There are two kinds of people in the world: those who respect the work teachers do and those who do not. Clearly, actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is in the second group.
While doing an Actors on Actors interview opposite fellow Saturday Night Live comedian, Marcello Hernández, the pair discussed what it might have been like to grow up together, to go to school together, and to share the SNL stage.
During the Variety interview, Hernández joked about how he frequently got into trouble in school.
"They told me I did mischief in school. Mischief!"
"I talk too much. I was excessively talking."
While Hernández was making light of the memory, Morgan was critical.
"You know who gave you that voice?"
"They didn't understand you. You had a sense of humor."
"And they couldn't control that. God gave that to you."
Hernández tried to keep it light.
"And now I'm getting paid for mischief!"
Morgan persisted, launching into a hot take that prompted swift backlash.
"And they're still making minimum wage."
Hernández laughed awkwardly, to which Morgan said:
"You know how much teachers probably making right now?"
Hernández advocated:
"Man, not enough."
Morgan ranted:
"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 limit."
You can watch the segment here:
The pushback on Morgan's commentary was immediate, with viewers calling Morgan's take small-minded and elitist.
Some were infuriated by the very small box that Morgan attempted to place teachers in.
Others were disgusted by his comments about salary and calling teachers "minimum wage" workers.
The full Actors on Actors conversation, with more hot takes, can be found here:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
It would be one thing for Morgan to say he could never be a teacher to a classroom full of students, or that he doesn't know how teachers do it, or that teachers are not paid enough for the work they do.
But claiming that teachers are paid "minimum wage" as if that were a moral failing, and suggesting that teachers can never be anything "more" than teachers, as if they do not have interests and responsibilities outside of the classroom, is an extremely limited mindset.
A teacher might even say these comments point to a lack of critical thinking skills, much like Timothée Chalamet's take on ballet.















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