Tracy Morgan Says '30 Rock' Was the Show That 'Saved' Him

"Being on that show kept me busy. I was sober then. I was able to do Tracy Jordan without having to have a drink."

Tracy Morgan
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Image via Getty/Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan

Tracy Morgan

Without his hilarious role as 30 Rock's Tracy Jordan, there's no telling where Tracy Morgan might be today. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Morgan explained that the series had a huge impact on him. 

"Being on that show kept me busy. I was sober then. I was able to do Tracy Jordan without having to have a drink," he explained. "Tina Fey saw me partying at the after-parties of Saturday Night Live, so she [drew from] that. I didn’t have to be in the picture—I could paint the picture. I got crazy without actually having to drink. And that saved me."

Aside from being one of the funniest comedians ever, Morgan is a resilient fighter. Back in 2014, he was in a six-vehicle crash that killed Morgan's friend and fellow comedian, James McNair. Morgan himself was seriously hurt with a broken leg and femur, broken nose, and several broken ribs. After surgery, he was in a coma for two weeks and woke up to much needed physical and mental rehabilitation after suffering from traumatic brain injury. Now, four years later, he has a Netflix comedy specials, aptly titled Staying Alive, under his belt and a film with Taraji P. Henson, called What Men Want on the way. He's even making jokes about Black Panther's creators stealing the concept from his own hero, Black Bobcat.

Morgan is also starring in his own series,The Last O.G., with Tiffany Haddish, which airs on TBS on April 3 at 10:30 p.m. EST.

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