Phyllis Rogers Stone said: "I still don't understand why he didn't get the same pass other comedians get."
Because he wasn't known as a stand-up before appearing on TV. People who went to see him live liked him on Saturday Night Live and on 30 Rock went to his shows not knowing him as a stand-up comic. This is an issue many people primarily known for being on TV face in comedy clubs, since they clean up their act for TV or are on scripted shows. I'm sure some people who liked Sanford and Son were surprised when they went to a Redd Foxx show. So, they don't have a stand-up persona established at that point, unlike Joan Rivers, Louis CK, or anyone else.
Louis CK could have done Tracy's routine and Michael Richard's routine (another person not known as a stand-up who got in trouble), and he would have been able to get away with them, because we know his deal is to push boundaries and say outlandish things. Tracy wasn't known to do that by many when he started selling out clubs based on being on 30 Rock.
Whether any of these people did stand-up before becoming famous for being on TV is somewhat irrelevant if they weren't known for it. The majority of people never knew Tracy as a standup before he was on SNL or 30 Rock, so when you go see him in person, you are finally seeing "the real person" not scripted, so when they start in about killing their son if he were gay, there is no context on how to receive that information. Just like if any unknown comic went up and started doing a Louis CK bit on the n-word, he would get booed off the stage and Louis would get cheers.
Updated On: 10/19/15 at 02:24 PM