Saturday evening live Veteran Tina Fey reflected on her years within NBC’s sketch institution, acknowledging that some of her jokes were “on the wrong side.”
Speaking at the History Talks event in Philadelphia, Fey said she realized over time that not all punchlines were right.
The two-time Globe winner added candidly: “I was pretty stupid. »
Fey joined SNL in 1997 and later became editor-in-chief.
She remembers navigating some of the series’ toughest shows, from the first episode after 9/11 to the anthrax scare and even President George W. Bush’s visit to meet Will Ferrell.
Over time, she said, the line between comedy and news has blurred, with politicians and public figures often responding directly to the sketches.
One of her most memorable periods came in 2008, when she teamed up with Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler to create the now-iconic Sarah Palin sketches.
Fey explained that the team worked hard to ensure their material was “a fair success,” grounded in truth rather than random exaggeration.
“If it’s not true, it won’t be funny,” she noted.
Reflecting on the influence of SNLFey said it was both exciting and intimidating to know that what she wrote could be taken seriously by those in power.
She stressed that the show was never about controlling politics or the national narrative, but admitted that some of her own jokes had not aged well.
Fey appeared alongside Nicole Kidman, Ted Danson, Kate McKinnon, Colin Jost and others at the event marking the country’s 250th anniversary.
