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Tina Fey Confirms Four Big Names Writing for SNL50: The Anniversary Special [DETAILS]

"I can see what's coming together, and it is hilarious," she said during her Tonight Show visit alongside Amy Poehler.

By Christopher Rudolph
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Tina Fey just spilled a major update on what to expect from SNL50: The Anniversary Special: They've assembled an all-star writers' room.

How to Watch

Watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC weeknights at 11:35/10:35c and next day on Peacock

"I know a little bit about what's taking shape, because I am working on it as a staff writer — which I'm pretty excited about," Tina Fey revealed during her February 12 appearance with Amy Poehler on The Tonight Show.

Tina Fey, Paula Pell, and John Mulaney among the SNL50: The Anniversary Special writers

"Me, Seth [Meyers], the great Paula Pell, Emily Spivey, John Mulaney," Fey added. "We're all coming back as 'staff writers.'"

RELATED: The SNL50 Special's Table Read Is Legends Only [PHOTO]

RELATED: Every Celebrity Set to Appear on SNL50: The Anniversary Special

"I can see what's coming together, and it is hilarious because going back to being on the writing staff, I immediately regressed to [being] so grouchy," Fey joked, before adding that she's "responsible for like two minutes of content."

Writing for a historic event like the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live can be stressful, but Fey reported that she and the other writers received a morale booster from an unexpected source: comedy legend and SNL alum, Bill Murray, who stopped by the writers' room.

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey talk to jimmy fallon on the tonight show starring jimmy fallon season 12, episode 71

Bill Murray gave a pep talk to the writers of SNL50: The Anniversary Special

"I was eating garbage. I was really grouchy, but then something amazing happened," said Fey. "I was there the other night in a meeting with [longtime SNL writer and producer Steve] Higgins and everybody, and everyone was just, you know, grinding down, like, 'Okay. Well, what's it gonna be?' And then, an angel appeared in the form of Bill Murray, [he] just wandered into the meeting."

"He came in, and he was in this incredibly wonderful mood, and he just was like, 'Hey, guys, what's going on in here? Maybe open a window. You seem like you're all about to cry,'" she recalled. "And then he just gave us this pep talk, and I could've started crying because this is the pep talk that I've been dreaming of since I was a kid watching Meatballs, right?"

"He's just like, 'Show's gonna be amazing. I'm so excited. I'm seeing everybody at rehearsal. I feel like we're all brothers and sisters.'

"And I kept waiting for it to turn into a bit, and it never did. He just was like, 'This is gonna be wonderful.'

RELATED: Bill Murray Explains the "Apology" SNL Sketch He Made After Joining the Season 2 Cast

As SNL50 talk continued, Poehler warned the audience that she was "going to be sincere for a second" while reminiscing about her time on the long-running comedy series.

"I am amazed that we're all here together. I'm amazed that we got the jobs we got. I cannot believe that I get to not only perform with you, but be friends with you," she told Fey and Fallon. "And it is a big deal to go back. If the 14-year-old version of me knew that I would be celebrating SNL... My head wants to explode."

Pedro Pascal, Marcello Hernandez, Bad Bunny, and Molly Shannon dancing while holding microphones.Pedro Pascal, Marcello Hernandez, Bad Bunny, and Molly Shannon dancing while holding microphones.

About SNL50

The three-hour SNL 50th anniversary special aired February 2025 on NBC. Aptly titled SNL50: The Anniversary Special, it celebrates a half-century worth of sketches, cast members, Hosts, and other collaborators. 

You can watch Peacock's four-part docuseries, SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night, as well as Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music, a documentary about SNL's Musical Guests that's co-directed by Questlove and Oz Rodriguez, on Peacock. The SNL50 concert special is also available on Peacock. 

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