It's going to be a family affair...5eva!
During a June 15 appearance on the Today show, Tina Fey —the first in-person guest in 455 days, since the start of the coronavirus pandemic—revealed what it was really like filming her hit Peacock series Girls5eva during quarantine. And it certainly helped having a special guest star: her daughter Penelope, 9.
"I live with her. I gave birth to her and I will be cooking her vegetarian chicken nuggets later," Fey said with a laugh. "Our daughter Penelope ended up being in the show. There was a part for a 9-year-old, and I was like if we don't let her audition for this, she's going to kill us."
But as executive producer on the show—which follows a former pop group consisting of Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Renee Elise Goldsberry and Paula Pell who reunite for a second shot at fame—she was hesitant to use her power to get Penelope a gig. "No, I can't let the boss's kid get the first job they ever audition for," Fey admitted. "But she did really well. We hired another kid, and then because of the pandemic, the kid was out of state and couldn't come in, and I was like, Penelope, you're up."
In the end, it was a perfect match. "She did a great job, and she was super professional and, you know, for like kind of a grim year of like distance learning and all that stuff, it was a little treat for her," the actress said. "I know the whole crew. The crew has been with us since 30 Rock so I felt like no matter what it would be okay, but I was very, very proud of her because, you know, it's one of those moments where you're like, oh, you brought all your manners today. Like that's the main thing, right? As a parent, and I'm like, oh, your manners were lovely."
And for Fey, popping into Studio 1A could be the most fetch thing to happen to her this year. "I am so honored to be here," Fey told co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. "I don't know how I got to be this person, but I want to thank all of you guys for keeping all of us outside 1A like tethered to reality for the last year and a half...When you guys came back together, these were such like uplifting moments of optimism for the rest of us. So thank you and thank you so much for inviting me to be here."
Watch the adorable clip above for all the full interview and binge Girls5eva on Peacock ahead of season two.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)