There's no shortage of famous faces on Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt — but according to co-creator Tina Fey, one especially sentimental cameo hit the cutting-room floor. Screen Crush reports that while speaking at the Tribeca Film Festival, Fey said that fan favorite Jack McBrayer could have joined the ranks of Titus Burgess, Jane Krakowski, and herself on the comedy, but that his role got cut due to time constraints.
Fey describes McBrayer's role as a maybe, kind-of, sort-of extension of his original 30 Rock character, Kenneth the page. Only in the hyper-exaggerated world of Kimmy Schmidt, "Kenneth" (or someone very much like him) would have worked up the ranks at NBC to become president of the network.
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"I said, ‘Would you want to come down and just put on your weird '70s suit like you're still the president of NBC and just walk through the shot?’" Fey explained during a panel discussing Kimmy Schmidt's third season. "He had like a 30-minute break from this play and he came down and got all suited up and we just didn’t get it in time."
That's seriously bad new for anyone hoping for any sort of mini 30 Rock reunion, whether or not it was in the actual 30 Rock universe. That's too bad, since having one more familiar face come around — Kenneth's, especially — would bring a smile to comedy fans everywhere.
Fey didn't reveal too much more about the role or the next season of Kimmy. When it premieres on May 19, expect the usual cast of characters, including Fred Armisen, Anna Camp, Mike Carlsen, David Cross, Jon Hamm, and Amy Sedaris. Confirmed cameos include Laura Dern, Rachel Dratch, Ray Liotta, Andrea Martin, and Maya Rudolph. That goes to show that Fey likes to keep it all in the family, whether it's from her time on 30 Rock or Saturday Night Live.