Tina Fey is sentimental about her return to Saturday Night Live in this week’s promo for the NBC late-night sketch show, which the comedian is set to host for the sixth time, accompanied this go-round by musical guest Nicki Minaj.
In the promo, the SNL alum narrates her career origins through animation, beginning as an SNL head writer to becoming a castmember and actress, then playwright for the recent Broadway adaptation of her 2004 film, Mean Girls.
Narrating over a cartoon sketch of her professional journey in the promo, Fey recounts, “In 1997 I flew from Chicago to New York. I first got hired at SNL as a head writer. I had successfully mastered the art of sleeping with my eyes open. Then I got to be a castmember. Then I got to make other stuff. Then I got to help write a musical.”
Gushing over her history, Fey then added that she was now “back at 30 Rock and couldn’t be more excited.”
The promo ended with Fey once again standing on the SNL main stage, amazed with how similar the set appears years later. “Wow. Still looks just like it did in the ‘90s, especially that guy,” Fey said, pointing to an actor in a baseball cap, flannel and skateboard.
For her hosting gig this Saturday, she will be closing the curtain on season 43 of the NBC comedy sketch series. The SNL alum spent nine years on the show, both writing and acting in featured sketches. Fey’s most notable role is her time behind the Weekend Update desk, which she co-anchored for different periods alongside Jimmy Fallon and Amy Poehler. Fey departed the series in 2006, but has made frequent appearances over the years.
This article was originally published on The Hollywood Reporter.