Tracy Morgan Takes Down Jussie Smollett On ‘The Tonight Show’

Tracy Morgan sat down with The Tonight Show host and fellow Saturday Night Live alum to talk about his latest gig: a new role on Empire. “Contractually, all I have to do is fake a hate crime,” Morgan said with a straight face. Obviously, Morgan did not really get a role on Empire, he was just taking a dig at Jussie Smollett and the story about his alleged assault that has been fueling headlines lately.

While Fallon did his signature giggling, Morgan exclaimed “Jussie!” and let out his own laugh to defuse the situation. “You don’t buy that story?” Fallon asked.

“Nah man,” replied Morgan. “First of all, racist people don’t be jumping nobody in the polar vortex.”

This was followed by more of Fallon’s giggles. Morgan said that racist people don’t watch Empire and that it was too cold for the attack and that racists like to be “racist in the spring.”

The Smollett case and subsequent fallout have been taking up space in pop culture, entertainment and the news since the Empire actor claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on Jan. 29. Since then, he was accused of staging the attack, arrested, released on bail and last week all charges against him were dropped. Naturally, everyone from Lee Daniels to Donald Trump to Rahm Emanuel to SNL have chimed in one way or the other on the ordeal. Many are just sitting on the edge of their seat waiting to see what will happen next — just like an episode of Empire.

Watch the clip of Morgan on The Tonight Show above.