‘Bossypants,’ by Tina Fey (2011) More than any other book, with the possible exception of Howard Stern’s “Private Parts,” this blockbuster created the modern comedy memoir boom. In her memoir Bossypants, comedian Tina Fey emphasized how educational her time with Alec Baldwin has been. 'Anything I learned about real acting I learned from watching Alec Baldwin,' she wrote. Tina Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (1998–today), for her impression of former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and for creating acclaimed series 30 Rock (2006–2013) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–present). In his memoir, Nevertheless, Fey's 30 Rock co-star Alec Baldwin writes that Fey describes her husband as 'travel-size.' 'When I saw him, I thought, What's she doing with him?,' he wrote, jokingly.
A good comedy memoir is the best medicine on Earth (note: I am not a doctor). Everyone has their go-to genre to cheer up. When life gets you down, you might peace out to Westeros or Narnia. Or when you find yourself in the doldrums, you might reach for a hefty work of literary fiction to help you wallow. But for me, at least, the best attack on a gloomy mood is a well-written comedy memoir.
I was bitten by the funny memoir bug when I was about 10 or 11. My favorite musical at the time was Gypsy, and some negligent adult allowed me to check Gypsy: Memoirs of America's Most Celebrated Stripper out of the library. I was embarrassed to read it in public, because the cover was just as scandalous as you might think. And I'm sure a lot of the stuff about early burlesque theatre flew right over my head. But I loved the way that Gypsy Rose Lee looked back on her dysfunctional family with humor. I loved peering into someone's strange and sometimes sad past, but more than anything, I loved the way she could spin tragedy into comedy.
Some memoirs exist to give you a new perspective on life, or to remind you that people can overcome adversity. These memoirs exist because sometimes you just have to look back at your life and laugh:
1. Bossypants by Tina Fey
If you're a Tina Fey fan, chances are you've already read this book at least twice. Consider this an invitation to read it again (or for the first time, even if you don't know much about Tina Fey). Fey writes about her awkward childhood, her years as a struggling twenty-something trying to break into comedy, and her rise to SNL fame. But she also has time to skewer the beauty industry and the 'boy's club' of TV, and just generally inspire her readers to be as bossy and as funny as possible.
2. Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin
Steve Martin started his career at age 10. So he has plenty of comedic memories to go around. This book is funny, of course (it's Steve Martin). But it's also candid and, at times, heartfelt. Martin chronicles his life in comedy from his start as a teenaged magician in Disneyland, but he also paints a portrait of the era he grew up in, and of the trials and tribulations of starting out so young.
3. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
I, like everyone else on this planet, wish that Mindy Kaling could be my best friend. But she's probably too busy (and she lives on the other side of the country), so I'll have to settle for re-reading her first memoir. It's the perfect blend of bubbly, snarky, honest, and sheer fun. It's like a sleepover with friends, except you also get to hear about Kaling's adolescent awkwardness and her opinions on rom-coms as a sub-genre of science fiction.
4. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
Writing a book, as Amy Poehler reminds us several times in Yes Please, is very hard. But in this case, the hard work has paid off. Poehler is hysterically funny and inspirational, of course, because that's who she is. But she's also made of stern stuff, and her book is a testament to how strong you have to be to make your living as a funny woman.
5. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girlby Issa Rae
Issa Rae is the creator of a hit web series, but, according to her memoir, she's also a hugely awkward introvert (and she's not shy about saying so). Her collection of essays is full of insight and honesty, but she has a gift for turning her misadventures into hilariously identifiable stories. It's not quite the same as her acclaimed web series, but it's a far more personal, and equally funny, piece of writing.
6. Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoirby Jenny Lawson
You might be noticing a slight pattern here: a lot of these comedic memoirs are written by people with painfully, unrelentingly awkward childhoods. Jenny Lawson is no exception, but she does take it to the next level. Her memoir is all about those excruciating moments that define us. And she doesn't pull any punches.
