Tina Fey: Funny Girl

Getting a Good Laugh

As a shy, nerdy student in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Tina Fey wrote a satirical column for The Acorn, her school newspaper, taking aim at the usual subjects -- rigid teachers and even more rigid school policies. Her writing didn't propel her to cool-kid status, but it did make people laugh. Fey was hooked.

Now 37, she's still getting laughs as the creator, executive producer and Emmy-winning star of 30 Rock. The show is not so loosely based on Fey's experiences as the first female head writer on Saturday Night Live and acerbic host of its "Weekend Update" segment. She made the jump to a bigger screen when, in 2004, she wrote, produced and appeared in Mean Girls, a pitch-perfect high school comedy.

While Fey can be pointed, she's also thoughtful, self-effacing and almost absurdly well-adjusted. She's close to her parents, likes to sew and bake cookies rather than hit the town, and lives quietly in New York City with her husband, composer and producer Jeff Richmond, and their two-year-old daughter, Alice.

This month, Fey returns to theaters in Baby Mama, a comedy about a single executive who hires a surrogate to have her baby. After a day of filming in Manhattan, she sat down with RD to talk about funniness, family and Febreze.

RD: Do you see your humor as a gift? Fey: I always think of everything from a mother's point of view now. Every kid has something they're good at, that you hope they find and gravitate toward. This is my thing. I don't think I was supposed to be a gymnast and accidentally landed on this.

RD: Do you still get that hit when you get a good laugh? Fey: Absolutely. My favorite day at 30 Rock is Thursday, when the show airs. At lunch we screen the episodes. For everyone to watch together, to see the stuff we all worked on, to hear the crew laugh -- it's great fun.

RD: What pleases you more, applause or laughter? Fey: Laughter. You can prompt applause with a sign. My friend, SNL writer Seth Meyers, coined the term clapter, which is when you do a political joke and people go, "Woo-hoo." It means they sort of approve but didn't really like it that much. You hear a lot of that on [whispers] The Daily Show.