Tina Fey, Hater of Celebrity Side Hustles, Says Her Impulse to Hide and Retire Is “Very Strong”

Tina Fey, who once declared that “authenticity is dangerous and expensive” in the public eye, nevertheless got candid about her plans to retreat from the spotlight in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday.

“The impulse to hide and retire is very strong,” the 54-year-old said, “because it’s time to help new voices get in the mix. It’s something I’m already doing, but I want to do more. Even on the walk over here I was like, ‘I am so tired of hearing from me,’” Fey continued. “Surely everyone else is tired of hearing from the same people over and over again.”

Throughout the course of her career, Fey helped create dozens of films and TV shows, including Mean Girls, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and the upcoming Netflix series The Four Seasons, debuting on May 1. Now, Fey straddles the line between championing fresher talent and being tapped to succeed a comedy giant.

Case in point: In the interview, Fey dismissed the idea that she’d ever return to host the Golden Globes, instead praising its newest emcee, who will return for the second year in a row: “Nikki Glaser killed it at the Globes, and she should keep that job forever.”

But when asked about Saturday Night Live creator and producer Lorne Michaels saying that Fey, a former head writer for the NBC sketch series, “could easily” take over for him, she replied, “It was nice of him to say that, and I love him very much,” but “he’s irreplaceable,” adding, “His set of gifts and skills are entirely unique. His eye for talent! He’s one of the last three people in show business who actually understand everything. I’ll leave it at that.”

Recently, Fey has proven to be a voice of reason, notably publicizing her “problem with rich people having a side hustle” during an appearance on friend Amy Poehler’s podcast. Instead of securing another stream of income outside of show-biz, say a haircare or eyewear line, Fey previously said that feeling “safe” and having “enough money to live” was all she required.

And when the time comes to step out of the spotlight, Fey is happy to do so. “People who know me have said, ‘You wouldn’t be able to retire. You’d be so unhappy,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “Wrong! I’d still be busy all the time. It would just be with dumb stuff.”