7. Harpo Speaks!by Harpo Marx and Rowland Barber
For the old school comedy fan, you can't get much more classic than the Marx Brothers. (If you've never seen a Marx Brothers movie, please do so at this time. I'll wait.) Harpo, famously mute onscreen, finally gets a voice in this absurdly funny, outrageous memoir. He writes about growing up in poverty, clowning his way to the top, and getting up to no good with the cinema and literary greats of the 20th century.
8. Me Talk Pretty One Dayby David Sedaris
Look, I know David Sedaris is old news by now. But damn is he funny. There's a reason his comedic memoirs are so widely read. He doesn't just crack jokes or try to get by on shock value: he digs down deep into the recesses of his childhood and his offbeat family history, and he uncovers gem after gem. And Me Talk Pretty One Day is quite possibly the funniest memoir ever he's written.
9. Girl Walks into a Bar by Rachel Dratch
If you've ever said, 'Who's that one woman from SNL? The Debbie Downer lady? Where'd she go?' this book has all the answers. Rachel Dratch is an actress and comedian by trade, so of course she's ready with zany stories about showbiz and being typecast as trolls. But she also has some sharp observations on life, love, and a late-in-life unexpected pregnancy.
10. Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
Celebrity chef Eddie Huang is also a hilariously gifted writer and comedian (because life is unfair), and his memoir is a candid look at growing up in theme-park America. It's got humor, family, and, most importantly, food. What else do you want in a memoir?
11. Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh
No list of funny memoirs is complete without Allie Brosh. Very few other cartoonists could cover everything from dogs to cake to depression with the heart and humor of Hyperbole and a Half. The illustrations are laugh-out-loud funny on their own, but Brosh's writing makes this memoir into the chaotic, hilarious book that it is.
Bossypants Author
Images: Universal Pictures
Actor and writer Tina Fey has excelled in nearly every entertainment medium. Most people first saw Fey as a longtime member on Saturday Night Live. Among her numerous sketches and performances, she 'may have changed the course of American politics with her deadly impersonation of Sarah Palin,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. She transitioned to scripted comedy on TV — first with the beloved 30 Rock and later the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Fey starred in the 2010 comedy Date Night with Steve Carell and joined her real-life friend for two more. Amy Poehler and Fey were together in the films Baby Mama and Sisters, plus multiple runs as co-hosts of the Emmys. She wrote a best-selling memoir called Bossypants about her experiences and continues to find new ways to delight fans of all generations.
When she's not performing or lending her voice for animated features, Fey is proud of where she came from, despite a frightening experience. Fey's personal growth is amazing, as well as the inside secrets of the shows that helped make her famous.
What's your favorite Fey character from SNL? And what do you think she'll create next? No improv needed — it's time for the untold truth of Tina Fey.
Tina Fey's roots are strong
Tina Fey Bossypants Summary
Throughout her career, Tina Fey has been near the biggest cities in the United States. She's lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City, and before that? She grew up near Philadelphia. Originally from the suburb of Upper Darby, Fey often finds ways to show her hometown pride. For instance, she partially used her experiences at Upper Darby High School to help write the script for Mean Girls. 'I definitely looked back on the way I behaved. The way I saw others behave,' she told a local NBC affiliate about the creative process. When she was on SNL, one of her characters was a woman with a Philadelphia accent. She tried to teach the unique way of talking to her castmate Jimmy Fallon with little success. 'He didn't get it,' Fey recalled. But his attempts along with her accurate portrayal always drew laughs from the audience.
With all her success, Philly loves her right back. When Gritty, the hockey mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, posed as famous people from Philadelphia for an Instagram photoshoot, the orange mascot paid homage to Fey's Bossypants book cover. 'This is the best thing that's ever happened,' Fey said about the recognition from Gritty.
She also used 30 Rock to make a sly reference to Philadelphia. In the series, a recurring mention is a cable company based in Philadelphia called Kabletown—not unlike Comcast, the communication giant based in the City of Brotherly Love, via The Philadelphia Inquirer.
How did Tina Fey come up with the idea for Mean Girls?
