Saturday Night Live’s 51st season just closed out its run on the 2026 TV schedule, and it ended on a pretty strong note with Will Ferrell hosting and Paul McCartney as the musical guest. The entire season had strong hosts, with there being a mixture of first-timers and veterans. One of the first-time hosts was Colman Domingo who gave a great showing and shared a touching speech at the end of the episode in April. Before all that, though, Tina Fey apparently sent him a sweet text, and I'm smiling over how mom-coded it is.
It was announced in late March that Domingo had been tapped to host the April 11th episode of NBC's long-running sketch comedy show. While the Emmy winner and Oscar nominee has had an extensive career, his SNL gig obviously signified new territory for him. As Domingo recently recalled to The Hollywood Reporter, though, he was fortunate to have Fey in his corner:
Good morning. I want to be helpful to you this week, if I can. Would you like me to come sit in the back of a meeting today to see what they pitch you? Or would that be a bummer, like taking your mom with you to the prom? Either answer is OK.
After hearing this story about how Fey texted Domingo and wanted to help him, I can't help but love the Five-Timers Club member more. On top of that, this text actually came after she herself hosted the first episode of SNL UK, so she wasn't too far off from being in Domingo's shoes. What I also love about this story is that in the text, Fey openly acknowledges the mom-like aspect of this. Honestly, I'd expect nothing less from the beloved comedian (who's actually a mom to two kids).
Despite Fey thinking her offer sounded too Mom-like, Domingo actually did take her up on it. He ended up texting her for advice and getting feedback on sketch ideas throughout the week. Not only that, but Fey was also in the room for the table read and was in the audience at the live taping. It goes without saying that Fey has plenty of experience with the inner workings of Saturday Night Live, considering her nine-season stint as a cast member. All in all, I applaud her for wanting to share her knowledge.
It’s also worth mentioning that Tina Fey and Colman Domingo have a prior working relationship. She cast him in her Netflix series, The Four Seasons, in which she also stars. As mentioned in Domingo's THR profile, the two formed a strong bond while working together. And, as of right now, they're looking towards the imminent release of Season 2, for which Domingo directed the premiere.
As for as SNL goes, I'd now hope that Domingo would seek to pay it forward in the event that someone he knows taps their first SNL hosting gig. Considering Domingo's persona, I could definitely see him going full dad mode in a way that mirrors Fey's mom-esque tendencies.
Check out Colman Domingo's episode of Saturday Night Live as well as other installments from Season 51 by streaming them with a Peacock subscription.
