Saturday Night Live is heading into season 51 without one of its most reliable performers. Heidi Gardner, who joined the cast in 2017, will not return to the long-running NBC sketch series. And while fans already knew how valuable she was to the show, her castmate Bowen Yang summed it up best: “You are one of the greats. You will go down in history.”
Yang’s tribute to Gardner came from someone who has seen firsthand how vital she was behind the scenes as well as on screen. Speaking on his Las Culturistas podcast, Yang recalled how Gardner was one of the few cast members trusted to consistently turn in solo-written sketches. “It's always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it,” Yang explained. “But anytime you saw just ‘Gardner,’ you knew you were in good hands. She would take it upon herself to write pieces for other cast.”
That generosity extended beyond the usual workload, as Gardner looked to elevate her castmates rather than only write material for herself. Yang remembered Gardner penning a “Weekend Update” segment for fellow cast member Punkie Johnson, who left the show in 2024. “It was one of the most beautiful, kindest gestures I've ever seen at that show, and her heart was so big, and clearly so f***ing funny. A true anchor on that show,” he said.
Gardner’s instinct to take care of her castmates was perhaps most evident during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. SNL, like every other late-night institution, faced massive disruptions in 2020. But Yang credited Gardner with helping her castmates hold on to a sense of normalcy. “[She was] one of the first people who was just like, ‘Okay, just to get through this, let's just each wake up, no rush, there's no time limit, let's just each text each other every day, something that made us smile today,’” he recalled. “And that was this foothold that I had emotionally in terms of knowing we were just sharing music and ... just a truly beautiful person.”
On screen, Gardner carved out a reputation as one of SNL’s most dependable character actors. She created a string of original recurring roles that became staples of the “Weekend Update” desk, from Angel, Every Boxer’s Girlfriend From Every Movie About Boxing Ever to Bailey Gismert, the teen film critic who won her a cult following. These characters showed off Gardner’s talent for finding comedy in hyper-detailed performances.
Replacing that kind of voice won’t be easy, especially with fellow veteran Ego Nwodim announcing her departure. SNL thrives on reinvention, but Gardner’s run proved how rare it is to have a cast member who can both anchor sketches and shine in solo spots. She had the instincts to elevate other performers and the skill to create fully-formed comedic worlds on her own.
For fans, Gardner leaves behind a legacy of characters that can stand alongside some of the show’s most beloved recurring personalities. For her castmates, she leaves the example of someone who made SNL a better, funnier, and kinder place.
As the show heads into season 51, viewers will no doubt notice the gap left behind. But Yang is right: Heidi Gardner’s name will live on among Saturday Night Live’s all-time greats.