Tina Fey was doing well for herself starring in 30 Rock. Despite her writing credits on the series and previously on SNL — she was still unproven in film. Fey drafted her first movie about the gossip and drama of high school students, called Mean Girls. The movie was 'partly based on a sociology book that came out — Queen Bees and Wannabes. It was a book for parents and for young girls to figure out kind of relational aggression,' she told Philadelphia's NBC station.
Fey found her match with Sherry Lansing, who at the time was the head of Paramount Pictures. The former actor-turned-executive took a hands-off approach to Fey's first script, which the comedian was grateful for. 'She never took that screenplay away and said, 'Now let's give a two-week pass to some guys that we'll pay $500,000 to fix it,' Fey told The Hollywood Reporter. 'She just let me keep plugging at it,' Fey added. Mean Girls launched the careers of several actors and became a cult classic.
More than a decade later, Fey reprised the premise and created a Broadway musical of the same name. The show was a hit and with it came another movie deal. In 2020, Fey announced a motion picture based on the Mean Girls musical. 'I've spent sixteen years with these characters now. They are my Marvel Universe and I love them dearly,' she said in a statement, via Variety.
Inside the life of Tina Fey as a kid
As a kid growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Tina Fey spent a lot of time in front of the television. In an interview for The A.V. Club, she considered her younger self as a 'TV junkie' who watched a lot of the series TheHoneymooners. This was partly because she wasn't allowed to watch The Flintstones — her dad felt it was a 'rip-off of The Honeymooners.'
Fey's love for comedy started in middle school. For an 'independent study' project, she decided to research comedians. Except according to Fey, the only information she could find in her local library was called Joe Franklin's Encyclopedia of Comedians. The actor remembered this compendium only contained comedians up until the 1950s, 'so I read up on guys like Joe E. Brown.'
Outside of school Fey stayed active with her father. He showed his daughter culture with regular visits to 'art museums and historical sites,' Fey remembered to The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also remembered her dad teaching her how to throw a baseball. Fey recalled he told her, 'If you throw like a girl again, we're going in.' But she made sure to clarify, 'I took it in the spirit it was intended.'
Comedy called to Tina Fey
In high school and then college, Tina Fey discovered her passion: comedy writing. After graduating college in 1992, she knew she only wanted to go to Chicago. While in the Windy City, Fey joined Second City. This sketch comedy group is one of the most famous in the US and boasts an incredible alumni list: According to the theater's website, some of the past members include the Belushi Brothers, Steve Carell, and late-night host Stephen Colbert. She said the group was the perfect experience 'because I was creating my own material and then performing it,' she told The A.V. Club. 'I took a class there for a couple of years, then I toured for a little less than a year, and then I was on the main stage there for about a year and half before moving to SNL in '97,' she remembered. But before moving to the East coast, she tried her hand at stand-up comedy.
Fey admitted to trying a few open-mic nights in Chicago. 'More like coffeehouses than actual comedy clubs” she confessed. 'But I really admire stand-up, and I think I would have loved to learn how to do it. I think it's terrifying and thrilling. A really cool thing to do,' she said. And to help fund her comedic lifestyle, she worked a side job at the YMCA. In an interview for Oprah, Fey remembered her job as an 'early-morning receptionist' at the youth organization.
Who is Tina Fey's husband?
While building her comedic writing and acting skills in Chicago, something unexpected came along: Tina Fey met her future husband, Jeff Richmond. The composer and producer was also involved in Second City at the same time as Fey, and the two clicked and started dating. In an interview for Vanity Fair, the couple remembered visiting the world-class museums in the city together. And on the opposite spectrum, almost visiting strip clubs. Richmond said in the '90s, 'When we were first dating, some of the guys at Second City said, 'Hey, wouldn't it be a hoot if we go over' to a strip club called the Doll House. Fey recalled she quickly shot down the idea for her boyfriend and other performers to 'go to this strip club ironically.'
