Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist — Tina Fey
Date: August 24, 2025
Host: Willie Geist
Guest: Tina Fey
Topic: Revisiting Mean Girls, Comedy Influences, SNL, Collaborations, and New Projects
Episode Overview
Willie Geist sits down with Tina Fey at 30 Rockefeller Plaza for an in-depth, lively conversation spanning her enduring career. The focus: Fey’s journey from SNL wunderkind to comedy powerhouse, and the release of the new Mean Girls movie musical. The discussion covers the evolution of Mean Girls, Fey's roots in comedy, behind-the-scenes SNL memories, her creative partnership with Amy Poehler, and upcoming projects—including a new Netflix series. The tone is candid, witty, nostalgic, and deeply insightful, making it an engaging listen for both long-time Fey fans and newcomers.
Main Discussion Themes
Revisiting and Reinventing Mean Girls
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20 Years On: Fey discusses the surreal feeling of returning to Mean Girls two decades after its release, now with a new musical film adaptation.
“Some days I feel like it was a minute ago. And some days I'm like, no, it was about 20 years ago... I definitely didn't think when we were making it the first time that we would still be talking about it now.” – Tina Fey (03:40)
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Adapting for a New Era: She explains infusing the story with musical elements and updating it for today’s high schoolers who “live with” social media.
“It was fun to take the stuff we learned from the musical and...bring them back into a cinematic form where you can play things in a close up...You can have like visual jokes and...cut to different places fast." – Tina Fey (04:14)
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Keeping It Relatable: Fey uses her daughters (ages 18 and 12) as consultants, especially for current teen culture and whether the “burn book” should be digital or analog.
“My one daughter was like, don't let those millennials overthink it.” – Tina Fey (06:45)
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Addressing Change and Consistency: While technology and social norms shift, high school anxieties remain.
“The core idea of sort of, you know, not taking other people down just to make yourself feel better...that behavior has only gotten worse.” – Tina Fey (12:34)
Notable Segment:
- Mean Girls' Cultural Impact (08:46)
- The term “mean girls” enters mainstream lingo and continues to reflect real-life social dynamics.
“That...how sticky those characters ended up being...again, I think it's a lot to do with those women. Yeah, it's weird. But I believe if we can have 12 Spider Mans...” – Tina Fey
Origins & Comedy Influences
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Fey's Early Obsession: Middle school projects on comedians, reading "Joe Franklin's Encyclopedia of Comedians," and absorbing comedy via her older brother and late-night PBS.
“I wanted to write about comedians...all I could find was Joe Franklin's Encyclopedia of Comedians...it was about vaudeville.” – Tina Fey (17:03)
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Formative TV: SNL, SCTV, Monty Python, and Benny Hill formed her comedic blueprint.
"SCTV was huge. Monty Python...I started watching when I was really small." – Tina Fey (19:02)
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Chicago Years: Moved to Chicago post-college specifically for Second City and Improv Olympic, forging friendships with Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch.
“That's where I met my wife, Amy Poehler. We were on a team together.” – Tina Fey (19:40)
SNL — Breaking In & Breaking Out
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Nontraditional Entry: Fey joined as a writer (not performer), thanks to Adam McKay.
“SNL had come through the Second City scouting for performers and seen me and were, like, not interested...So I asked Adam if I could send a packet in as a writer." – Tina Fey (21:26)
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The Lorne Michael’s Interview: A hilarious, nervous mix-up between her hometowns of Philadelphia and Chicago.
“He sat down. He's like, so you're from...And at the same time, I was like, Philadelphia. He was like, Chicago. Or Chicago.” – Tina Fey (22:14)
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First Sketches: Early sketches included “I Took a Gay Guy to Prom” and one with Chris Farley as Sally Jessy Raphael.
“Talk about a throwback. Talk about something you wouldn't write anymore.” – Tina Fey (25:38)
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Head Writer & Update Anchor: Fey tells how she was tapped for Weekend Update and the “psychological twist-the-knife SNL” dinner where she realized she didn’t quite have the job—yet.
“It was the biggest, most like, psychological twist, the knife, SNL things.” – Tina Fey (27:10)
Amy Poehler & Partnership on Stage (The Restless Leg Tour)
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Update Magic and Onstage Chemistry: Fey recounts the transition from Second City and SNL to behind-the-scenes and then back onstage with Amy Poehler.
“We really came to realize that when we were doing the Golden Globes those years...it's such a muscle, you know, it's just like weightlifting. It's joke lifting.” – Tina Fey (30:47)
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Touring as Rock Stars: The tour lets them relive the creative “mom's weekend” together and provides an antidote to family chaos.
