The '30 Rock' and SNL star tearfully recounts receiving a comedy award in Washington, D.C., with her parents.
Tina Fey fights back tears talking about her parents in Friday's episode of Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
In a clip of the segment, released by Netflix, Letterman asks Fey about her mother and late father prompting her to immediately choke up.
"Cut this part out," she jokes as she fights back tears.
She recalled for Letterman being told that she was going to be given the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010 in Washington, D.C., and wondering if she was worthy of the prestigious comedy award.
"I played Sarah Palin and they were like, 'We want to give you a prize.' And I said to Lorne Michaels, who also had it, I was like, 'You know you got it for like 30 years of work,' I said, 'it doesn't make sense, it's inappropriate,'" she said. "And Lorne very wisely said, 'Just take it while your parents are alive.'"
She took his advice and her parents -- die-hard Republicans -- had a fantastic time, despite having to "be nice to Nancy Pelosi," she said. They also got a playful roasting from Fey, who thanked them in her acceptance speech.
"I want to thank my family. They say that funny people often come from a difficult childhood or a troubled family," she said. "So to my family, I say: They're giving me the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, what did you animals do to me?"
When Fey's father, Donald, died in 2015, she paid him a touching tribute, saying he was, "a great dad and a talented artist and writer, but I also think of him as a Great American."
Letterman's full interview with Fey premieres on Friday and touches on topics like her time in the SNL writers room and her new Tony-nominated Mean Girls musical.
For another interview with Letterman, watch the video below.
RELATED CONTENT:
