It’s a rule of late night: If you’re going to interview Tracy Morgan, you better be on your A-game. The standup comedian and “30 Rock” star went on “The Tonight Show” ostensibly to promote his 2024 comedy tour and the Garden Of Laughs Comedy Benefit. What happened instead was a wide-ranging interview that covered everything from burning down New York and Morgan’s past selling coke to the comedian challenging Fallon to return to standup.
Immediately, “The Tonight Show” interview veered away from the packaged laughs and prepared stories late night is known for. “You look good, buddy,” Fallon told his former “Saturday Night Live” castmate. “How are you staying in shape these days?”
“Oh, that’s Ozempic,” Morgan said. “I ate Ozempic. I gained 40 pounds … I’m like Magic Johnson, I gained 40 pounds.”
Fallon then tried to guide Morgan away from talking about his love for Dominican women by bringing up the comedian’s other love: the New York Knicks.
“This is New York City. When the New York Knicks win the championship, we’re gonna burn this town down,” Morgan excitedly proclaimed.
“No, no, no, no, no, we’re not,” Fallon said.
“It’s coming down to the ground. This is New York City. This is where the monkey fell off the building. Do you know that Jim? Do you realize that King Kong died here? Son of Sam was born here,” Morgan continued. “The Marshmallow man walked through here.”
Morgan then zoomed in on The Roots’ keyboard player James Poyser, telling him that he “better not get on crack” or he would be selling his keyboard for $12. That wasn’t the only time Morgan brought up hard drugs. While talking about his past working at the old Yankees Stadium, Morgan said he sold souvenirs and pretzels, scalped tickets and that he sold cocaine, “and not in that order.”
“And then Boston fans came to town because they love that booger sugar,” Morgan said.
But Morgan’s most interesting insights had to do with comedy. It was around this time that Fallon seemed to settle into the groove of the interview, letting Morgan guide the conversation rather than forcing it to go a certain direction.
Repeatedly, Morgan emphasized that he returned to standup because it’s the “foundation” of comedy. “Women know what’s funny at the premise before men. Men have ego,” Morgan said. “What a woman loves in a man most of all is a sense of humor … I used to laugh them right out of their panties.”
Fallon then confided to Morgan that he’s been thinking of returning to standup “a little bit.”
“I don’t know why you left anyway,” Morgan said. “You gotta get back on stage, that’s the foundation. Jimmy listen, there’s a difference between doing comedy and being funny. Richard Pryor was funny. That’s the spirit. You never lose the spirit of funny. That’s your audience. That’s the most important foundation. It’s not about you. So what you scared of? It’s about them laughing and having a good time.”
The interview then ended with Morgan taking the stage to perform “My Prerogative” after Fallon joked that the comedian’s mic placement made him look like Bobby Brown. It wasn’t long before The Roots joined in and the audience started clapping along. Watch the full interview above.
