Tracy Morgan Wins Acting Award Amid Controversy

Tracy Morgan may be under fire in the U.S. for anti-gay remarks made during a June 3 stand-up appearance, but he’s still in good standing in Europe. The 30 Rock star was named outstanding actor in a comedy series at the 51st Monte Carlo Television Festival’s Golden Nymph Awards on Friday night.

Morgan was not at the event, which also feted Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm and gave Lionsgate its outstanding drama series producer award for the AMC series. Other U.S. properties feted at the international gathering included Desperate Housewives and the Bold and the Beautiful.

STORY: Tracy Morgan Goes on Anti-Gay Tirade at Nashville Show

Morgan’s prize was announced around the same time that NBC brass and 30 Rock creator Tina Fey were in damage control mode over Morgan’s on-stage declaration that he’d “pull out a knife and stab” his son if he were gay.

Related Stories

TV

Tina Fey Says She and Tim Meadows Will Appear in 'Mean Girls' Musical Movie

TV

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Are Heading Out on Tour

Both the Peacock’s entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt and Fey issued statements on Friday condemning Morgan’s words, which the comedian had apologized for earlier in the day.

STORY: Tina Fey, NBC Apologize for Tracy Morgan’s Anti-Gay Comments.

Greenblatt said, “Tracy’s comments reflect negatively on both 30 Rock and NBC – two very all-inclusive and diverse organizations – and we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated.”

Fey’s response was in clear support of the gay and lesbian community. She wrote, “Stand-up comics may have the right to ‘work out’ their material in its ugliest and rawest form in front of an audience, but the violent imagery of Tracy’s rant was disturbing to me at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the GLBT Community.

“I hope for his sake that Tracy’s apology will be accepted as sincere by his gay and lesbian co-workers 30 Rock, without whom Tracy would not have lines to say, clothes to wear, sets to stand on, scene partners to act with, or a printed-out paycheck from accounting to put in his pocket.”