Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan's love for family is what drew him to his latest project – starring in the new Paramount+ comedy series "Crutch."

Morgan plays Frank Crutchfield, a widowed father of two adult kids who move back into the family home in New York City's Harlem. It's a spinoff of the hit CBS show "The Neighborhood."

"Prepping my whole life, man. I've got kids. My real wife died, Sabina. She passed away eight years ago. I … knew this role. I know this guy," Morgan said in an interview with "CBS Mornings" that aired on Wednesday.

Morgan's ex-wife Sabina, who was his high school sweetheart, died of cancer in 2016.

"I was with her in the hospital the day she closed her eyes and I said, 'I love you. I miss you and please forgive me for any hurt I've ever caused you and I will see you again.'"

Purpose in his work
For Morgan, he says it's important to not just be funny, but also send a message in his work.

"If it doesn't have a heart, I don't want to do it," he said. "I need to be motivated. I got to say something. You got to tell life how I see it."

Humor has helped the comedian through some of life's most demanding moments, all while he built one of comedy's most impressive resumes. Morgan found comfort in commanding an audience, standing out in everything he put his fingers on, including "Saturday Night Live."

"When I first got there, I felt socially pushed away," he said. "Because it is like the whitest show in the world and I didn't want no one to portray me in a way that wasn't true. It was like I had the whole Black community on my back."

Morgan said then he had a conversation with the show's creator and producer Lorne Michaels, which changed everything.

"Lorne let me know, 'Tracy, we didn't hire you because you're Black. We hired you because you're funny,' and that changed it all. That's when I let go and I let God," he said.

Car crash impact on his life
In June 2014, at the height of his fame, Morgan nearly lost his life after his limousine was hit by a tractor trailer. His friend and fellow comedian James McNair was killed in the crash.

Morgan was in a coma for two weeks with a traumatic brain injury and broken bones.

"I just thank the Lord that I'm alive and I'm here and … I move on," he said.

Morgan said he is now thriving with a renewed outlook on forgiveness and a focus on being present.

"The man almost killed me in that Walmart truck. I forgave him. As soon as I came out the coma, I forgave him," he said.

For Morgan, forgiveness is the key to moving forward, but adds you don't have to forget.

"I wouldn't have been able to be funny no more. I would have been too angry. He almost killed me. I forgave him just to move forward with my life. Now look at me. I'm funnier than ever," he added.

After the terrifying experience, Morgan says his perspective on life evolved: "You have to cherish it. Cause once it's done, it's done."

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