Getty ImagesWeeks of planning went into Tracy Morgan's surprise appearance at the Emmy Awards on Sunda, but all of it was almost ruined by one, controversial TV chef...
Paula Deen.
Morgan and Emmys producers had taken all the right steps in making his first award show appearance—a moment that garnered a standing ovation from the crowd— since his June 2014 accident tightly guarded. He took a private plan from New Jersey to Los Angeles on Saturday night to avoid any sightings, and only a select few people were made aware of the surprise. Fox execs didn't even find out there would be a surprise at all until the day-before rehearsal.
l ran into a friend @RealTracyMorgan & was happy to see him doing so well. Sending you wishes of love & good health! pic.twitter.com/UvMIm4xVq4
? Paula Deen (@Paula_Deen) September 21, 2015However, all the meticulous sneaking around almost became irrelevant when the comedian ran into Deen the morning of the awards show. Morgan was heading to Sunday brunch when he saw the TV chef in the lobby of the Four Seasons hotel in Los Angeles. She was adamant about snapping a photo for Twitter, but fortunately, publicists were able to quickly intervene before she could actually post anything.
Instead, the Dancing With the Stars contestant waited to share the snap of her pal until Monday—the day after the Emmys.
"l ran into a friend @RealTracyMorgan & was happy to see him doing so well," she tweeted alongside the photo. "Sending you wishes of love & good health!"
Deen also chatted a bit about the run-in after the season 21 DWTS elimination episode on Tuesday night.
After dishing on the show, her excitement over not being eliminated and staying healthy through the next part of the competition, she told E! News that she was also super excited to see Morgan after his accident.
"I was so happy to run into Tracy. He is another sweet man. And I can tell, knowing him before the accident, that is has put him in a very humble position," she said. "He values his life and his wife's life and his daughter's life so much. It was just wonderful to see that he is doing so well."
Check out her full interview in the video above.