“We are like rock stars...After the show, I say, I don't want to have a drink. Do you? And she goes, I don't want to have a drink either. I'll see you tomorrow.” – Tina Fey (32:47)
30 Rock & Enduring Legacy
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Balancing Stardom and Family: Fey reflects on the whirlwind and pressure of making 30 Rock while raising kids.
“We worked so hard...Thank God it paid off because we really tried.” – Tina Fey (34:12)
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Her Family’s Avoidance of 30 Rock: Fey’s children don’t watch her show, and she doesn’t mind.
“Imagine if your mom...made a show about things that she thought was funny. Would you watch that, Willie?” – Tina Fey (35:33)
Looking Ahead
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New Netflix Series:
Fey and collaborators are adapting The Four Seasons (the 1981 Alan Alda/Carol Burnett film) into a modern series.“We are gonna adapt that as a series for Netflix...I'm very, very excited about that.” – Tina Fey (36:46)
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Other Projects: Mean Girls stage production heads to London.
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No Beauty Line—Yet:
Amy Poehler still teases her about starting a glasses line:“Amy keeps yelling. She's like, why do you not have a line of glasses? Why do you not sell glasses?” – Tina Fey (37:10)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Updating Mean Girls:
“It's a real gift to get the opportunity to go back and update things...you write something that you go, oh, boy, that's a problem now. She probably shouldn't have said that or done that.” – Tina Fey (05:04)
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On Parental Guidance:
"My daughter, you know, my 18 year old, I feel like I'm letting her, I'm trusting her core values. And the 12 year old is so far off, we don't have any social media.” – Tina Fey (14:02)
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On the Endurance of High School Drama:
"That behavior has only gotten worse...the idea...of acting like someone you're not to fit in or to feel better, like, those are mistakes we all continue to make." – Tina Fey (12:34)
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On Family Life & Comedy:
"I have homework.” [on why her kids don’t watch 30 Rock] – Tina Fey (35:47)
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On Touring with Amy Poehler:
“It's such a paid mom's weekend...we have like, a nice lunch, just like Rock and Chappelle...And then after the show, I say, I don't want to have a drink...I'll see you tomorrow.” – Tina Fey (32:53)
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On SNL Gender Politics:
"Anytime three or more of us were sitting together, people would be like, oh, what is this? Some kind of meeting goes? Having some kind of ladies meeting?" – Tina Fey (25:04)
Key Timestamps for Reference
- 03:40 — Tina reflects on 20 years since Mean Girls’ debut
- 05:34 — On updating the film for social media & modern teens
- 06:45 — Daughters’ input on the new film’s authenticity
- 12:34 — Enduring high school truths; behavior patterns in a digital age
- 17:03 — Early fascination with comedy and difficulties of researching in the pre-internet era
- 19:40 — Life at Second City, meeting Amy Poehler
- 21:26 — Adam McKay helps Tina get her SNL writing job
- 22:14 — The awkward but memorable Lorne Michaels interview
- 25:13 — First sketches aired at SNL
- 29:58 — The joy and comfort of working with Amy Poehler
- 32:35 — Life on tour (“The Restless Leg Tour”)
- 34:12 — Reflections on creating and sustaining 30 Rock
- 36:46 — Announcing the new Netflix show adaptation
Tone & Closing Thoughts
This episode is a blend of nostalgia, sharp wit, honest self-reflection, and comedy insider wisdom. Fey is open about anxieties, family life, and her creative evolution, all filtered through her characteristic warmth and humor. The exchanges with Geist are lively, substantial, and peppered with genuine affection and amusement.
Summary at a Glance
- Mean Girls gets a modern, musical update, integrating new cultural realities but honoring the original’s spirit.
- Fey’s early influences and Chicago improv years provided both creative foundation and key friendships.
- She shares new behind-the-scenes stories from SNL, especially as a writer, anchor, and female leader.
- Fey’s partnership with Amy Poehler continues both onstage (current comedy tour) and off (future projects and persistent friendship).
- Despite a prolific, influential career, Fey remains self-deprecating, open about growth, and committed to her comedy roots.
- Exciting future: Fey’s next big project is adapting The Four Seasons into a Netflix series.
Recommended for: Fans of comedy, pop culture history, SNL, women in media, and anyone revisiting the world of Mean Girls—or simply wanting a window into Tina Fey’s remarkable brain and humor.