During the 2008 presidental election, Tina Fey's Sarah Palin impersonation was all anyone was able to talk about. From the moment John McCain picked the former Alaskan governor as his running mate, it seemed like the world was waiting with anticipation to see what Fey—Palin's prettier doppelganger—would do to spoof the newly formed political star. You know the story: Fey didn't disappoint, SNL saw huge ratings, and so, too, did 30 Rock. At least for a little while.
In her new memoir, Bossypants, Fey writes that being Sarah Palin may have actually hurt 30 Rock in the long term. "Some may argue that exploiting Governor Palin and her family helped bring attention to my low-rated TV show," Fey wrote. "I am proud to say you are wrong."
According to Fey, 30 Rock still gets low ratings, in part because of how her Palin impression alienated such a large portion of the country. "Let's face it, between Alec Baldwin and me there is a certain fifty percent of the population who think we are pinko Commie monsters." She left out the word "funny" from that final qualifier, but we get her point.
