Tracy Morgan: My Son “Saved My Life”

After being arrested twice for driving under the influence, once in 2005 and again in 2006, funnyman Tracy Morgan credits his children for the inspiration to clean up his act.

The 41-year-old 30 Rock star appeared Tuesday (February 16) on PBS’ Tavis Smiley to chat about his newest flick, Cop Out, and revealed the huge impact that his previous choices had made on his life.

“All the drinking and all the craziness - I had fun. Nobody got hurt,” explained Tracy. “But I hurt me.”

I thought I was winning. And I lost my family. I lost a 21-year-old marriage. And that just made me go, ‘Wait a minute.’ You know, I’m walking around with a bracelet on my ankle and my son looking at me like I’m Kunta Kinte, like, ‘What’chu doing, Dad? What if I start driving and drinking? Would that be cool?’ And that was it for me. That was the end of it.

Tracy went on to say that having his own offspring turn the tables really helped him to pull his life back together.

“This is my son, and I disappointed him. So that made me change,” said Tracy. “Some people don't even care; they get wrapped up in their own little world, that they don't even see who they hurting. I didn't. My son said, "What if I start driving drunk and kill somebody?”

That right there just made me look in the mirror like, I got to step up my game. So I did, and I'm glad it came from my son. I love him. He saved my life - again. Because before, I was on the street corner in Brooklyn hanging out, just hanging out. Then I had these kids, and they gave me responsibility and made me grow up and become a man, so again, there he was to rescue me.

Tracy has three children - Tracy Jr., 23, Malcolm, 24, and Gitrid, 18, - with ex-wife Sabrina Morgan.