‘Only Murders in the Building’: Does Tina Fey Guest Star?

Only Murders in the Building features a cast full of big-name actors like Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, and Martin Short. The show also has an array of exciting guest stars and cameo appearances. In the very first episode, fans may have caught sight of someone who looks a lot like Tina Fey, but is that really her in the Hulu series?

Tina Fey plays Cinda Canning in ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Only Murders in the Building Season 1 introduced Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, tenants at the illustrious Arconia. The trio comes together after a tragic death in their apartment building and are united by their shared love of the true-crime podcast, All Is Not OK in Oklahoma.

In the show’s first episode, the podcast’s host, Cinda Canning makes a brief appearance while narrating one of her episodes. The actor who plays Cinda looks a lot like Tina Fey, but it’s a little hard to tell. That is, until the episode “The Sting,” when Charles, Oliver, and Mabel finally meet their hero.

Is Cinda Canning a real person?

Tina Fey’s Only Murders in the Building character Cinda Canning is an extremely successful podcast host. She is idolized by the show’s protagonists. When the trio suspects that the legendary musician Sting is responsible for Tim Kono’s death, they consult with Cinda on how to get Sting to sit down and talk to them.

Cinda advises them to enter in a way that disarms him. She gives the example of a time she was able to get a mayor to confess by showing up at his house with a fully cooked turkey. The group follows this advice a little too exactly. She then gives them a nugget of wisdom: “Embrace the mess. That’s where the good stuff lives.”

Fey’s character Cinda bears a lot in common with real-life true-crime podcaster Sarah Koenig, who hosts the popular podcast, Serial. Both have a similar look, with dark hair, glasses, and soothing voices. Cinda also notes that she is selling her podcast rights for $30 million. According to Distractify, Koenig and Serial were acquired by The New York Times for $25 million in 2020.

Does Tina Fey appear in ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 2?

Only Murders in the Building returned with season 2 on June 28, 2022. Hulu dropped the first two episodes of the new season and Tina Fey returned as Cinda Canning. In the season 2 premiere, the trio finds themselves persons of interest in a murder at the Arconia.

They soon discover that Cinda has started a podcast following the three of them, titled Only Murderers in the Building. Once the group’s idol, Cinda is now an antagonist for Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, who work to clear their names of involvement in Bunny Folger’s death.

New episodes of Only Murders in the Building drop Tuesdays on Hulu.