Quote of the Day (Sherri Shepherd, About First Working With Tracy Morgan on ’30 Rock’)

“When they picked me up, I had just had ten White Castle cheeseburgers and was really bloated and self-conscious. The first scene was supposed to be me in lingerie during our honeymoon — I called wardrobe, and they really worked with me. Tracy Morgan scared the crap out of me because I had never met with him before. When I walked in, the first thing he said to me was, ‘I like you. I’m going to get you pregnant.’ I was like, I thought that was just a line — you’re serious! He was very flirtatious and fun and weird. We both lived in the Trump building on 60th, and he had a shark tank in his apartment that he was not supposed to have — the guy who played Grizz had given it to him as a gift. One day, the lightbulb exploded, water came down, and all of a sudden it was like Mount Vesuvius in my apartment. I grabbed my wigs, I grabbed some clothes, and I grabbed my son, Jeffrey, all in that order.”— American actress, comedian, author, podcaster, and television personality Sherri Shepherd quoted by Shamira Ibrahim, “The People’s Bestie,” New York Magazine, Sept. 22-Oct. 5, 2025

The image of Sherri Shepherd accompanying this post was taken at the first anniversary celebration for "Hell's Kitchen" on Broadway, Apr. 9, 2025

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ Anticipating a Current Tech Bro)

Jack Donaghy [played by Alec Baldwin]: “Think like a robot. Be logical and dispassionate.”

Liz Lemon [played by Tina Fey]: “Are you okay?”

Jack: “See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Human empathy. It's as useless as the Winter Olympics.” — 30 Rock, Season 4, Episode 4, “Audition Day,” original air date Nov. 5, 2009, teleplay by Tina Fey and Matt Hubbard, directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller

Empathy—or, as Elon Musk put it, in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan in late February, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.”

And, to answer Liz Lemon’s question above, about both Jack and Elon: No, they’re not okay. Their responses tell you why.

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ on a Prerequisite for Serious Acting)

“You couldn't be serious about acting for a living. You have brown hair.” —Jenna Maroney [played by Jane Krakowski, pictured] to Liz Lemon [played by Tina Fey] in 30 Rock, Season 1, Episode 10, “The Rural Juror,” original air date Jan. 11, 2007, teleplay by Matt Hubbard, directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ With ‘Country Jenna’ Foreshadowing ‘Country Carter’)

Jenna Maroney [played by Jane Krakowski]: “Did you hear what happened? I am so upset.”

Liz Lemon [played by Tina Fey]: “Oh, no. Okay, let me explain...”

Jenna: “I came in here to shoot these tennis promos, and they had blue gels on the lights. You know that makes my teeth look see-through. You weren't here to do your job, Liz.”

Liz: “Okay, well, Josh quit.”

Jenna: “Who? Jack's counting on Country Jenna to save the show, but I just want to understand what it is that's distracting you from the one thing you've been told to do.”

Liz: “Really? You wanna know what I've been doing?”

Jenna: “Yes, Liz. Enlighten me.”

Liz: “Jack is hiring a new cast member.”

Jenna [Screaming at the top of her lungs]: “If it is a blonde woman, I will kill myself!” — 30 Rock, Season 4, Episode 1, “Season 4,” original air date Oct. 15, 2009, teleplay by Tina Fey, directed by Don Scardino

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ In Which Jack Defines ‘Ambition’)

“Ambition... is the willingness to kill the things you love and EAT them in order to stay alive. Haven't you ever read my throw pillow?” —Jack Donaghy [played by Alec Baldwin] in 30 Rock, Season 5, Episode 6, “Gentleman's Intermission,” original air date Nov. 4, 2010, teleplay by John Riggi, directed by Don Scardino

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ on Elites That Screw Up)

“What do we elites do when we screw up? We pretend it never happened and give ourselves a giant bonus.” —Jack Donaghy [played by Alec Baldwin] to Liz Lemon [played by Tina Fey] in 30 Rock, Season 3, Episode 8, “Flu Shot,” original air date Jan. 15, 2009, teleplay by Jon Pollack, directed by Don Scardino

This past week witnessed some interesting corollaries to what I call Donaghy’s Law:

*One tech mogul (whose surname rhymes with “Dusk”) who laid staggering debt on the social-media company he acquired, terminated half its workforce, and toyed with the idea of declaring bankruptcy—all within two weeks of taking control; 

