Most Saturday Night Live fans knew about Tina Fey long before noticing that she is a spitting image of governor Sarah Palin. But whether fans developed a liking towards the comedian from her debut on 30 Rock, or if it came about as a result of her impersonating Palin, is still up for debate.
Fey flitted back and forth between the NBC comedy and SNL, but it wasn’t until Palin was elected as John McCain’s running mate that the Mean Girls star returned to the popular late-night satire sitcom. Last year, a measly six million viewers tuned in to 30 Rock on a weekly basis. Nearly 17 million tuned in to see Palin and Fey appear on SNL together. It’s no coincidence that 30 Rock saw a huge increase in ratings as Fey continued to perform her Palin impersonations. The program even recorded its largest overnight rating in 14 years, after featuring the much-anticipated face-off between the vice president candidate and comedian.
As the sophisticated Fey presents herself as a Palin-clone beauty queen, fans continue to find entertainment in the way Fey portrays Palin in reference to how she handles foreign affairs, and even what it’s like being able to see Russia from her backyard. With the accompaniment of Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton, the whole political cast has been thrust into the limelight to capitalize on Palin’s guest appearance.
While Palin only went on-air for the cold open and the show’s “Weekend Update,” it was more than enough to leave Democrats and Republicans wanting more. Dancing along to rap lyrics courtesy of Poehler, Palin rivaled Fey in providing the crowd with their nightly dose of cheap humor.
Some political activists are voicing their opinion about the harm this may be having on the McCain-Palin ticket, but many continue to tune in to see what the next Palin joke will be, and remain concerned about whether Fey will take a stab at Palin’s religious beliefs or her thoughts on foreign policy.
Members of the McCain camp have even gone so far as to say the words being said towards Palin are sexist and disrespectful, and do not accurately portray the running mate’s positions.
For those of you who can’t get enough of the Palin and Fey comedy hour, Palin has been overheard saying she would love to do another episode.
