Tina Fey Has Been Preparing to Run SNL for Her Entire Career. When Will She Get Her Shot?

For nearly two decades, the question surrounding  and  Live has lingered in the background of television comedy like an inside joke everyone already understands: if anyone is going to replace , isn’t it obviously Tina Fey?

And yet, year after year, Michaels remains in Studio 8H, still orchestrating America’s most influential comedy institution at age 81. Meanwhile, Fey — arguably the most successful creative product the show has ever produced — continues to circle the throne without ever publicly claiming she wants it.

But whether she admits it or not, the evidence is hard to ignore: Tina Fey has spent her entire career unknowingly training to run SNL.