Age, Biography and Wiki
As of 2025, Tina Fey is 55 years old. She was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, to Donald and Zenovia Fey. Her interest in comedy began at a young age, inspired by reading Joe Franklin’s Seventy Years of Great Film Comedians during her pre-teen years. Fey attended Upper Darby High School and later graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in drama. She began her career in comedy by joining The Second City, where she honed her skills in improv and writing.
| Occupation | Autobiographer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 18 May 1970 |
| Age | 55 Years |
| Birth Place | Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Tina Fey stands at 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm) tall. Her weight and exact body measurements are not widely reported, but she is known for her slender build.
Fey was an extra in a 1998 episode, and after watching herself, decided to diet and lost 30 pounds. She told The New York Times, "I was a completely normal weight, but I was here in New York City, I had money and I couldn't buy any clothes. After I lost weight, there was interest in putting me on camera." In 1999, McKay stepped down as head writer, which led Michaels to approach Fey for the position. She became SNL's first female head writer. In January 2001, she appeared on an episode of Real World/Road Rules Extreme Challenge as a judge of a comedy-based mission.
| Height | 5 feet 5 inches |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Tina Fey has been married to Jeff Richmond, a musician and fellow member of The Second City troupe, since 2001. They have two daughters together. The couple has maintained a strong relationship despite their busy careers.
Her father, Donald Henry Fey (1933-2015), was a veteran of the Korean War, university administrator for the University of Pennsylvania and Thomas Jefferson University, and a grant proposal writer who raised $500 million for schools, hospitals, and public service agencies through proposals and direct mail appeals. Following her father's death, Fey established a scholarship fund in his name at his alma mater, Temple University, to support war veterans studying journalism. She worked professionally as a brokerage employee. Fey's maternal grandmother, Vasiliki Kourelakou, left the Greek village of Petrina, Laconia, on her own and arrived in the United States in February 1921. Fey's maternal grandfather, Constantine Xenakes, was from the village of Panagia on the Greek island of Ikaria. Fey's father had English, German and Scots-Irish ancestry; one of her paternal ancestors was John Hewson, an English textile manufacturer who emigrated to the United States with the support of Benjamin Franklin, enabling Hewson to open a quilting factory in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to a genealogical DNA test arranged by the television series Finding Your Roots, Fey's ancestry is 94% European, 3% Middle Eastern, and 3% from the Caucasus. She has a brother, Peter, who is eight years older.
"I remember my parents sneaking me in to see Young Frankenstein. We would also watch Saturday Night Live, or Monty Python, or old Marx Brothers movies. My dad would let us stay up late to watch The Honeymooners. We were not allowed to watch The Flintstones though: my dad hated it because it ripped off The Honeymooners. I actually have a very low level of Flintstones knowledge for someone my age."
After college, Fey moved to Chicago. She worked as a receptionist during the day at the YMCA in Evanston, Illinois, and took performance classes at the improvisational comedy troupe The Second City at night. Fey started doing gigs at Improv Olympic where she first worked with pianist Jeff Richmond, her future husband and collaborator. Both Fey and Richmond got jobs at Second City. Fey appeared in "the legendary revue 'Paradigm Lost', alongside the likes of Rachel Dratch, Kevin Dorff, Scott Adsit, Jenna Jolovitz and Jim Zulevic."
In a 2004 interview, Fey expressed a desire to write and direct films. In 2006, Fey worked on a script for Paramount Pictures, which was to feature Sacha Baron Cohen, by the name of Curly Oxide and Vic Thrill, based loosely on the true story of a Hasidic rock musician. In 2007, she was cast in the animated comedy film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters as the Aqua Teens' mother, a giant burrito.
In 2015, it was announced Fey would be the narrator for the Disneynature film Monkey Kingdom, which was released in theaters on April 17, 2015. She again worked with Poehler, starring in the 2015 comedy film Sisters as the title characters, and received positive reviews for her role. In 2016, Fey starred in the biographical war comedy-drama Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, based on the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to mixed reviews, with some criticizing the whitewashing of characters of color in the film. Fey dedicated the film to her late father, Don Fey, a veteran, writer, university administrator, and firefighter.