*A second tech guru (whose surname rhymes with “Wahlberg”) who decided his social media company would transition to the metaverse and bet heavily that e-commerce revenues would continue to climb, saw earnings drop, told the 11,000 employees he was laying off that he would “take accountability” for his disastrous corporate change in direction—and then did no such thing;

*A third billionaire (whose surname rhymes with “Dump”), anxious to return to a political job he held until a few years ago, who informed an interviewer a few days ago, with a straight face, about the slate of candidates he’d endorsed: “If they win, I should get all the credit, and if they lose, I should not be blamed at all.” (“Did I really just hear that?” I thought to myself after the comment first aired.)

Whatever happened to the quaint notion of CEO responsibility?

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ on Why ‘New York is a Testament to Man's Greatness’)

“We live in the world capital of culture, finance and King Kong attacks. New York is a testament to man's greatness." —Jack Donaghy [played by Alec Baldwin] in 30 Rock, Season 6, Episode 8, “The Tuxedo Begins,” original air date  Feb. 16, 2012, teleplay by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan, directed by John Riggi

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ on What Motivates Jenna)

“I'll do it! But only for the attention.”— Jenna Maroney (played by Jane Krakowski), on 30 Rock, Season 2, Episode 14, “Sandwich Day,” original air date May 1, 2008, teleplay by Robert Carlock and Jack Burditt, directed by Don Scardino

TV Quote of the Day (’30 Rock,’ As Jenna Vents About Mirrors)

“Do you know how many mirrors I've smashed just thinking it was a blond woman mocking me?” —Jenna [played by Jane Krakowski] in 30 Rock, Season 6, Episode 15, “The Shower Principle,” original air date Mar. 29, 2012, teleplay by Tom Ceraulo, directed by Stephen Lee Davis

Quote of the Day (Vinson Cunningham, on Tracy Morgan’s Voice)

“Morgan tends to play characters who, like him, speak in energetic, irreproducible rhythms, jumping from one topic to the next along logical grooves that are not always apparent to his interlocutors…. Morgan's voice is thick and textured, almost syrupy on longer syllables, with an old-school black Brooklyn accent. He erodes consonants, turns simple vowels into unpredictable diphthongs, and takes each new sentence as an opportunity for rococo improvisation. ‘What are we here?’ he asked a crew member, who had no clue what he was talking about until Morgan fixed his lips to form a word that clearly started with the letter ‘F.’ ‘Oh, a family,’ the crew member said.”—Vinson Cunningham, “Profiles: What Are You Laughing At?” The New Yorker, May 13, 2019

A few weeks ago, I heard the distinctive voice of Tracy Morgan that Cunningham captures so perfectly in his New Yorker profile, in, of all places, a drug store in Bergen County, NJ. Searching for an item on the shelves, I was startled by rumbling tones, but couldn’t immediately place this.

I glanced up. Of course! I should have known. The man who made me guffaw through seven seasons of 30 Rock, playing a character not far removed from his own persona, “Tracy Jordan,” an actor-comedian on a late-night weekend variety show, was standing by the counter, chatting with the store’s manager. It wasn’t the first time Morgan had been there, I gathered, since he was asking after a cashier not there at the time.

I have yet to catch Morgan’s latest venture, The Last O.G., nor what sound like his ribald stand-up appearances. But based on Cunningham’s piece—not just the comic’s discussion of his near-fatal highway accident several years ago, but his difficult childhood and youth—he already has the makings of a fascinating memoir, whenever his career slows down enough for him to write it.

In the meantime, I’m awed by what he’s already overcome and hopeful he’ll be able to get through whatever else his life and career may have in store for him.

(Photo of Tracy Morgan taken at New York City's Union Square Barnes & Noble to discuss his book I Am the New Black, Oct.22, 2009, by David Shankbone.)

TV Quote of the Day (‘30 Rock,’ In Which Tracy Experiences Other Dimensions)

“Heavy is the head that eats the crayons.”—Tracy Jordan (played by Tracy Morgan), 30 Rock, Season 3, Episode 18, “Jackie Jormp-Jomp,” original air date Apr. 16, 2009, teleplay by Kay Cannon and Tracey Wigfield, directed by Don Scardino