The Friars Club honored Tracy Morgan at the Entertainment Icon Award Gala on May 26th at Manhattan’s Ziegfeld Ballroom.
Morgan becomes the ninth winner of the award, joining past recipients such as Douglas Fairbanks, Tony Bennett, Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, and the most recent, Billy Crystal. The Gala served as the club’s first big event after receiving new renovations and gaining new leadership. Some notable guests in attendance were Friars Club Dean Auther Aidala, Sherri Shepherd, JB Smoove, Cielo Green, Mayor Eric Adams, Mayor Bill De Blasio, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Joe Gatto, etc. In Addition to honoring Morgan, the event also paid tribute to late Friars Club members Betty White and Bob Saget.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jermey Labled
The Knockturnal spoke with Morgan about the Entertainment Icon Award and his thoughts on being honored. A portion of the proceeds went to his charity, Stand Up to Cancer, stating, “my father died of AIDS, and my first wife died of cancer. So those are the two charities that I represent, and I want people to not go through what they went through.”
This award will be another added accomplishment to Morgan’s career as an actor, and standup comedian, along with his eight seasons on Saturday Night Live.