It's hard enough coming up with one sketch for an episode of Saturday Night Live, let alone for year after year. That's been the experience for one SNL cast member who admitted to "sketch fatigue," putting their future in question.
Season 50 of Saturday Night Live is two episodes away from ending. And with the end of any season comes the possibility of cast turnover. No one has officially announced their plans to exit, but one cast mmeber dropped a possible hint.
Heidi Gardner chatted with former Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson on his podcast Joy. The Saturday Night Live cast member shared things have become a "little tough" for her at the show after eight seasons.
“I will say the only thing that I’ve started to feel a little bit is just sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue,” Gardner said. “At this point, after doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches.’”
Gardner joined the Groundlings in 2014 after spending years taking improv classes and learning all about the art form. That's more than a decade of creating characters, writing sketches, and trying to figure out inspiration for original comedy.
So could that "sketch fatigue" mean Gardner is ready to say goodbye to Saturday Night Live? She didn't say as much, but it certainly sounds as if the actress feels she's accomplished all she can at the show, and this year marked her eighth season at SNL.
Seven years has also been something of a benchmark for when cast members leave Saturday Night Live. Vanessa Bayer, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan, Andy Samberg, Molly Shannon, and Kristen Wiig all called it quits after seven seasons. Only 27 out of 167 cast members, including Gardner, have stayed on longer than seven seasons.
We'll know for sure what Heidi Gardner's future at Saturday Night Live looks like when season 50 airs its finale on May 17