TRACY GETS REAL

Tracy Morgan opens up about life since his near-fatal accident.

It’s been three years since Tracy Morgan nearly died in a horrific crash. A tractor trailer struck the vehicle he was riding in, killing his friend and fellow comedian James Mcnair and leaving Tracy in a coma for two weeks. Now fully recovered, the former 30 Rock star is a changed man. “I

could have lost my life, but I’m here,” the father of four, who wed his longtime love, Megan Wollover, in 2015, tells In Touch. “And I’m going to do it right.” That means getting back to what he does best: making people laugh. At the Turner’s TCA Summer Press Tour in LA, Tracy, 48, shared how he was inspired to create his new TBS comedy series, The Last O.G., while recuperating after the accident — and how he’s embracing his second chance. “I’ve worked hard to come back,” he says. “I’m a fighter, and I fought. I’ve grown up a lot.”

Do you feel like the accident changed you as a person? TM: Spiritually, it brought me closer to God. But I was a believer before that

truck hit me.

Did it change anything about the way you live your life? TM: Of course. The new show is based on that. On The Last O.G., your character has just gotten out of prison after 15 years. How did you come up with it? TM: When I got out of the hospital, I was watching this show on MSNBC called Lockup: Raw. I started twirling around this idea of how these people are incarcerated and how I got a second chance, and I put the two together.

Sounds pretty heavy! TM: It was a general idea. But then my psychiatrist said, “You’ve got to laugh,” so I started watching Key & Peele, and ended up pitching Jordan Peele the idea — and voilà!

Anything you tried to keep in mind while making the show? TM: The thing about comedy is, when people take it too seriously, it isn’t funny! We have to enjoy one another.

It sounds like you’re doing really well. TM: I’m doing fine. I don’t know how I’m going to be feeling tomorrow, but that’s none of my business. Right now, I feel great! ◼