Few people know the ins and outs of Saturday Night Live better than Tina Fey. So when the former cast member and head writer shares her thoughts on the show, it's worth listening closely.
Fey joined Saturday Night Live as a writer in 1997; by 1999, she replaced Adam McKay as head writer. A year later, Fey started appearing in sketches and co-hosting "Weekend Update" with Jimmy Fallon. The rest is history as Fey became one of the show's greatest writers of all time and continues to host and cameo on the show.
The Peacock documentary SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night gives an incredible behind-the-scenes look at all things Saturday Night Live. Episode two, "Written By," focuses on the writers and includes comments from Fey. According to the former head writer, SNL may be getting a little soft.
"I have to say, as head writer, I felt like I came in from Chicago and I was ready to fight whoever," Fey said while discussing the writing process. "The rewrite tables were tough, they were grouchy, People would take the rundown of the show and just go sketch by sketch and make fun of it."
The comedian continued, describing how the competitive nature of SNL led to some Mean Girls-esque behavior. "You would leave the room fully knowing that the writers' room was taking a s*** on [your sketch] while you were gone. And it was just kind of the way it was."
It sounds like the kind of toxic work environment that many people try to avoid nowadays. But Fey was almost nostalgic about the atmosphere, going so far as to suggest the current iteration of Saturday Night Live could benefit from it.
"I don't know if it's the same anymore," Fey admitted. "And if it's not, maybe it should get that way again a little bit. I think it's good," she added with a laugh.
Saturday Night Live's writers' room seems much less competitive
Tina Fey's version of an ideal writers' room at Saturday Night Live doesn't appear to be a reality in 2025. SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night showcases what it's like for the current crop of writers, and it doesn't give off a cutthroat vibe.
The documentary brings viewers through the writing process for Ayo Edebiri's episode from season 49. Writers interviewed sound as if they're all in the same boat, knowing it's hard enough to create, write, and produce a sketch in a matter of days without having to look over their shoulders or worry about gossip.
Head writer Streeter Seidell didn't describe things in quite the same way as Fey's recollection of the early 2000s. Current writers Jimmy Fowlie and Asha Ward don't come off as especially "tough" or "grouchy." Of course, one week captured by documentary cameras doesn't guarantee that's how it always is at SNL now. But watching the episode makes it difficult to imagine writers are actively trashing each other's material.
Whether of not that's a good thing depends on who you ask. The current writers working in that environment may not see it the same way as Tina Fey. But if the result is quality sketches on Saturday night, it doesn't really matter how it gets made.