‘SNL’ Losing Mainstay Cast Member After 8 Years

Saturday Night Live is losing yet another cast member, and this one is a big one.

Fan-favorite mainstay Heidi Gardner is officially leaving the series after eight years, according to Deadline.

Gardner becomes the fourth SNL cast member just this week announced to be leaving amid the show’s major shakeup ahead of Season 51. She joined in Season 43 as a featured player and was promoted to repertory for Season 45. Last season, Gardner became the most tenured female cast member. Her exit comes on the heels of Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow’s departures as creator and producer, Lorne Michaels is looking to shake things up for Season 51.

Earlier this year, Gardner appeared on Craig Ferguson’s Joy podcast, where she admitted things on the long-running variety sketch series have gotten a “little tough.” She continued, “I will say the only thing that I’ve started to feel a little bit is just sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue. At this point, after doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches.’”

Throughout her SNL career, Gardner had several recurring characters, including Every Boxer’s Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever, Bailey Gismert, and Your Co-Worker Who is Extremely Busy Doing Seemingly Nothing on Weekend Update. In 2024, she went viral for breaking character (which is not something she does very often) during a Beavis and Butt-Head Sketch after seeing fellow cast member Mikey Day and host Ryan Gosling as the titular animated characters.

Aside from SNL, Heidi Gardner can most recently be seen in the final season of You and Apple TV+’s Shrinking. Other credits include That Damn Michael Che, Girls5eva, Superstore, Alien News Desk, Leo, Hustle, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. She will next be seen in the upcoming dark comedy Transcending alongside Tone Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Nicole Byer, and Pete Gardner.

Following Gardner’s exit, more departures are expected as Saturday Night Live gears up for its 51^st season, premiering on Oct. 4. Who will be leaving, who will be staying, and who will be joining is unknown, and at this rate, there doesn’t seem to be any pattern as to how they’re deciding who leaves. Fans will just have to continue holding their breath as more announcements will be made soon.