Tracy Morgan Cancels Mississippi Show in Protest of So-Called "Religious Freedom" Law

The bill, which has caused waves of controversy across the country, allows some businesses to openly discriminate due to their personal religious beliefs.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Tracy Morgan has canceled his forthcoming appearance at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, joining a growing number of artists in protest of Mississippi's so-called "religious freedom" bill. Morgan, who is currently on the road for his Picking Up the Piecesstand-up tour, was originally scheduled to perform in Tunica on Apr. 29. A representative for the 30 Rock star issued a statement to WLOX  on Tuesday condemning the bill's impact on the lives of Mississippians:

Tracy did not make this decision lightly.  He very much looks forward to rescheduling his tour dates in the area after the 'Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act' is either repealed or heavily amended.

The offensive AF law, given official ink earlier this month by Gov. Phil Bryant, gives some businesses the ability to use their personal religious beliefs as an actual excuse for refusing to offer services to potential customers. In a tweeted statement shortly after signing the bill into law, Bryant insisted he willingly participated in this ludicrousness in order to "protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions from discriminatory action by state government."

The move, officially dubbed HB 1523, specifically targets three so-called "beliefs." As broken down by NPRearlier this month, the Mississippi bill aims to "protect" the restrictive ideas of marriage as an act that can only occur "between a man and a woman," sex as being "properly reserved to such a marriage," and that the distinctions of "male" and "female" are "objectively determined" by one's genetics at birth.

Morgan's next scheduled stop on his Picking Up the Pieces tour is in Washington, D.C. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Apr. 22. During a recent stop in New Brunswick, Morgan paid tribute to the nurses and doctors who saved his life back in 2014. "These people are heroes and I love them all from the bottom of my heart," Morgan toldPeople of having the staff of the Robert Wood Johnson Hospital join him on stage. "God bless them all."

Latest in Pop Culture