Exclusive: Tracy Morgan recovering from surgery, will miss several episodes of '30 Rock'
by Lynette Rice |Entertainment Weekly

Expect a huge void on TGS in March: EW has learned exclusively that Tracy Morgan — aka Tracy Jordan, the star of the show within the show, 30 Rock– will miss at least two episodes of the NBC comedy because he’s recovering from surgery. The comedian underwent a kidney transplant on or around Dec. 10 and though the surgery was successful — he was seen at a Knicks game on Friday – the writers are giving him plenty of time to recover.

EW has learned that executive producer Tina Fey and her team of scribes plan to address Morgan’s absence by saying he has some sort of a meltdown because of a good thing that’s happened to him. He’s expected to miss at least two, maybe three episodes, that will air March.

A representative for Morgan released this statement to EW: “Tracy is doing well and taking some much needed time to recover after the surgery. He is looking forward to going back to work after the holidays.”

Morgan is the second member of the cast to undergo a kidney transplant. Grizz Chapman, who serves as a member of Tracy’s security detail on the show, underwent surgery earlier this year. He’s the national spokesperson for the Kidney Foundation.

In 1996, Morgan was diagnosed with diabetes. He told Time last year that during the first season of 30 Rock, he didn’t take the disease seriously. “Then one day I got really sick,” the actor said. “The doctor was like, `Hey, listen, we may have to take your foot.’ That was it for me. Now I take my insulin every day. My blood sugar doesn’t get over 120.”