Tina Fey’s SNL Parenting Hack
Dig this: Tina Fey’s subtly redefining mom life PR one tiny fib at a time. The Mean Girls star—who steered Saturday Night Live’s writing room from 1997 to 2006—just admitted she straight-up lies to her kids about the “stupid” sketches she penned back in the day. On the Nov. 17 episode of WTF with Marc Maron (source: MarcMaroon.com), Fey confessed she warns her daughters, Alice, 14, and Penelope, 11, that her old SNL bits are lame, too corny, or “not for them,” rather than just own the cool factor. According to People Magazine, she quips, “I wrote some stupid, stupid sketches,” and that’s her go-to line when her kids bring up reruns or clips online.
Fey’s rationale? She doesn’t want her girls to see her through the lens of a laugh track or feel pressured by her legacy. She tells them, “I made dumb stuff in my twenties,” so they won’t think their mom is some untouchable celeb. It’s a classic millennial move to keep the household vibe normal—no pedestals, no glamour, just daily life with cartoon water-gun battles and dance parties. After all, she and husband Jeff Richmond are raising two kids in rural New York, far from Hollywood’s red carpets.
For anyone who’s wondered why Fey rarely screens 30 Rock or SNL at home, this explains it. She admits to telling Alice and Penelope that her NBC archives are “old news” or “not that great,” even though we know how iconic those days really were (source: People.com). And yes, she regretted not sharing more personal backstage tales—like pitching the legendary “Lazy Sunday” rap or collaborating with Amy Poehler on Weekend Update. But for now, she’s doubling down on that humble-mom routine, keeping her daughters blissfully unaware that their mother basically helped shape modern sketch comedy.
It’s a savvy strategy in the age of oversharing: shield the next generation from both undue praise and harsh critique. Plus, it guarantees they’ll actually want to watch Mean Girls without rolling their eyes at the “celebrity mom” factor. So while we’re here binge-streaming her best bits, Alice and Penelope are busy thinking Mom’s a regular Jane, not a comedy legend.
Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine (People.com)
WTF with Marc Maron Podcast (MarcMaron.com)
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
