Is Tina Fey taking over ‘Saturday Night Live’?
The Upper Darby native started in the 'SNL' writers’ room and became the show’s first female head writer in 1999. Her 'Restless Leg' tour with Amy Poehler is coming to Philly in December.
Not a joke: Tina Fey is rumored to return to Saturday Night Live, this time as the boss behind the sketch show action, according to a recent report from The New York Post. An unnamed source said Fey “is being courted to take over as executive producer” and replace SNL creator/producer Lorne Michaels.
Though Michaels has been cagey about whether or when he plans to retire, 2024 may be a transition year as SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary season and he turns 80- years- old. In previous interviews, he has said the half-century mark would be a good time to leave, but he may have changed his mind more recently. However, he’s made no formal announcement.
According to ET Canada, an NBC spokesperson has denied the rumor. The Inquirer has reached out to Michaels’s production company for comment.
Regardless of the exact timing of Michaels’retirement, the show is likely considering candidates for his job, and Fey, the longtime “Weekend Update” co-host and Upper Darby native, seems like a logical choice to put on Bossypants and run the show.
The historic comedy series has had a rocky few years with high turnover and low ratings. There have also been rumors that SNL could sunset after Michaels leaves.
Some fans are worried SNL will change drastically without him, but if Fey follows Michaels, she may retain and expand his vision, given their close and longstanding relationship. SNL was a major launch pad for Fey’s career, where she started in the writers’ room and eventually became the show’s first female head writer in 1999.
Onscreen, she cemented her SNL fame with unforgettable characters and impressions, like Sarah Palin, and her perfect Philadelphia accent in the “Revolutionary War” sketch. (She got venison hoagies, porridge-stuffed peppers, and corn fritters from Wawa!)
Name recognition aside, Fey has produced popular comedies in recent years, like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Girls5eva. At the moment, she is traveling across the country with fellow “Weekend Update” co-anchor Amy Poehler for their “Restless Leg” tour, which will stop at The Met Philadelphia for four nights in December.