Tracy Morgan is grateful to be able to celebrate.
More than a decade after the Saturday Night Live alum was severely injured in a car accident, he expressed how much it means to be surrounded by his comedy family to celebrate the legendary sketch series with SNL: The Anniversary Special. (See all the stars on the red carpet here.)
"I'm just thanking the Lord that I'm a part of this," he told Matt Rogers inside 30 Rockefeller Center after walking NBC's red carpet Feb. 16, "that I survived that accident and I'm alive to be here for this."
In June 2014, the 30 Rock alum suffered a severe brain injury as well as several broken bones after a six-car pile-up in New Jersey, which included a Walmart tractor trailer colliding with the limo the Tracy was riding in. The accident, which killed the comedian's friend James McNair, left Tracy hospitalized for weeks and included a lengthy recovery.
Indeed, Tracy—who was a cast member on SNL from 1996 to 2003—was absent from the 40th anniversary special more than six month later, through 30 Rock costars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin shared a heartfelt tribute during the telecast.
“I wish my friend Tracy Morgan was here tonight," Tina said during the February 2015 special, and I know that he was hoping that he would be well enough to be here too.
She added, “And if he were here tonight, I’m sure Tracy would like to remind us that more than anything, he would like to get us all pregnant."
Before introducing a clip of one of Tracy's iconic characters, Brian Fellows, Alec and Tina expressed their love for their colleague and noted they'd be seeing him at the 41st reunion. Of course, that reunion didn't take place, but Tracy was sure to be on-hand for the next major milestone.
And as he reminisce about his time at the show, he revealed his favorite memory with SNL creator Lorne Michaels.
"Him saying, "I pick you,'" he gushed. "Greatest memory ever was Lorne Michaels picking me to be a cast member."
For all the stars celebrating SNL 50: The Anniversary Special, keep reading...
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Kim Kardashian
Miley Cyrus
Pete Davidson
Dakota Johnson
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky
Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost
Jackie Sandler and Adam Sandler
Kenan Thompson
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
Sabrina Carpenter
Meryl Streep
Eddie Murphy
Emma Stone and Dave McCary
Alexander Edwards and Cher
Bad Bunny
Amy Poehler
Tina Fey
Maya Rudolph
Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry Teller
Drew Barrymore
Zahra Rock and Chris Rock
Will Ferrell
Chris Fischer and Amy Schumer
Chris Pine
Kate McKinnon
Sandra Oh
Lauren Miller and Seth Rogen
Nick Jonas
Aidy Bryant