'She's overthinking': Internet divided as Tina Fey criticizes millennials for 'feeling ownership' of 'Mean Girls'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In 2024, the much-loved teen comedy, 'Mean Girls,' made a triumphant return.

The film, a musical adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway show, premiered in New York City on January 8 and was released nationwide by Paramount Pictures on January 12, creating quite a buzz.

Tina Fey, the screenwriter known for her openness about the filmmaking process, recently joined Seth Meyers for a nostalgic look back at the original 'Mean Girls' movie, which debuted two decades ago.

The 2004 film has earned a special place in the hearts of millennials, who identified with the characters at the time of its release.

The revival of the film has stirred up some buzz again. The producer, aged 53, has been in the news for his critique of millennials' claimed "ownership" over the much-loved film.

What did Tina Fey say about millennials?

As of January 17, 2024, the musical film 'Mean Girls' has earned a total of $43.8 million worldwide, with $37.1 million from the United States and Canada, and $6.6 million from other regions.

The film has created a buzz, and Tina Fey's comments on millennials have become a hot topic on the internet.

Pop Crave, a media company, took to the platform formerly known as Twitter to share Fey's critical statement.

The release of the new movie's tagline, "Not Your Mother's Mean Girls" in a trailer reportedly sparked a range of reactions from confusion to outrage among the generation now aged between 28 and 43.

Fey's statement reads, "Millennials especially, like, they feel real ownership of the movie. And they were sort of like, 'You can't!—we own this!' and I was sort of like, 'Well, no. It's my thing.’ At one point one of my daughters was like, 'Don't let those millennials overthink it.'"

Previously, the producer made headlines for attributing the millennial response to the new 'Mean Girls' as a reflection of the generation's "narcissism."

"That was the Paramount marketing department and then the millennials were so butthurt," Fey said to USA Today of the tagline.

"It was like, yes, you guys are getting old! It did expose a little millennial narcissism: When you went, there were other people in the theater too! And some of them may have been older than you! It was so centering themselves in the story."

Internet reacts to Tina Fey's remarks

The internet has swiftly responded to Tina Fey's comments about millennials, expressing a variety of opinions.

A user wrote on X, "Spoken like a true Gen X."

"All we wanted was rachel mcadams," said another.

Another user wrote, "I think Fey is "overthinking" it."

"She cleared those old hags gen z better anyways," mentioned another. 

One person expressed, "It's interesting to consider how "Mean Girls" might be interpreted differently by different generations. For example, younger viewers might not pick up on the same nostalgic references as millennials."

"Classic boomers VS millennials," claimed another. 

Another person noted, "Mean Girls was very successful and Millennials definitely played no part in that, she’s right. Glad someone finally said it."

"I agree and disagree at the same time , I say yes she wrote it so it definitely is her thing and she can do whatever she wants with it, with movies and broadway but also give millennials the credit of making it so successful and last in the pop culture hemisphere for so long," explained another. 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.