The two both left Second City and worked on Saturday Night Live. Fey as the writer and performer, Richmond as the music director — but not at the same time at first. As Thrillistnoted, Fey landed her SNL role in 1997 but Richmond remained in Chicago. Then in 2001, Richmond earned his place on the comedy series. The two dated for seven years before getting married that same year, in 2001.
Alec Baldwin claimed that Fey referred to Richmond as 'travel-size,' referencing the fact that she's the taller one in the couple. And in the Vanity Fair interview, Richmond referred to himself as 'the Joe Biden of husbands' because he's prone to 'drop the bomb' in interviews.'
The fashionable side of Saturday Night Live
While working on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey became close with her castmates, especially Amy Poehler, who she knew from The Second City Touring Company. But she also spent time with the crew members off-screen, like in the costume department. She told Vogue that thanks to her costume designer friends, she started becoming more interested in proportions and styling. Tom Broecker, one of the designers, also helped Fey with styling her red-carpet looks. 'She has subtly changed what women look like on a weird level: the acceptance of the dark-haired girl, the acceptance of the sexy librarian, the girl with the glasses who's smart but can be pretty,' he said about the actor.
While Fey is known for her classy outfits at award shows, she also knows a thing or two about casual wear. Especially denim. As she recalled to Vogue, one day, she went to buy a pair of jeans but didn't realize until she tried them on later how high the fit was. After sharing the ridiculous fit and 'enormous rise' with co-star Maya Rudolph, the two actors 'started singing a little Mom Jeans song.' The two helped create the 'Mom Jeans' sketch on SNL and added an entry into the fashion lexicon. 'To coin a phrase is something special. To name a fashion faux pas so that others may avoid it? That's God's work,' Fey said. And like many things fashion, what Fey once considered a joke turned into a high-waisted jean trend years later.
Tina Fey is more than a jokester
When she's taking a break from making fans laugh and smile, Tina Fey is helping improve people's lives through charitable work. After her father, Donald Fey, died, Tina and her brother started a scholarship at her father's alma mater, Temple University, which is also close to her hometown of Upper Darby. Celebs, like her friend Jimmy Fallon, donated to the cause. The scholarship was 'for returning vets,' in social media and communication studies she told Temple. According to the university, the scholarship was available for 'military veterans that demonstrate financial need.'
In 2020, Tina hosted a fundraiser for COVID-19 relief in New York City, via NBC New York. At the end of the night, Tina had the honors to reveal the total. Learning live that the combined donations accounted for over $115 million brought the actor to tears. 'It was incredible,' she remembered of the moment on Today. 'People came through in an incredible way last night.'
Tina Fey is paving the way for powerful women
Tina Fey has empowered women through multiple means. She was the 'first female head writer on Saturday Night Live,' according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her movie Mean Girls, while of course providing laughs, took a deeper look at the relationships between women. Fey went even more in depth in her memoir Bossypants. The book was a mix of comedy and her real life experience as a famous woman. 'Fey speaks for a generation of college-educated women who faced less sex discrimination than their mothers when they started working but grew frustrated as they began families and choices got harder,' The Washington Post noted in a review of the book.
Fey explained to Variety that 'Women are always asking themselves, 'Should I act or am I just a writer?' The actor added, 'But I'm sure Ray Romano and Jerry Seinfeld aren't questioning themselves.' Instead, she looks to other comedic women for inspiration. Fey revealed that her role model is Catherine O'Hara, the Canadian actor and Emmy-winning Schitt's Creek star. Fey also appeared on stage at an event called 'Power of Women' to explain the importance of women supporting other women. And she made sure to mention how her career path came as a result from similar help. 'The community of women that I work with have always inspired me to do better,' Fey explained, according to Variety. 'To be the best I can be, if not better.'
Tina Fey reveals a horrific childhood incident
Tina Fey grew up with her parents in a very typical suburban setting. And yet, when she was just five years old, the little girl faced a terrifying experience. While Fey was outside, a stranger attacked her with a knife across her face, leaving a scar on the left side of her cheek. Even as she grew older, a faint trace of the scar remains. 'It was in, like, the front yard of her house, and somebody who just came up, and she just thought somebody marked her with a pen,' Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, told Vanity Fair. According to him, he thinks the incident helped shape Fey's approach to life and comedy. After such an event, he believes 'your comedy comes out in a different kind of way, and it also makes you feel for people.'
