Tina Fey Is Rumored To Take Over Saturday Night Live From Lorne Michaels, And That Sounds Good
Comedian and actress Tina Fey cut her teeth at "Saturday Night Live" as both a cast member and eventually a head writer, where she also occupied the Weekend Update desk alongside Jimmy Fallon. If a new rumor is to be believed, there's a chance she might be returning to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, and it won't be for a revival of her "SNL"-inspired comedy series "30 Rock."
The New York Post is citing an unknown source who claims that Tina Fey is currently being courted to take over as the executive producer of "SNL" whenever series creator and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels chooses to retire. Considering the source, we should take this with a grain of salt right now, because plenty of worthless rumors have come out of the New York Post over the years — especially since another source in the same story says the rumors are untrue. Plus, as of now, Michaels hasn't officially announced any plans to retire, though he's hemmed and hawed over the possibility in recent years. But let's take a moment to consider this potential development.
'I have no plans to retire'
First, let's recap what's been said about Lorne Michaels future at "SNL" in recent years. Back in August 2021, Variety reported that Lorne Michaels had started negotiating contracts with certain cast members a little early in order to get as many of them to stick around the show until the 50th season happened in 2024. However, it seems like that may not have worked out very well since cast members Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, Chris Redd, Alex Moffat, Melissa Villaseñor, and Pete Davidson have all left the series since then. That doesn't mean they wouldn't come back for what will be a huge 50th anniversary celebration, but they clearly didn't want to stick around for two more full seasons.
At the time, this chatter made it seem like Michaels might consider the eventual 50th season to be a big send-off. A few months later, in December 2021, Michaels teased his potential departure by telling CBS Mornings, "I think I'm committed to doing the show until its 50th anniversary, which is in three years ... I'd like to see that through and I have a feeling that would be a really good time to leave."
However, Michaels walked those thoughts back a little bit last year when he spoke with The New York Times and said, "I have no plans to retire." Though the TV legend also acknowledged that the 50th anniversary would be a big celebration, saying "The 50th will be a big event. We'll bring everyone back from all 50 years and hosts and all of that. It will be a very emotional and very strong thing." So if Michaels, who will turn 80 in 2024, was going to make an exit, that would be the time to do it.
But even without any real certainty, the prospect of Lorne Michaels leaving "SNL" is something worth talking about.
Tina Fey is a great choice
It's long been thought that an "SNL" veteran should be the one who takes over the show. Lorne Michaels turned "SNL" into the cultural and comedic cornerstone that it remains today, and surely only someone with intimate knowledge of its inner workings would be able to keep it alive. After all, we all saw how things went when Michaels briefly left the series back in the 1980s. Though "SNL" might have spawned the stardom of Eddie Murphy and gave us some solid laughs from Joe Piscopo, the era of "SNL" overseen by NBC Sports producer Dick Ebersol is widely regarded as the absolute low point for the series. Only when Michaels returned did we get an amazing new era of "SNL" in the early '90s, bringing us the likes of Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, and Adam Sandler.
But if someone like Tina Fey took over the series, then NBC may be able to continue the legacy of the late night sketch series knowing it's in good hands. Fey is one of the most highly regarded cast members and writers to come out of "SNL." Though she's probably best known for her Sarah Palin impression (which actually happened after Fey had already left the series as a cast member) and her time at the Weekend Update desk, Fey's contributions to "SNL" were pivotal due to her position as the show's first female head writer from 1999-2006. So it would only make sense that Fey would be the first woman to run the entire show.
The New York Post's source echoes those sentiments, even shooting down other possibilities, "I would be surprised if it wasn't her. Seth Meyers has his own show. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg won't come here. Judd Apatow passed [on the job] years ago. Amy Poehler has her own stuff. Bill Hader is directing a movie. Kate McKinnon is too hot."
Is there any other option?
Let's break down that statement. Seth Myers seems the most likely possibility out of that group who would even come close to measuring up to Tina Fey. This isn't Rogen & Goldberg's scene. Apatow is longtime comedy nerd and has been around "SNL" for decades, but that doesn't feel quite right either. Amy Poehler would be a good option, but she doesn't quite have the same experience as Tina Fey did behind the scenes at "SNL." Bill Hader and Kate McKinnon are probably too young to take on that mantle, and I don't think they'd even want that job at this stage in their careers.
Is there anyone else who even comes close to matching Tina Fey in their "SNL" experience and respect as a performer, writer, and producer? One other reasonable option would be Adam McKay. The "Vice" and "Anchorman" director worked as a writer at "SNL" for a long time, and he has plenty of experience in sketch comedy and producing. Along those same lines, and perhaps even more enticing, Conan O'Brien would be a remarkable candidate to take over "SNL." Though best known as a talk show host, O'Brien wrote at "SNL" for years and even appeared in a few sketches, not to mention writing for "The Simpsons." Combine that with his brilliant sketch comedy history across "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and "Conan," and you've got quite the perfect replacement for Lorne Michaels.
But of course, there's the appeal of bringing in Tina Fey to shake up the sketch series a bit as a woman running the show. Word on the street is that Fey would likely bring her fellow "30 Rock" executive producer and showrunner Robert Carlock with her. The two racked up 16 Emmy awards with the series that was inspired by Fey's time at "SNL," even though it was always courting cancellation, and they have also worked together on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Girls5eva," and "Mr. Mayor," and they would be a great team to steer the ship at "SNL."
What's next?
Right now, "Saturday Night Live" is on summer break. Of course, that annual time off arrived a little earlier this year due to the beginning of the Writers Guild of America strike, which resulted in the show's 48th season coming to a close sooner than normal. That meant nixing episodes which would have been hosted by former cast member Pete Davidson, "Succession" star Kieran Culkin, and "White Lotus" star Jennifer Coolidge. Now that the WGA strike has been joined by the Screen Actors Guild strike, and studios haven't entered into any formal negotiations with either of the guilds, we're not sure when "SNL" will return for what will be its 49th season. So there's still plenty of time for any shifts behind the scenes to solidify before the 50th season comes around.