Tina Fey leaves Saturday Night Live for prime time

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - Tina Fey is leaving the anchor chair at Saturday Night Live.

Fey said she is quitting the show after six seasons as head writer and co-anchor of the Weekend Update fake news segment to focus on her new NBC prime-time series, 30 Rock, which debuts Oct. 11.

"I'm out of the fake news business now," Fey told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday.

She announced her SNL departure on Friday night's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Also leaving SNL is regular Rachel Dratch, who plays a sketch actress on Fey's new sitcom about a fictional late-night show.

"If you're asking if I'm happy about it, no," said Lorne Michaels, executive producer of 30 Rock and SNL.

"Tina disappearing is a huge hole in the writing staff."

Michaels said various individuals and duos will be tested in September to decide who will replace Fey on the Weekend Update segment.

Fey, 36, first joined SNL as a writer in 1997 and became head writer in 1999.

She is writing, starring and executive producer of her new show.

"I'm going to go nuts," she said Saturday.

"I do not understand the train that is about to hit me. We're trying to get as much done in the writers' room now before we start and I tried to gather a staff of writers who are experienced so they can proceed when I'm on the set."

30 Rock also stars Alec Baldwin and former SNL regular Tracy Morgan.

Good. Fey was the reason why SNL has gone so far downhill in recent years since she wrote most of the material.

Every time I see Darrell Hammond I become violent with boredom.

Hey, didn't we notice the last few episodes this last season suddenly get a lot better? I noticed it and I remember Mr X saying something about that too.

Maybe Tina had already stopped writing much for SNL by then due to 30 Rock.

Before I used to think that a cast of Fey, Samberg, Poheller, Forte, Hader, Wiig, Meyers, Sudekis and maybe Rudolph would be a good size cast, just like in the old days when there used to be seven or eight. Now that Fey is gone, they should pretty much blow a good chunk of the cast up.

Keep; Poehler, Forte, Meyers, Samberg, Hader, Wiig, Sudekis and Rudolph.
Get rid of everyone else, except for maybe Keenan Thompson. That means they drop Hammond, Sanz, Armisen and Mitchell.

And then for this year, don't hire anyone else. Let these guys run with it for a little bit and let Poehler, Meyers and Sudekis co-head write the show.

At least there won't be anymore Debbie Downer sketches.

Now I wonder who will be doing Weekend Update with Poehler? Please, not be Haratio! I actually think Seth Meyers would be a good fit. He and Poehler always have great chemistry and work well together.