Getty Tracy Morgan (L) and Bill Hader attend the 70th Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
Tracy Morgan is the host for the 27th annual ESPY Awards Wednesday night in Los Angeles. The former cast member for “Saturday Night Live” accepted the gig with his trademark absurdist humor.
“I am very excited to be hosting The ESPYs,” Morgan said in a statement. “I hope my Uncle Sidney Poitier is there with my biological father Tony Dorsett and my second cousin Herschel Walker. And Bo Jackson, I want my two dollars back!”
Morgan, 50, is the second-oldest host in the history of the show. Samuel L. Jackson, who has hosted a record four times, was 60 during his last gig in 2009. Morgan was born on Nov. 10, 1968 in the Bronx.
He very nearly didn’t make it to today. In June 2014, he nearly lost his life after a Walmart truck crashed into his limo van at 75 miles per hour. He lost his friend James McNair and entered into a coma for two weeks.
According to CNN, Morgan said he “went to the other side” while he was in his coma and that God told him his time on Earth wasn’t finished yet.
“This is not something I’m making up,” Morgan said. “Do you know what God said to me? He said, ‘Your room ain’t ready. I still got something for you to do.’ And here I am, doing an interview with you.”
He slowly worked his way back into the spotlight. He starred in small roles in movies such as “Top Five” and “The Night Before.” He made a successful turn as a host on SNL in 2015. Now, he is about to enter his third season as star on TBS’ “The Last O.G.,” which premiered to record cable ratings in 2018.
How Tall is Tracy Morgan?
According to his IMDB page, Morgan stands at 5-foot-8 and a half, or 1.74-meters. This is significantly taller than last year’s host Danica Patrick, who is just 5-foot-2. However, this is shorter than every other host except for Dennis Miller, who ran the inaugural show in 1993.
The tallest hosts have been the 6-foot-5 Peyton Manning and the 6-foot-4 Joel McHale. Obviously, the former was an NFL quarterback, but McHale himself was a walk-on tight end on the 1993 Washington Husky football team that went to the Rose Bowl.
Morgan was a sprinter in the 100 and 200-meter dashes in high school before focusing on stand-up comedy in the last 80s.
The New Yorker described his arms as short in a May 2019 profile about Morgan and “The Last O.G.”
“When ‘The Last O.G.’ appeared, you said, ‘What is this?’ ” he continued. “And now you’re here, writing about it. That’s how different it is. This is not a show about the community. This is a show starring the community.” Then, pointing at me with one of his short, solid arms: “Print that!”
Morgan has consistently made light of his body throughout his years in comedy. He ran without his shirt in several episodes of “30 Rock,” and even allowed other comedians to poke fun at his weight in a short scene from Chris Rock’s 2014 film “Top Five.”