If Americans get to choose the next Daily Show host, they choose Tina Fey.
That’s according to a poll from Quinnipiac University (via Time). About a fifth of the Americans polled said they want Fey to replace Jon Stewart on the news satire show once he ends his 17-year tenure.
It should be noted that these six people were the only options given in the survey, and 37% of respondents didn’t make any choice. In a list made up of comedians and talk show hosts, the survey oddly included the news anchor Brian Williams, who is currently suspended from NBC Nightly News after apparently exaggerating in his recounting of war reporting experiences.
Fey, who has acted in, written, and produced a slew of successful TV shows and movies, also has experience as a late-night news satirist: She was once the Weekend Update anchor (video) at Saturday Night Live. So does Dennis Miller, a rare conservative voice in popular comedy who is within the 2.7-point margin of error for Americans’ top choice. The split fell along party lines: 26% of Democrats wanted Fey, compared to 14% of Republicans, while Miller’s support came from 24% of Republicans and just 7% of Democrats.
Such a move would make Fey the first female late night host. The position at the center of the discussion, instead of on the sidelines, is a new one for Fey. She told Meyers last year, “The Late Night wars are my Superbowl. I love reading about it, I love talking about it, because I feel like I kind of know the players but it doesn’t affect me at all.” That may not be true for long.