The current star of The Last O.G. and former star of 30 Rock, comedian-actor Tracy Morgan will host the 2019 ESPYS Presented by Capital One on ABC, Wednesday, July 10.
Morgan will join other top celebrities from both the entertainment and sports worlds to honor major sports achievements from the past year. The special will be “reliving unforgettable moments, and saluting the leading performers and performances,” according to today’s press release from ABC.
Never to take any moment too seriously, Morgan said of the announcement, “I am very excited to be hosting The ESPYS. I hope my Uncle Sidney Poitier is there with my biological father Tony Dorsett and my second cousin Herschel Walker. And Bo Jackson, I want my $2 back!”
Morgan is somewhat a champion himself having earned an Emmy nomination for his work on 30 Rock as well as one for his time hosting Saturday Night Live, a show which he previously starred for seven seasons.
Morgan is also a nine-time NAACP Image Award nominee. But what makes Morgan a good fit for hosting a sports award show like the ESPYS?
Guess what??? I AM HOSTING THE 2019 #ESPYS! @espn going to let me shock the the world on July 10th on @ABCNetwork. @BoJackson is going to pay me me the money he owes me too! #redacted pic.twitter.com/SjO9v3srxl
— Tracy Morgan (@TracyMorgan) June 3, 2019
“Tracy is effortlessly funny and deeply passionate about sports,” said “ESPYS” executive producer Maura Mandt. “He’s a natural choice to host ‘The ESPYS’ and we’re thrilled to have him. Few people can own a room like Tracy Morgan, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the show.”
But the ESPYS is more than just another award show. The ESPYS helps to raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a charity founded by ESPN and the late basketball coach Jim Valvano at the first ESPYS back in 1993.
Since then, ESPN has helped raise close to $97 million for the V Foundation over the past 26 years.