Five years after a horrific truck accident killed one of his friends, Morgan still faces struggles with his health and career. On Monday, the actor and comedian opened up to Matt Lauer on TODAY about the crash, which broke his leg bones, pulverised his femur and left him in a coma for weeks. He said he has made great strides in his recovery, but the impact of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) will be with him forever.

The interview comes after the 30 Rock star and other members of his cast of "The Last O.G." recorded the upcoming season finale of the TBS sitcom, in which Morgan plays Tray Barker, an ex-con who has returned to his old Brooklyn neighborhood after fifteen years in prison for a drug charge. He lives in a rundown apartment with his girlfriend, Shay, played by Tiffany Haddish, best known for her torrent of ribaldry on the big screen in Girls Trip.

The show, which stars Cedric the Entertainer and other members of the original Kings of Comedy lineup, has been praised for its ability to play up the entanglement of race and humor. Its second-season finale, which is airing this week, has a plotline about the character of Toofer, a staff writer who mocks the kind of broad black humor that Morgan himself might find offensive.

PEOPLE has learned that in the episode, Morgan visits the hospital bed where he recuperated from his 2014 crash at Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute. When he sees the doc who treated him, Morgan breaks down in tears.