Tracy Morgan says his family thanks first responders every day: 'We love you'

The comedian has been an outspoken advocate for the health care community.

May 15, 2020, 11:16 AM

Every evening, comedian Tracy Morgan and his family loudly share their gratitude to those working the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tracy Morgan and his daughter Maven Sonae Morgan appear on "The View" Friday, May 15, 2020.
ABC

What started as a way for New Yorkers to share their thanks for medical and front-line workers quickly spread across the nation. At 7 p.m. each day, New York residents fill the empty streets with the sound of applause and cheers to thank doctors, nurses, police, grocery and restaurant staffers, delivery people, and other essential workers fighting on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

"Every day at seven o'clock me and my family, we start banging pots and pans and we clap for them... we clap for them every day at seven o'clock," Morgan said said on "The View" Friday from his home in New Jersey.

"Me and my family, we love you," Morgan said of front-line workers while his 6-year-old daughter Maven Sonae Morgan sat on his lap. "You're doing a great job and thank you very much, and may God bless you and your family."

Ever since the comedian's near-fatal car accident, he's been an outspoken advocate for the health care community.

In 2014, a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike struck the bus Morgan was riding in. The accident left Morgan seriously injured and in a coma for eight days with a traumatic brain injury. His friend, comedian James McNair, didn't survive the collision.

In April 2019, Morgan opened up to co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who was still recovering from pneumonia at the time, about his outlook on life following the accident.

"You don't have to have pneumonia. You don't have to get hit by a truck. You don't have to get shot. You don't have to get stabbed," Morgan said. "You God forbid lay down in your bed and just not wake up, so your best bet is to just run your race."

"All you can do is love back. That's all you can do," he continued. "That's what we [are] here for... You woke up this morning so you have to thank God, and love each other."

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