Tina Fey doesn’t do "mom-fluencer" vibes. You won’t find her posting curated, beige-filtered photos of her children eating organic kale chips on Instagram. Honestly, that's just not her brand. Instead, the woman who gave us Liz Lemon and Mean Girls has spent the last two decades treating motherhood like a high-stakes improv set—one where the audience (her daughters) is notoriously difficult to please.
Tina Fey kids, Alice and Penelope, are growing up fast. In fact, Alice Zenobia Richmond is now 20 years old, and her younger sister, Penelope Athena Richmond, is 14. If those names sound like something out of a Greek epic, it’s a nod to Tina’s heritage, but the girls themselves are pure New Yorkers. They aren't just "celebrity children" who sit in the background; they are the sharp-witted critics who keep one of the funniest women in the world surprisingly humble.
The First Act: Alice Zenobia Richmond
Alice was born in September 2005. At the time, Tina was still a titan at Saturday Night Live, but the arrival of her first daughter changed the trajectory of her career and her sleep schedule. You might actually recognize Alice even if you don't realize it.
Remember the "Origin of the Eye Roll" on 30 Rock?
In 2012, a seven-year-old Alice made a cameo as a young Liz Lemon. She didn't have to do much. She just stood there and delivered a world-class, soul-crushing eye roll during a flashback scene. It was perfect. It was genetic.
Life as a Muse
Alice hasn't just been a guest star; she’s been a writer’s room consultant without even knowing it. Tina has admitted in several interviews and in her book Bossypants that Alice’s toddler logic inspired some of the most iconic lines in TV history.
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The phrase "I want to go to there"?
That was Alice. She said it while looking at a commercial for a Disney World-adjacent resort, and Tina, being the professional comedy scavenger she is, immediately wrote it into the script for Liz Lemon. Alice is now a young adult, navigating life away from the immediate glare of her mother’s spotlight, though she still occasionally pops up on red carpets looking remarkably like a taller, Gen-Z version of her mom.
The Sequel: Penelope Athena Richmond
Then comes Penelope. Born in August 2011, she arrived just as 30 Rock was heading into its final seasons. If Alice is the quiet observer, Penelope seems to have inherited the "performer" gene a bit more overtly.
In 2021, Penelope made her own screen debut. She appeared in the Peacock series Girls5eva—which Tina executive produces—playing a nine-year-old child influencer. Tina was actually hesitant about it. She didn't want to be that stage mom. But as she told Seth Meyers, Penelope basically threatened to "kill" her if she didn't get to audition for the role.
She got the part. She was great. She was also reportedly very professional, which is a relief when your mom is the boss.
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Why Tina Fey Kids Are Her Toughest Critics
There is a specific kind of humbling that happens when you are a world-famous comedian but your own children think you’re a "cringe" mom. Tina has talked at length about the "office crush" dynamic of having teenage daughters.
Basically, you’re obsessed with them. You want to hang out. You hover at their bedroom door and say things like, "Hey, we were gonna grab Thai food, do you want to—" only to be cut off by a flat "No" before you can finish the sentence.
The Mean Girls Connection
When Tina was working on the 2024 Mean Girls movie musical, she actually used her daughters as a litmus test for what was cool. It’s a dangerous game. Teenagers smell desperation.
- Alice provided the "grown-up" perspective on what the original movie meant to her generation.
- Penelope acted as a field reporter for current middle and high school trends.
Despite their input, Tina is the first to admit she isn’t a "cool mom" in their eyes. She told People magazine at the 2023 American Museum of Natural History Gala that you’re never cool to your kids, and you shouldn't even try. "Just let it happen," she advised.
Raising "Human" Humans in a Celebrity World
One of the most refreshing things about how Tina Fey and her husband, composer Jeff Richmond, raise their kids is the lack of Hollywood gloss. They live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. They take the subway.
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In her famous "A Prayer for a Daughter," Tina wrote about wanting her children to be guided away from "Acting but not all the way to Finance." She hoped for a "rough patch" from ages twelve to seventeen—the kind of character-building awkwardness that leads to a sense of humor.
The Richmond-Fey Parenting Philosophy
- Work-Life Integration: Tina famously struggled with the decision to have a second child while 30 Rock was at its peak. She ultimately decided that she didn't want her career to "win" over her family.
- Privacy as a Priority: You won't see her kids on a reality show. Appearances are rare and usually tied to a project they actually worked on.
- Humor as a Shield: They use comedy to navigate the weirdness of fame.
What’s Next for Alice and Penelope?
As of 2026, Alice is likely finishing up university or starting her professional journey. She has stayed relatively private, avoiding the "nepo baby" discourse by simply not chasing the limelight for its own sake.
Penelope is firmly in the throes of being a teenager. Whether she continues acting or decides to go into "golf course design" (another career Tina jokingly suggested in her writing), she has the benefit of two parents who value work ethic over fame.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from the way Tina Fey handles motherhood, it’s this: Stop trying to be your child's friend. They have friends. They need a mother who can occasionally be the "mean girl" who makes them do their homework or get off their phones. Tina has mastered the art of being a titan of industry while still being the person who gets told to "get out of the room" by a fourteen-year-old. And honestly? That’s probably why her kids are so well-adjusted.
Practical Insights for Parents:
- Embrace the Cringe: If your kids think you’re uncool, you’re probably doing something right.
- Value Their Critique: Children have a "BS detector" that is incredibly useful for creative work.
- Set Boundaries on Publicity: Letting kids choose when to be in the spotlight (like Penelope’s audition) creates a sense of agency.
The story of the Fey-Richmond household isn't a tabloid drama. It’s a long-running sitcom that just happens to be unscripted. It’s messy, it’s full of eye rolls, and it’s clearly built on a foundation of very sharp, very funny love.