Tracy Morgan Recalls Feeling 'Culturally Isolated' During First Years on 'SNL'

For 50 years, Saturday Night Live has been America's top comedy variety show. But in revisiting his time on SNL, former cast member Tracy Morgan shared that during his first three years on the show, it didn't feel inclusive to him.

The actor-comedian, who joined SNL in 1996 during its 22nd season, discussed his experience in the new Peacock docuseries SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night.

"I wanted to show them my world, how funny it was. But the first three years, I felt like I was being culturally isolated sometimes," Morgan said, per People.

He continued, "I’m coming from a world of Blacks. I’m an inner-city kid. To be on the whitest show in America, I felt by myself. I felt like they weren’t getting it."

But after feeling that he had to water down his authenticity to fit the SNL standard, Morgan had a conversation with SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

"He said, 'Tracy, I hired you because you’re funny, not because you’re Black. So just do your thing.' And that’s when I started doing my thing," Morgan said.

The Bronx native was the ninth Black comic to join SNL, succeeding the likes of Garrett Morris, Eddie Murphy, Damon Wayans and Chris Rock. Morgan would return to guest host SNL twice.

Wayans also spoke about his brief season 11 time on SNL 50 and explained that after having his sketch ideas repeatedly shut down, he intentionally got himself fired.

"Eddie’s advice to me was, 'Write your own sketches. Otherwise, they’re going to give you some Black people shit to do, and you ain’t gon' like it,'" Wayans said, according to Variety.

"Everything Eddie said came true," Wayans continued, detailing that the sketches brought to him were culturally offensive. "I’m like, 'Hell nah! My mother’s gonna watch this show. I can’t do this. I won’t do this.'"