The rumors have come to fruition. Tina Fey is leaving Saturday Night Live to pursue her new gig on the NBC series 30 Rock, which premieres on October 11th. Fey has been with SNL since 1997, starting as a writer and becoming the first female head writer in 1999. Her role as co-anchor for the “Weekend Update” segment of the show began in 2000. During Fey’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Friday, she said, “The new show’s going to take a lot of time. I wanted to stop doing Saturday Night Live so I could spend more time with Star Jones.”

The plot of 30 Rock in many ways mirrors her role on SNL—she’ll play the head writer of a fictional late-night sketch show. So, not much of a stretch, I suppose… but she has a lot of great experience to work with. Fey told Leno, “This is the big leap I’m making, it’s a show about working at a late-night comedy show… I’m very creative.”

According to Lorne Michaels, executive producer of 30 Rock and SNL, they will test various individuals and duos in September to find a replacment for Fey on “Weekend Update.” “If you’re asking if I’m happy about it, no,” said Michaels. “Tina disappearing is a huge hole in the writing staff.”