Heidi Gardner Departing SNL After 8 Seasons Before Season 51
Heidi Gardner has made her exit from the Saturday Night Live stage, confirming she will not be returning for season 51.
The 42-year-old comedian is stepping away from SNL after eight seasons, as reported by various sources. As of now, Gardner still includes SNL’s official Instagram in her bio and has yet to publicly announce her departure.
Us Weekly has reached out to NBC for further information.
Her exit allegedly follows the departures of Devon Walker and Emil Wakim, with reports also indicating that Michael Longfellow will not be returning for the new season.
This news coincides with creator Lorne Michaels hinting that season 51 would bring several changes after the milestone season 50 celebrations earlier this year.
“Last season, when we were at the party for the first show, at quarter to four in the morning, Dana [Carvey], who portrayed Joe Biden, came over and said, ‘I don’t think anyone knows you called me on June 4th [to play Biden],’” Michaels recalled in an interview with Puck on August 24. “I wanted people to return and be part of [the 50th season]. When Kate [McKinnon] hosted, Kristen [Wiig] and Maya [Rudolph] returned for it, meaning there couldn’t be disruptions to the cast or anything taking the focus off [the 50th season]. We also had an election.”
Gardner joined SNL in 2017. Over her eight seasons, she created memorable characters, including the teen film critic Bailey Gismert and Angel, known as “Every Boxer’s Girlfriend From Every Movie About Boxing Ever.”
SNL has also launched Gardner into a fruitful acting career, with roles in 2018’s Life of the Party, 2022’s Hustle, and voicing Eli’s mom in 2023’s Leo.
In 2023, she began portraying Grace on AppleTV+’s Shrinking and had a guest appearance on You earlier this year.
Before her departure, Gardner admitted that working on SNL can feel repetitive at times.
“I will say that I’ve started to feel a bit of sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue,” she shared during a February episode of Craig Ferguson’s “Joy, a Podcast” podcast. “After doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I feel I’ve written a lot of sketches.”
She explained, “Some weeks, I just have no ideas for a sketch, game, or character. Thankfully, we have amazing writers who will say, ‘But I have an idea for you.’ That’s the only tough part.”
She emphasized that she still “loves playing characters” and recognizes that SNL is the only platform where she can embrace personas “to this degree.”
Gardner also hinted at her future aspirations, stating, “I hope whatever I do next involves a show where I co-star and co-write, featuring a character and a world I can immerse myself in and explore further.”
Saturday Night Live is set to return for season 51 on NBC on Saturday, October 4, at 11:30 p.m. ET.