From September to November 2008, Fey made multiple guest appearances on SNL to perform a series of parodies of Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. On the 34th-season premiere episode, aired September 13, 2008, Fey imitated Palin in a sketch, alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. Their repartee included Clinton needling Palin about her "Tina Fey glasses". The sketch quickly became NBC's most-watched viral video, with 5.7 million views by the following Wednesday. Fey reprised this role on the show of October 4, on the show of October 18 where she was joined by the real Sarah Palin, and on the show of November 1, where she was joined by John McCain and his wife Cindy. The show of October 18 had the best ratings of any SNL show since 1994. The following year Fey won an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin. Fey returned to SNL in April 2010, and reprised her impression of Palin in one sketch titled the "Sarah Palin Network". Fey once again did her impression of Palin when she hosted Saturday Night Live on May 8, 2011. She hosted again on September 28, 2013. Fey returned to host on December 19, 2015, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Her most recent hosting appearance was on May 19, 2018, during which she revived her Sarah Palin impression.
In 2011, Fey narrated The Secret Life of Girls, a two-hour-long radio documentary produced by The Kitchen Sisters. She introduced stories of women and girls from around the world, and also shared memories of her own girlhood and mother.
In 1994, two years after Fey joined Chicago's Second City improvisational theatre troupe, she began dating Jeff Richmond, a pianist who later became Second City's musical director and then a composer on 30 Rock. They married in a Greek Orthodox ceremony on June 3, 2001. They have two daughters. In April 2009, Fey and Richmond purchased a US$3.4 million apartment on the Upper West Side in New York City.
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| Husband | Jeff Richmond (m. June 3, 2001) |
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Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Tina Fey's net worth is estimated to be around $70 million to $75 million. Her income comes from various sources, including her work on TV shows like "30 Rock," her tenure as a writer and cast member on "Saturday Night Live," book sales, and endorsement deals. Fey's annual salary is reportedly around $500,000.
Career, Business and Investments
- Saturday Night Live: Fey began writing for SNL in the late 1990s and became the first female head writer in 1999. She was a cast member from 2000 to 2006, during which she gained widespread recognition.
- 30 Rock: Fey created, wrote, and starred in this hit NBC series, which aired from 2006 to 2013. The show was critically acclaimed and earned Fey numerous awards.
- Autobiography - Bossypants: Fey's memoir, published in 2011, was a bestseller and contributed significantly to her income.
- Endorsements: Fey has appeared in commercials for brands like American Express, Allstate, and Garnier.
In 2002, Fey suggested a pilot episode for a situation comedy about a cable news network to NBC, which rejected it. The pilot was reworked to revolve around an SNL style series, and was accepted by NBC. She signed a contract with NBC in May 2003, which allowed her to continue in her position within SNL as head writer at least through the 2004–2005 television season. As part of the contract, Fey was to develop a prime-time project to be produced by Broadway Video and NBC Universal. The pilot, directed by Adam Bernstein, centered on Liz Lemon (Fey), the head writer of a variety show on NBC, and how she managed her relationships with the show's volatile stars and the new head of the network. In October 2006, the pilot aired on NBC as 30 Rock. Although the episode received generally favorable reviews, it finished third in its time slot.
Fey and former SNL castmate Amy Poehler starred in the 2008 comedy Baby Mama. The film was written and directed by Michael McCullers. The plot concerns Kate (Fey), a business woman, who wants a child but, discovering she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant, decides to find a surrogate: Angie (Poehler), an obnoxious schemer. Baby Mama received mixed reviews, but critics enjoyed Fey's performance. Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote: "Fey is a delight to watch throughout. Able to convey Kate's intentions and feelings through the simple looks and inflections, she never melodramatizes her situation; nor does her efficient, perfectionist side become overbearing." The movie grossed over US$64 million at the box office.
