Tracy Morgan is stirring up some controversy for recent remarks he made about teachers — and he tried to drag Saturday Night Live breakout star Marcello Hernández into the mess.
The two comedians were paired up for Variety & CNN’s latest Actors on Actors series, where they sat down and discussed each of their rises to fame, leading Hernández, 28, to talk about how he used to get in trouble for “mischief” in school while growing up in Miami.
The 30 Rock alum, 57, responded, “You know who gave you that voice? No, they didn’t understand you. You had a sense of humor. And they couldn’t control that. God gave that to you.” Hernández agreed: “And now look at it. I’m getting paid for mischief.”
Morgan then proceeded to take a dig at teachers and the education system, stating, “And they still making minimum wage,” before taking a sip of his drink.
Hernández, who seemed slightly taken aback by the remark, laughed and said, “No.”
However, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins star continued: “You know how much them teachers probably making right now?”
Hernández appeared to try to get the conversation back on track, saying, “Man, not enough.”
But Morgan then went in and landed his insult, saying, “And I can’t stand teachers. You know why? Because they have a ceiling. They have a limit. That’s all they ever gonna be. Man, I teach my kids, sky’s the limits.”
The comment prompted Hernández to do a spit take.
Although teachers’ wages vary depending on location and experience, the national average public school teacher salary is around $74,495, according to the National Education Association. Data from the NEA shows that educators are widely underpaid, which has led to teacher strikes campaigning for better pay amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Morgan’s remarks about teachers, whether he was joking or not, did not land with his audience on social media as the clip was met with instant criticism.
“Out of touch comedic Minute men have no place talking about essential workers,” one person wrote on X. Another slammed, “This is nasty. A lot of comedians are awful people. Teachers don’t make minimum wage. They are underpaid and have to deal with bad kids and dumb a** parents like him.”
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One person wrote: “Tracy Morgan belittling ALL teachers & slandering them based on a personal experience is the definition of ignorance. It’s unfortunate that some people will take his opinion and use it as ANOTHER justification for denying investment in public education. Ignorance is dangerous.”
Morgan and Hernández did not immediately return The Independent’s request for comment.