Tina Fey Daughters: What Most People Get Wrong

If you’ve spent any time watching 30 Rock or the 2024 Mean Girls musical, you’ve basically seen the DNA of Tina Fey’s family life splashed across the screen without even realizing it. Most people think of Tina as the ultimate "bossypants"—the hyper-organized, glasses-wearing queen of SNL who has it all figured out. But when it comes to her kids, she’s honestly just like every other mom in Manhattan trying to convince her teenagers that she’s actually cool.

Spoiler alert: It's not working.

Tina Fey and her husband, composer Jeff Richmond, have two daughters, Alice Zenobia Richmond and Penelope Athena Richmond. Alice is the older one, born in 2005, and Penelope arrived later in 2011. While some celebrity kids are out here trying to be "nepo baby" influencers by age twelve, Tina’s girls have a much more grounded, albeit hilarious, presence in the world.

The "I Want to Go to There" Legend: Alice Zenobia Richmond

Alice is currently 20 years old, which is kind of wild to think about if you remember her as the toddler Tina used to joke about on Weekend Update. She’s the one responsible for one of the most iconic lines in television history. You know that weird, grammatically incorrect phrase Liz Lemon says whenever she sees something she wants? "I want to go to there."

That wasn't a writer's room creation. That was five-year-old Alice. She said it while looking at a commercial for a Disney cruise, and Tina, being the comedic scavenger she is, put it straight into the script.

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Alice actually played a seven-year-old Liz Lemon in the 30 Rock episode "Live from Studio 6H." If you go back and watch it, the resemblance is striking. She’s got the same dry delivery and expressive eyebrows. But despite that early brush with fame, Alice hasn't jumped headfirst into the Hollywood machine. She’s been spotted at the US Open with her parents and attending Broadway openings, looking like a total carbon copy of her mother. Honestly, the resemblance is a bit spooky.

Tina has mentioned that Alice is a "discerning viewer" of comedy. They bonded during the pandemic by watching old SNL episodes together. Imagine being a teenager and having your mom explain the subtext of a sketch she wrote in 1999. That’s either the coolest thing ever or a total nightmare, depending on the day.

Penelope Athena Richmond: The Family’s Toughest Critic

Then there’s Penelope, who is now 14. If Alice is the "sweet, easy-going" one, as Tina told Ellen DeGeneres years ago, Penelope is the one with the sharp tongue. Tina once joked that Penelope is "the fourth funniest person in the family," which is a brutal ranking when your mom is a comedy legend and your dad is an Emmy-winning composer.

Penelope has already made her mark on the screen, too. She played a character named Stevia on the Peacock series Girls5eva. The story behind that casting is peak Tina Fey parenting. Apparently, Penelope really wanted to audition for the role of the 9-year-old influencer, but Tina was hesitant. She didn't want the "boss's kid" to get the first job they ever tried out for.

She actually hired another kid first.

But then the pandemic happened, the original actor couldn't travel, and Penelope got the "you’re up" call. She ended up being a standout, mostly because she has this natural, slightly cynical comedic timing that you just can't teach. You might also remember her crashing Tina’s Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance from home, where she flashed a "Loser" sign behind her mom's head. Classic.

Raising Humans in the Upper West Side

Living in New York City is a big part of their family identity. Tina and Jeff have raised the girls on the Upper West Side, far away from the gated communities of Calabasas. Tina has talked about how New York keeps kids humble because they still have to ride the subway and deal with the general "grossness" of the city.

One of the most relatable things Tina has ever shared is about the "office crush" energy of having a teenage daughter. You're always thinking about them, but they’re barely thinking about you. You hover at their bedroom door, hoping for a scrap of conversation, and they just look at their phone and wait for you to leave. It’s a universal experience, even if your mom wrote Mean Girls.

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Speaking of Mean Girls, both daughters were actually "consultants" for the 2024 movie musical. Tina would run things by them to see if they felt "cringe" or authentic. They were the ones who insisted the Burn Book stay a physical book rather than a private Instagram account. They knew that some things are just timeless, even in the age of TikTok.

Real Talk: The Challenges of a "Normal" Upbringing

It’s not all red carpets and "I want to go to there." Tina has been very open about the struggle of balancing a massive career with being present. In her book Bossypants, she wrote a "Prayer for a Daughter" that is surprisingly moving. She hoped her daughter would be "beautiful but not damaged" and lead a life that involves "making her own hours but still feeling intellectually fulfilled."

There’s also the reality of the public eye. Tina is notoriously private about her kids' social media. You won't find them on a public Instagram page thirsty for likes. They seem to be focused on school and being actual people, which is a rarity in the current "celeb-kid-turned-model" pipeline.

Why It Matters

What people get wrong about Tina Fey's daughters is the assumption that they are being groomed for stardom. In reality, it seems like Tina and Jeff are grooming them to be sharp, funny, and self-sufficient adults who just happen to have a great "comedy education."

Whether they end up in front of the camera or behind a desk in a completely different industry, they’ve clearly inherited the Fey-Richmond wit.

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Next Steps for the Curious:

• Watch Alice’s Cameo: Go find the 30 Rock episode "Live from Studio 6H" to see Alice's spot-on Liz Lemon impression.
• Stream Girls5eva: Check out Penelope’s performance as Stevia to see the next generation of comedic timing.
• Read Bossypants: If you haven't read Tina’s book, the chapter on her daughter is genuinely one of the best pieces of writing on motherhood out there.