversation got kind of emotional, and I said, 'Lorne, I want to come home.'" Morgan said. "And [Michaels] said, 'The door's open.' So I'm hosting."
Tracy Morgan is set to host "Saturday Night Live" on October 17, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment