Tracy Morgan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tracy Morgan
Morgan in 2009
Born	(1968-11-10) November 10, 1968 (age 56) Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Years active	1988–present
Genres	Observational comedy cringe comedy sketch comedy racial humor satire
Subject(s)	African-American culture race relations racism marriage family self-deprecation current events
Spouse	Sabina Morgan ​ ​ (m. 1987; div. 2009)​ Megan Wollover ​ ​ (m. 2015; div. 2020)​
Children	4
Relative(s)	Nas (cousin)

Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is known for his funny roles on TV shows and in movies.

Tracy was a cast member on the TV show Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2003. He also played Tracy Jordan in the sitcom 30 Rock from 2006 to 2013. Both of these roles earned him nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award. Later, he starred as Tray Barker in the comedy show The Last O.G.

Early Life and Beginnings

Where Did Tracy Morgan Grow Up?

Tracy Morgan was born on November 10, 1968, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. He is the second of five children. His mother, Alicia, was a homemaker. His father, James Morgan Jr IV, was a musician who left the family when Tracy was six. Tracy is also the third cousin of the famous rapper Nas.

Tracy's father named him Tracy to honor a friend who was killed in the Vietnam War.

How Did Tracy Morgan Start Comedy?

As a child, Tracy was sometimes bullied. He went to DeWitt Clinton High School. In 1985, during his last year of high school, he learned his father was very ill. His father passed away in January 1987 at age 38.

Tracy married his girlfriend Sabina that same year. He left high school just before graduating to help care for his father. Tracy faced tough times and struggled to make money. However, he started earning money by performing comedy on the streets. This happened after his best friend was sadly murdered. Tracy said in 2009 that his friend had encouraged him to do comedy. He felt a strong need to succeed after his friend's death.

Tracy's stand-up comedy career became successful. He was able to move to a nicer community in Riverdale, away from a difficult apartment near Yankee Stadium.

Tracy Morgan's Career Highlights

Early TV Roles

Tracy Morgan first appeared on screen as Hustle Man in the sitcom Martin. His character sold various items and always greeted people with "What's happ'n, chief?" He even had a pet dog dressed like a rapper.

Tracy was also a regular on Uptown Comedy Club. This was a sketch-comedy show filmed in Harlem that aired from 1992 to 1994.

Saturday Night Live Years

Tracy Morgan joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 1996. He was a regular performer until 2003. The show's producer, Lorne Michaels, chose him for the cast.

Tracy played many memorable characters on SNL. These included Woodrow, a kind but confused homeless man. He also played Dominican Lou, an outspoken apartment maintenance man. Another popular character was Astronaut Jones, who made funny, bold suggestions to alien ladies. He also hosted Safari Planet as Brian Fellow, who was excited but didn't know much about animals.

Tracy also did impressions of famous people like Della Reese and Little Richard. He returned to host SNL in 2009 and 2015. He also made a guest appearance in 2011.

The Tracy Morgan Show and 30 Rock

In 2003, Tracy had his own sitcom called The Tracy Morgan Show. It ran for one season. That same year, he was on an episode of Punk'd, a show where celebrities are pranked.

From 2006 to 2013, Tracy was a main cast member on the TV series 30 Rock. He played the character Tracy Jordan, who was a funny version of himself. His work on 30 Rock was highly praised. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2009 for his role. He returned to the role in July 2020 for a special reunion episode.

Recent Work

In 2018, Tracy Morgan began starring in the TBS series The Last O.G.. The show ran for four seasons until 2021.

Tracy also performed in a stand-up special called One Mic on Comedy Central. He has lent his voice to animated shows and movies. He was Spoonie Luv on Crank Yankers and Woof in Where My Dogs At?. He also voiced Luis in the animated film Rio.

Tracy has appeared in commercials for sports video games like NFL 2K. He also acted in Adam Sandler's film The Longest Yard.

In July 2019, he hosted the ESPYs, a sports awards show, in Los Angeles. In 2022, the New York Friars Club gave Tracy Morgan the Entertainment Icon Award. He was the ninth person to receive this award and the first Black recipient.

It was announced in May 2025 that Tracy Morgan would star in a new TV series called The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. He will act alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Erika Alexander.

Who Inspired Tracy Morgan?

Tracy Morgan has said that many comedians influenced him. Some of his main inspirations include Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Jackie Gleason, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, and Richard Pryor.

