NBC Chairman of Entertainment Robert Greenblatt and "30 Rock" executive producer Tina Fey issued statements lamenting series star Tracy Morgan's anti-gay remarks at a recent stand-up performance, which went viral after an attendee posted them on Facebook.
But they didn't boot him off the show -- yet.
Noting that Morgan's remarks reflect negatively on NBC and "30 Rock," Greenblatt stressed that "we have made it clear to him that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated."
Fey called the remarks "disturbing at a time when homophobic hate crimes continue to be a life-threatening issue for the GLBT Community." She added that they don't "line up with the Tracy Morgan I know, who is not a hateful man and is generally much too sleepy and self-centered to ever hurt another person."
She, like Greenblatt, called "30 Rock" a diverse workplace.
Read the Full Statements: NBC to Tracy Morgan: 'This Behavior Won't Be Tolerated'
The comments followed a day of controversy once the remarks hit the news. Last Saturday, Morgan joked onstage about stabbing his son to death if he were gay and talked to him effeminately.
He apologized, but gay and lesbian advocacy groups say the apology isn't enough.
Openly gay actor George Takei, meanwhile, called Morgan a "a sad, strange man." Takei also asked how an African-American who may have suffered bigotry could perpetuate it himself.
Also read: George Takei Calls Tracy Morgan a 'Sad, Strange Man'
"I want to apologize to my fans and the gay & lesbian community for my choice of words at my recent stand-up act in Nashville," Morgan said in a statement to the Huffington Post.
"I’m not a hateful person and don’t condone any kind of violence against others," he added. "While I am an equal opportunity jokester, and my friends know what is in my heart, even in a comedy club this clearly went too far and was not funny in any context."
Also read: Tracy Morgan Talks Sarah Palin Again: 'She's a MILF'
A gay man who attended Morgan's performance in Nashville Saturday recounted Morgan's remarks on Facebook. They appear to be far more extreme than the remark that got Isaiah Washington, the last primetime star accused of such homophobic comments, fired from "Grey's Anatomy." (Co-star T.R. Knight said Washington used an anti-gay slur against him; Washington denied it, and said he used it during a disagreement with Patrick Dempsey. He also went to rehab and spoke out against hate speech.)
Morgan, who is known for outlandish behavior and sometimes tasteless comments, has one advantage that could help him ride out the coming barrage of criticism: "30 Rock" doesn't return to NBC until midseason.
Morgan's "30 Rock" co-star Alec Baldwin tweeted only: "Oh that Tracy."
Advocacy groups weren't so taciturn."At a time when bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth is at an all-time high – when kids are being assaulted, are dying – to joke about committing violence against a child is outrageous and reprehensible," Jody Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said in a statement Friday.