She revealed that even with a permanent mark, she grew up as a confident young girl. Fey told Vanity Fair that she was 'kind of able to forget about it,' but that changed once she was on TV. She remembered at that point in her career, the discussion moved to, 'I guess we should use this side' or whatever. Everybody's got a better side.' As time passes, Fey said she generally likes to avoid talking about the subject and would rather keep the childhood experience private. According to the comedian, 'It's impossible to talk about it without somehow seemingly exploiting it and glorifying it.'
Behind the 'very pilot-y' 30 Rock pilot
Tina Fey Autobiography 2011
Despite a questionable pilot episode, Tina Fey's comedy series 30 Rock went on to become one of the most beloved shows of its era. Thanks to fast-paced jokes and writing, this show-within-a-show picked up several Emmys during its run. But the series' rough start can be attributed to several missteps. Fey originally called her friend and SNL castmate Rachel Dratch to appear in the series, but Fey decided to replace her in the series and use Jane Krakowski. Fey told The A.V. Club that she didn't think of the decision as, 'You had to replace your friend.' The 30Rock creator simply said, 'We made adjustments to a pilot.' Dratch told ABC that Fey wrote the role of Jenna specifically for her. 'Then I got a call that I was being replaced,' she said. Dratch didn't think it would be so bad, until she couldn't find any opportunities after her SNL career. 'Nothing was coming up for a really long time,' the actor remembered.
The pilot that eventually aired still was far from perfect. Fey admitted to Variety why she thought the pilot episode poorly performed. 'There were things that were very pilot-y in there,' the writer said. 'That one you write by yourself, but then you get the luxury of working with all these other great writers,' she added. Among these great writers was a young Donald Glover who was a part of the team before he moved on to other projects in entertainment.
Extreme makeover, Tina Fey edition
It was a dream come true for Tina Fey to earn her spot on the team at Saturday Night Live. And yet, she still wasn't fulfilled. The comedian admitted that at the time, she was unhappy with her physical appearance. When she joined the series, she would often stay backstage. According to Vanity Fair, Fey 'wore a ski hat, and gained weight writing sharp, funny jokes and eating junk food.' Adam McKay, the director and former head writer at SNL, remembered a story Fey told him about these early days. 'Steve Martin walked right past her at the coffee table,' he recounted to the magazine.
Fey remembered the last straw was watching herself in a skit on a studio monitor. 'I was starting to look unhealthy,' she confessed. 'I looked like a behemoth, a little bit.' She set a goal to become what she referred to as 'PBS pretty,' that is, 'pretty for a smart writer.' After Fey joined Weight Watchers and lost 30 pounds, she picked up newfound confidence and an appreciation for her figure. 'Because of the Greek-girl thing, I have, like, boobs and butt,' she explained.
Tina Fey Book
After her 'makeover,' other castmates took notice. According to McKay, Martin stopped this time when walking by Fey and asked, 'Well, hel-looo — who are you?'
How much is Tina Fey worth?
During her time on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey became one of the all-time legendary members of the long-running series. She successfully used her talents in TV, movies, and writing for years following. Fey continued to find ways to use her gift, like when she branched out to voice acting in Megamind and as soul number 22 in Pixar's 2020 film Soul. With all her entertainment credits and various hosting roles, the multi-talented Fey has more than earned her big checks. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Fey was worth an estimated $75 million in 2020.
With all this money, Fey and her husband have used some of the funds for comfortable living arrangements. As Celebrity Net Worth noted, the couple purchased an apartment in New York City in 2005, which was towards the end of her career on SNL. The following year, when Fey transitioned from live sketch comedy to writing and acting on 30 Rock, the Feys expanded. She and her husband bought a nearby condo in New York for a reported $550,000, 'which Tina uses as an office.'