Tracy Morgan's Personal Life

Family Life

Tracy Morgan married his high school girlfriend, Sabina, in 1987. They had three sons together. They separated for about eight years before Tracy filed for divorce in August 2009. Tracy has said that one of his sons helped him overcome a past struggle with alcohol. He also mentioned in 2009 that he was not close with his mother and most of his family.

Later, Tracy dated Tanisha Hall. She generously donated one of her kidneys to him in December 2010.

In September 2011, Tracy announced his engagement to model Megan Wollover. They had their first child, a daughter, in New York City on July 2, 2013. Tracy and Megan got married on August 23, 2015. They filed for divorce in July 2020.

In 2023, on the show Finding Your Roots, Tracy discovered he is third cousins with the American rapper Nas.

Health and Well-being

In 1996, Tracy was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. He also struggled with alcohol for many years. Tracy has shared that some of his personal challenges were even included in 30 Rock episodes. In December 2010, Tracy received a kidney transplant due to his diabetes and past alcohol use. He admitted that he didn't take his diabetes seriously at first. However, he later realized that managing it was a matter of life or death.

In August 2023, Tracy mentioned on the show Today with Hoda & Jenna that he was using a medication called semaglutide to help with his health. In March 2024, he joked on Conan about "out-eating Ozempic" and gaining weight. However, he later clarified that he was just kidding and that the medication had helped him.

On March 17, 2025, while watching an NBA basketball game, Tracy experienced food poisoning. He joked on Instagram that the New York Knicks were now undefeated when he got sick on the court.

His Autobiography

On October 20, 2009, Tracy Morgan's autobiography, I Am the New Black, was released. The book shares stories about his life. It covers growing up in the Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on National Public Radio's Fresh Air to talk about his book. He became emotional when discussing his past life in a New York neighborhood.

2014 Car Accident

On June 7, 2014, Tracy Morgan was a passenger in a minibus that was in a serious six-vehicle crash in New Jersey. The accident happened just after 1:00 AM on the New Jersey Turnpike. A Walmart truck hit the minibus from behind, causing a chain reaction. Tracy and three other comedians were returning from a show. Sadly, Tracy's friend and fellow comedian, 62-year-old James McNair, was killed in the crash.

Tracy was flown by helicopter to a hospital. He had a broken leg, a broken nose, a traumatic brain injury, and several broken ribs. He had surgery on his leg on June 8. On June 20, 2014, Tracy was moved to a rehabilitation facility to continue recovering. He was released from rehab on July 12, 2014.

The driver of the Walmart truck, Kevin Roper, pleaded not guilty to charges related to the crash. Investigations suggested that Roper might have been very tired.

On July 10, 2014, Tracy Morgan sued Walmart for negligence. The lawsuit claimed that Walmart should have known the driver was too tired to drive safely. Walmart later claimed that Tracy and the other victims were partly to blame for not wearing seat belts. However, Tracy and his lawyers denied this. They pointed out that the truck driver had been charged with serious offenses.

By October 2014, Tracy was still in rehab and needed a wheelchair for longer distances. On May 27, 2015, Walmart settled the lawsuit for a large amount of money. It was estimated to be around $90 million US dollars.

On June 1, 2015, Tracy made his first public appearance since the crash. He was interviewed on the Today show. He seemed clear-headed but said he had "good days and bad days" and sometimes forgot things. He also mentioned getting headaches and having no memory of the crash itself.

Tracy made a surprise appearance at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 20, 2015, and received a standing ovation. He then hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live on October 17, 2015. On November 3, 2016, Tracy said on Conan that he had forgiven the truck driver. The driver, Kevin Roper, accepted a plea deal. He pleaded guilty but did not serve jail time. He was sentenced to pay fines, do community service, and serve probation. Tracy's 2017 Netflix stand-up special, Staying Alive, joked about Walmart and the lawsuit. It also talked about his time in the hospital and his recovery.

Awards and Nominations

• Emmy Awards
  • 2009, Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
  • 2016, Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, Saturday Night Live
• Image Awards
  • 2007, Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock
  • 2008, Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, 30 Rock

Film and Television Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Images for kids

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  Morgan on stage during Opie and Anthony's Traveling Virus Comedy Tour in 2006

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  Morgan performing stand-up in 2008.

See also

In Spanish: Tracy Morgan para niños