Is Tina Fey's objection to 'side hustles' by wealthy folks valid?

Celebrities doing brand endorsements need not be a sign of greed

- ERIN LOWRY

Americans have a complicated relationship with wealth. On one hand, 73% of millennials aspire to be members of the three-comma club (in US dollar terms). On the other, 71% of the country's population believes billionaires aren't doing enough with their fortunes to better US society. Often, those outside wealthy circles are the loudest critics of what the elites should be doing with their money. What isn't so common is a public indictment from one wealthy person about the earning habits of another.

Tina Fey, acclaimed actor-writer-producer, made a podcast appearance recently on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, where she made a quip about judging rich people for having side hustles that quickly went viral. People immediately reacted with wholehearted agreement (the rich should not keep hustling) or vehemently disagreement (let them earn however much they want!).

But nestled within Fey's comments was a throwaway line that just about everyone should agree on: "I don't get excited about money if I'm safe and I have enough money to live." While 'enough money to live' is certainly relative—and Fey herself is a multi-millionaire, with an estimated net worth of $75 million—there is something to be learnt from her attitude.