LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- TNT and one of its sponsors distanced themselves from vulgar comments comedian Tracy Morgan made in recent days about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Morgan, one of the stars of the NBC comedy "30 Rock," made the comments Thursday during a TNT telecast prior to a game between the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks and Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, CNN reported Monday.

On TNT's pre-game telecast of "Game On!" broadcasters Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson asked Morgan to rate Palin compared with his "30 Rock" co-star Tina Fey, who gained fame for her impersonation of the Republican vice presidential nominee during the 2008 campaign.

"Let me tell you something about Sarah Palin, man," Morgan said. "She is good masturbation material."

Johnson quickly ended the segment with Morgan but TNT immediately received complaints from viewers and a network spokesman issued a statement criticizing Morgan.

"It's unfortunate Mr. Morgan showed a lack of judgment on our air with his inappropriate comments," spokesman Jeff Pomeroy said.

AutoTrader.com, a sponsor of the TNT basketball telecast notified the cable network it objected to Morgan's remark, USA Today reported.

"AutoTrader.com is proud of our NBA sponsorship," a spokesman said. "But we don't encourage or share the views of those appearing during the broadcast."

At the SAG Awards Sunday, Morgan told an interview he thinks Palin is "the hottest MILF in the world." MILF is an acronym for a mother with whom someone wants to have sex.