'Mean Girls' star Tina Fey opens up about longtime friendship with 'work wife' Amy Poehler on 'Today'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Mean Girls’ star Tina Fey recently appeared on ‘Today’ show and had a Sunday sit down with host Willie Geist as she opened up about her friendship with co-star Amy Poehler.

Fey and Poehler share a friendship that spans over 30 years.

Throughout their enduring camaraderie, the duo has collaborated on various projects, including notable movies such as ‘Mean Girls’ in 2004, ‘Sisters’ in 2015, and ‘Baby Mama’ in 2008, where Poehler portrayed a surrogate for Fey's character.

Given their extensive collaboration and close bond, Fey, who is married to composer and producer Jeff Richmond, playfully refers to Poehler as her "wife."

Besides her friendship with Poehler, the former also shared how she feels about her daughters never seeing her TV show, the return of ‘Mean Girls’, and her landing her dream job at ‘SNL.’

Tina Fey calls Amy Poehler her ‘work wife’

During a recent Sunday sit down with Willie Geist, Tina Fey talked abundantly about her friendship with Amy Poehler.

She told Geist, “We really just have such an ease and shorthand working with each other.”

The chemistry between Fey and Poehler evolved gradually over time. Fey observed the unique rhythm they shared while co-hosting the Golden Globe Awards.

Their hosting stint at the prestigious ceremony spanned three years, from 2013 to 2015, and they reunited for the gig in 2021.

Building on their successful collaborations, Fey and Poehler have taken their partnership on the road for the ‘Restless Leg’ comedy tour.

The dynamic duo's latest venture has drawn comparisons to rock stars, with the tour creating a buzz and excitement akin to a musical tour.

Fey said, “We’re just out and about. We’re just impregnating people everywhere we go.”

She continued, “But, it is such a paid mom’s weekend, ‘cause we go there and we’re like, 'Where should we — I heard there’s interesting vintage shopping.’ And whatever city we go to, we have, like, a nice lunch just like (Chris) Rock and (Dave) Chappelle. And then we do our show, and if it’s a Saturday, we go to our room, and we watch 'SNL' from the hotel room. It's a dream.”

She also said if they aren’t physically together, they stay connected adding, “We’ll, like, live text during it.”

Where did Tina Fey and Amy Poehler first meet?

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's friendship began in 1993 when Fey moved to Chicago to pursue a comedy career.

They met while taking improv classes at The Second City and Improv Olympic. Fey reminisced about this period during her interview with Willie Geist, recalling how she, Poehler, and her friend Rachel Dratch were on a team together.

She said, “I went there to try to take classes at The Second City and at a place called Improv Olympic. And that’s where I met my wife, Amy Poehler. We were on a team together. It’s where I met my friend Rachel Dratch."

Poehler also reflected on their early days, humorously mentioning their big dreams when she presented the Mark Twain Prize to Fey in 2010.

She said, “Tina and I met while we were taking improv classes in Chicago at Improv Olympic and Second City. It was 1993 and our dreams were as big and unshaped as our eyebrows.”

"In the early '90s, in Chicago, only two things were clear. We wanted to write and perform comedy, and we knew we would look better in our 40s than we did in our 20s."

In 1997, Fey joined ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) as a writer after impressing creator and producer Lorne Michaels in an interview.

Fey shared with Geist how nervous she was during the interview, remembering advice she received not to finish Michaels' sentences.

She recalled, “Whatever you do, don’t finish his sentences.”

“So I went into the office and I was, like, out of my body. He was like, ‘So you’re from?’ And at the same time, I was like, ‘Philadelphia.’ He was like, ‘Chicago.’ I was like, ‘Or Chicago.’ And I had this thought, like, just floated outta my body, just turned into a puff of smoke,” she continued.

Geist responded with a laugh, “You somehow gave the wrong answer to your hometown.”

Fey said, “I gave the wrong answer to my hometown. But, no, I was right.”

Despite a momentary mix-up about her hometown, Fey got the job and eventually became the head writer in 1999.

Poehler joined ‘SNL’ as a cast member in 2001, marking another chapter in their collaborative journey.

In February 2023, Fey and Poehler excitedly revealed their inaugural live comedy tour, named the ‘Restless Leg Tour.’

In a promotional video shared on Instagram, Fey expressed, “It's going to be an evening of comedy, conversation, improv, maybe a little slow dancing between us, we don't know yet. But it's going to be awesome.”

Owing to overwhelming demand, the dynamic duo decided to extend the tour.

In September 2023, they announced the addition of nine new shows, allowing the ‘Restless Leg Tour’ to continue its run into February 2024.