TV Finding Your Roots reveals Tracy Morgan was destined for two first names — but Morgan wasn't one of them And no, it wasn't Tracy Jordan either. By Lauren Huff Lauren Huff Lauren Huff is a writer at Entertainment Weekly with over a decade of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry. After graduating with honors from the University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!), Lauren wrote about film, television, awards season, music, and more for the likes of The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline Hollywood, Us Weekly, Awards Circuit, and others before landing at EW in May 2019. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 16, 2024 12:00PM EST Tracy Morgan almost had a different name (and no, 30 Rock fans, it wasn't Tracy Jordan). In an exclusive clip from the upcoming episode of PBS genealogy series Finding Your Roots (below), the comedian and actor learns via records from the 1950s census that his father, James, lived with his grandmother, Nan or Nanny Morgan, who never married Tracy's great-grandfather, Julius Alexander. Therefore, Tracy's surname comes from Nanny's maiden name, Morgan, rather than Alexander. This revelation leads Tracy to realize his name would have been Tracy Alexander. Dia Dipasupil/Getty "The source of your surname is your great-grandmother, Nanny. Her maiden name was Morgan," host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. tells Morgan, who looks surprised at the news. "So, James took her surname and that's how you have it. That's why you are a Morgan." "So my great-grandfather is Julius Alexander, that's him," Morgan replies, to which Gates agrees, adding that "they just never got married." "That's okay, I got his blood," Morgan concedes. "So my name would have been Tracy Alexander. Wow," he concludes. The revelation was made after Morgan decided to partake in Finding Your Roots because his father died when he was a teenager, and he knew very little about his father's roots and wanted to learn more. Morgan is one of several celebrities to join the program — which mixes cutting-edge DNA research and old-school genealogical sleuthing to uncover long-buried secrets, hidden identities, and lost ancestors — in its 10th season. Other famous faces this season include Brendan Fraser, Bob Odenkirk, Ciara, Anthony Ramos, Michael Douglas, Dionne Warwick, and more. Finding Your Roots airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on PBS. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: The View star Sunny Hostin 'in shock' as Finding Your Roots reveals family owned slaves The View's Sunny Hostin received backlash after Finding Your Roots surprising revelations Brendan Fraser discovers his ancestor shot at a scab for stealing his job on Finding Your Roots