Tina Fey said she’s hoping to attend an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden as Tracy Morgan’s guest, and she joked about what it would take for her to tolerate Timothée Chalamet’s infamous courtside “manspreading.”
For Tina Fey, the Knicks’ NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden is already personal enough. And it comes with one awkward, very specific condition—if Timothée Chalamet ends up sitting near her.
Fey was asked on the Today Show whether she plans to go to a Knicks Finals game. She said she “hopes” to, but admitted the decision isn’t hers to make—because she’s going as Tracy Morgan’s guest if she gets in.
“I hope to,” Fey said. “I feel terrible saying that because I go as Tracy Morgan’s guest, and I’m sure there are people who have been going for, like, 37 years who would want to murder me for my seat. But I think I might get to go with Tracy.”
The interviewer then joked about Fey’s worry that Chalamet might be “manspreading” again. Fey’s answer was quick: she essentially shrugged off the meme and focused on what matters most—New York winning.
“You know what? He can do whatever he needs to do,” she said. “Whatever he needs to do to make the Knicks win.”
That line carries extra weight because Fey and Chalamet already shared the same courtside moment once—at the Knicks’ Game 5 against the Atlanta Hawks in April 2026. They attended the game together. and the internet zoomed in on a particular detail: Chalamet was seen “manspreading. ” or sitting with his legs wide open. seemingly invading her space. Within hours, it became a viral topic and a flood of memes.
But when Fey later appeared on the New Heights podcast, she played down the drama. She told the Kelce brothers there was no “beef” between her and Chalamet. Fey said he was “nothing but lovely” to her, and that she didn’t even think twice about the “manspreading” until it blew up online.
“It wasn’t ’til the next day that I saw all these ‘manspreading’ things. but I will say. you gotta remember. for every amount that he’s sitting like this [creating a V with her hands] and ‘manspreading. ‘ I’m doin’ the opposite. I’ve got a big ol’ can. As Amy Poehler would say, God is fair. Timothée’s legs took the front, my big old can was takin’ the back. We had no beef. It was all good,” Fey clarified.
Now, as the possibility of Knicks Finals games lands back on her radar, the earlier meme isn’t erased—it’s simply been repurposed. If Fey gets her seat at Madison Square Garden, the message is clear: the “manspreading” jokes can stay, as long as they come with a Knicks win.
Tina Fey Timothée Chalamet Knicks NBA Finals Madison Square Garden Tracy Morgan Game 5 Atlanta Hawks manspreading Today Show New Heights podcast
Timothée is definitely built like a couch, so yeah manspreading makes sense.
Wait so Tina Fey would only tolerate the Finals if New York wins?? Sounds like she’s jinxing them lol. Also why is everybody still talking about that meme.
Chalamet manspreading sounds like a crime now?? I swear people don’t even watch basketball, they just zoom in on legs. Tina Fey going as Tracy Morgan’s guest too like that’s the whole plot.
I don’t get it, if she’s sitting courtside then couldn’t they just seat her with more space?? Like stadiums can’t control manspreading? I saw a clip where she said it was all “lovely” but then everyone acted like it was some huge beef. Also Tracy Morgan??? I thought it was Tina Fey and her friend, not a guest situation. Anyway go Knicks I guess.