Overview
- Tina Fey, speaking at the History Talks event in Philadelphia on Saturday, said some past SNL jokes were "on the wrong side" and called herself "pretty dumb."
- She defended her 2008 Sarah Palin impersonations as a "fair hit" grounded in facts and said she wrote them over six weeks with Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers.
- Fey said Saturday Night Live does not try to steer politics and argued political comedy fails if it is not true.
- Variety cited Nielsen data showing SNL's Season 34 ratings jumped 50% during the 2008 campaign and quoted NBC executive Rick Ludwin on the responsibility to be fair.
- Conservative coverage challenged her portrayal by noting Palin never said "I can see Russia from my house" and pointing to her actual comment about seeing Russia from Alaska's Diomede Islands.