In 2001, Fey formed the television production company Little Stranger with longtime collaborator Eric Gurian. It produces many projects Fey is featured in, including the sitcoms 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Seldom hesitating to use herself as the butt of her own jokes, Fey is also well known for practicing self-deprecating humor, as demonstrated throughout her performance as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock. In an article ranking Fey's six greatest jokes, David Renshaw of The Guardian wrote that the performer's work continues to feature her "trademark mix of snark, self-deprecation, and pop-culture smarts." Fey's self-deprecating comedic style inspired Ashley Fetters of The Atlantic to recognize her as comedian Phyllis Diller's successor because of their similar humor. Critics have been divided in their opinions and discussions of Fey's use of self-deprecating humor, and its effect on women as a female comic; while blogger Kate Harding disapproved of Fey's performance in 30 Rock because "I'm torn between being sad that she apparently doesn't see [beauty] in herself and being pissed off that she's reinforcing the idea that having brown hair, glasses, and a figure that's maybe a size 2 instead of a 0 actually equals ugly", Jessica G. of Jezebel defended the actress, writing that Fey's performance is "supposed to be parodying precisely the kinds of media that reinforce ideas that unconventional women are unworthy." Writing that Harding misunderstood Fey's intentions, the author concluded that her self-deprecation "is precisely what makes her relatable", elaborating that "[women] have many moments of self-doubt, and seeing someone as successful as Tina Fey be self-deprecating gives us all permission to be imperfect." Sophie Caldecott of Verily defended Fey's modesty and tendency to downplay her own physical appearance: "She mocks her own appearance, sure, but she does so in a way that consistently shows up our culture for placing so much importance on how women look, as if that's the most interesting thing about us ... Her comic persona on 30 Rock, Liz Lemon, can be laughed at for many things, but her career managerial style and ability is not one of them." Caldecott concluded, "In reality, self-deprecation is an art that comedians everywhere dabble in ... In fact, I defy you to find a good male comedian who isn't a master of self-deprecation. Comedians make fun of themselves for many reasons, mostly because it is the most readily accessible source of inspiration but also because it is the most generous one." Observing that Fey's material lacks "whining", Gina Barreca of the Hartford Courant wrote that Fey's comedy "is not simply an iteration of self-deprecating femininity passing itself off as humor. In itself, this demarcates the current generation of female humorists from earlier generations of performers who were told, more or less, to use themselves not as a sounding board for ideas but as a punching bag for insults." Fey has also garnered criticism for being politically incorrect, but she defends her right to write borderline jokes, saying that she has chosen to "opt out" of the culture of demanding apologies.
As an actress, Fey has developed a reputation for portraying "the hilarious, self-deprecating unmarried career woman" in most of her films to-date. The Boston Globe's Janice Paige defended her limited filmography by writing that, unlike most film actors, Fey remains "realistic about her range as a leading lady and says she's been deliberate about only taking on parts for which she actually seems suited." Fey explained that she approaches each role asking herself, "Would I be plausible in this role, in this job?" However, her role as Kate Ellis in 2015's Sisters provided Fey with an opportunity to stray from playing the type-A female characters for which she has become known. The New York Times film critic A. O. Scott wrote, "We're used to seeing Ms. Fey ... as an anxious overthinker using her caustic sarcasm as a weapon against both her own insecurities and the flakes and train wrecks who surround her. This time, she gets to be the train wreck." In 30 Rock, Fey's acting was influenced by both physical and improvisational comedy while, as a writer, her "carefully written scripts" were often quirky and character-driven.
Fey stated that some of the artists who inspired her in her career include British feminist playwright Caryl Churchill, comedian Chris Rock, and composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim.
In September 2011, Fey was ranked at the top of Forbes magazine's list of the highest-paid TV actresses. In June 2010, it was announced Fey would receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011. In 2014, Fey was recognized by Elle magazine during The Women in Hollywood Awards, honoring women for their outstanding achievements in film, spanning all aspects of the motion picture industry, including acting, directing, and producing.
Social Network
Tina Fey is active on social media platforms, although she does not personally manage her accounts. Fans can follow her updates and projects through her official social media profiles, which are managed by her team.
Education
Fey attended Upper Darby High School and later graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama. After college, she took classes at The Second City in Chicago to hone her comedic skills.
Tina Fey's career is marked by her innovative approach to comedy and her ability to excel in multiple roles—writer, actress, and producer. Her net worth reflects her success in both television and other ventures.
At age 11, Fey read Joe Franklin's Seventy Years of Great Film Comedians for a school project about comedy. She grew up watching Second City Television and has cited Catherine O'Hara as a role model.
Fey went by the nickname "Tina" at an early age. She attended Cardington-Stonehurst Elementary School and Beverly Hills Middle School in Upper Darby. By middle school, she knew she was interested in comedy. Fey attended Upper Darby High School, where she was an honors student, a member of the choir, drama club, and tennis team, and co-editor of the school's newspaper, The Acorn. She anonymously wrote the newspaper's satirical column, The Colonel. Following her graduation in 1988, Fey enrolled at the University of Virginia (UVA), where she studied playwriting and acting and was awarded the Pettway Prize. During her time at UVA, she was a member of Delta Zeta Sorority and the student-led theater organization, First Year Players. She graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in drama.
In 2002, Fey appeared in the surreal comedy Martin & Orloff. She made her debut as writer and co-star of the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls. Characters and behaviors in the film are based on Fey's high school life at Upper Darby High School and on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. The cast includes other past cast members of SNL including Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, and Amy Poehler. The film received favorable reviews, and was a box office success, grossing US$129 million worldwide.
