Second City veteran Tina Fey became the first female head writer in the history of “Saturday Night Live” in 1999, only two years after joining the staff of the famed NBC sketch comedy series. As one of the minds behind such hit recurring bits as the merciless satire of “The View” and the Boston videocamera-toting teen parody “Sully and Denise” (starring Jimmy Fallon and Fey’s frequent comedy collaborator and fellow Second City alum Rachel Dratch), Fey set herself apart as one of “SNL”‘s more consistent and contemporary writers.
A pretty, petite brown-haired performer with a sharp wit and feisty demeanor, the fashionably bespectacled Fey quickly won over fans when she went in front of the camera, joining Jimmy Fallon behind the “Weekend Update” anchor desk beginning in the 2000-2001 season. Her assured and skillful delivery of the news was appreciated by fans, while her mixture of sparkle and sophistication balanced out Fallon’s boyish energy. Editorial comments like her passionate and honestly funny rant against Hugh Hefner’s harem were a welcome addition to the show, offering a fresh perspective on a series and in a genre known for being overwhelmingly male dominated.
