Tina Fey says her Sarah Palin ‘SNL’ jokes were an ‘honest hit.’
Tina Fey reflected on how “Saturday Night Live” discussed politics during History Talks, a speaker series featuring some of the most prolific political and media figures in modern history. The star-studded event, co-produced by the History Channel and Comcast NBCUniversal, fittingly celebrated the 250th anniversary of the United States, right in the heart of Philadelphia.
“A fifth of American history has been covered by ‘Saturday Night Live,’” Fey joked to the audience at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday afternoon. “Which one lasts longer?”
Fey appeared on “SNL” from 1997 to 2006, a pivotal era in which she worked closely with Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers and Rachel Dratch, and helped steer the sketch series into a new echelon of political relevance — one in which the country’s top elected officials took notice.
“The show’s relationship to current events became a thinner and thinner veil,” Fey explained. “They said something, we said something back. They came by and said, ‘We want to continue.’ [the show] at.’ It is exciting and almost frightening that something you say will be heard by the person responsible.”
Fey continued to shape “SNL” history after her departure, most notably hosting the first episode after the 2007-2008 writers’ strike with a monologue criticizing NBC’s staff cuts. Later that fall, she appeared in a series of sketches as Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin during the height of the 2008 election. Many media analysts suggested at the time that the sketch influenced McCain and Palin’s poll numbers. Variety reported on the “SNL effect” in March 2008, highlighting how the show helped fuel the narrative that the press was too tough on Hillary Clinton and too soft on Barack Obama, which some say led to harsher media coverage of Obama.
“It’s fascinating to know that what you say is taken seriously,” Fey said, recounting the six-week cycle she spent writing Palin sketches with Poehler and Meyers. “We always worked really hard to make sure they were an ‘honest hit’. It felt like it would only work if it was based on something that was true. Sometimes people ask me, ‘Is SNL trying to control the narrative of politics?’ And they really don’t. That’s really not possible, because if it’s not true, it won’t be funny.
Fey’s comments echo what former NBC executive Rick Ludwin said Variety after Nielsen reported that season 34 of “SNL” saw a 50% ratings increase during the 2008 presidential campaign. “We’re obviously happy that the show is being talked about as more relevant than in the past,” Ludwin said Variety Michael Schneider. “There is a sense of responsibility to be honest. Our job is to be funny and make fun of politics.”
The “SNL” icon also listed some of her favorite political impressions on the show: Darrell Hammond as Al Gore, Dana Carvey as George HW Bush and Matt Damon as Brett Kavanaugh. Before Fey explained why Damon’s approach worked, he looked into the crowd and joked, “Judge Kavanaugh, if you’re here, I don’t understand what this event is. Are we on trial?”
Damon’s Kavanaugh debuted in the 2018 season 44 premiere of SNL, leading a cold open at the nominee’s Supreme Court hearings, opposite Rachel Dratch as Senator Amy Klobuchar. His explosive performance poked fun at Kavanaugh’s questionable interpretation of yearbook jokes that were widely interpreted as references to lewd sexual exploits and heavy drinking.
“He came in and played it so perfectly that it helped alleviate the frustration that a lot of viewers of those hearings had,” Fey said. “It only works if it’s right.”
“SNL” alumnus Kate McKinnon also moderated a History Talks panel with current cast member Colin Jost, the “Weekend Update” co-anchor who now sits at the desk once held by Fey. The event attracted a wide range of attendees, including NFL stars Tom Brady and Jason Kelce, country singer Garth Brooks and Nicole Kidman. Most notably, all four living former US presidents – Barack Obama, Joe Biden, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – were in attendance.
“Doesn’t it look like one segment is out of place?” McKinnon joked.
