“I have so many ones that aired that I wish had not” — Saturday Night Live’s Tina Fey reveals she lies to her kids about some of her early work

Tina Fey, best known for her time on Saturday Night Live and as the creator of 30 Rock, recently admitted she sometimes lies to her children about her contributions to certain sketches from her early comedy career.

“I have the opposite thing, which is I have so many ones that aired that I wish had not," she said.

Fey confessed during a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, referencing her work on Saturday Night Live. The 54-year-old comedy writer and performer began her career on Saturday Night Live in 1997 as a writer before becoming head writer in 1999 and joining the cast in 2000.

Fey left the show in 2006, but she revealed that some sketches she wrote continue to haunt her when her kids watch reruns on Peacock. The comic said her daughters sometimes ask about particular sketches, and she simply denies involvement, saying,

“I fully wrote it, and I'm like, ‘I don't know. That’s so stupid, right?’”

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Tina Fey about her time on Saturday Night Live

Fey joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 1997 and was promoted to head writer in 1999. In 2000, she began appearing on screen, notably as co-anchor on 'Weekend Update.'

Her tenure on Saturday Night Live ended in 2006, but her work continues to air in reruns, particularly on Peacock’s Saturday Night Live channel, which streams sketches in a random order. During her May 2025 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Fey acknowledged that her children — Alice Zenobia Richmond, 19, and Penelope Athena Richmond, 13 — sometimes come across these sketches and are unimpressed.

“Sometimes ones have come up that my kids are like, 'What is this?'” she told Clarkson.

Tina shares her daughters with her husband, Jeff Richmond, a composer and producer. Both girls have appeared in her sitcoms. Fey has previously mentioned that her daughters have played a role in shaping some of her recent creative projects.

In a January 2024 interview with Entertainment Tonight at the New York City premiere of her Mean Girls musical film adaptation, she said,

“Sometimes I would run things by the kids — like casting, or you know, like, ‘Should the burn book stay a book, or should it be a private Instagram account?’ And they're like, ‘No, it’s a book, it’s a book.’”

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What Tina Fey is working on now, and her latest projects

As of May 2025, Tina Fey is starring in The Four Seasons, a Netflix comedy series based on the 1981 romantic comedy by Alan Alda and Carol Burnett. The eight-episode series, which premiered on May 1, 2025, debuted at No. 1 on the English-language TV chart with 11.9 million views in its first week.

Fey co-created the show with Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, who adapted the original story about three middle-aged couples navigating friendship, love, and divorce across four vacations taken throughout one year. Fey stars in The Four Seasons alongside Steve Carell, Will Forte, Colman Domingo, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and Marco Calvani.

In a press interview to promote the series, Fey discussed the show’s themes, saying, “Alan’s beautiful movie inspired us,” and noted that while the beginning stayed close to the original, the creative team took liberties with the midpoint and ending. The series examines how the breakup of one couple affects the dynamic among the three couples.

Fey, who plays Kate opposite Forte’s Jack, said the writers incorporated real-life experiences into the narrative:

“They were very generous and shared things that we used.”

Fey also spoke about the role of truth in comedy. During the same promotional interview for The Four Seasons, she said,

“I think that one is true for sure. The other axiom is that only the truth is funny. So, if something rings true in some way, it’s probably going to be funny.”

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Saturday Night Live airs on NBC at 11:30 pm ET.