Why Heidi Gardner Left SNL After 8 Seasons

Leading up to the 51st season of "Saturday Night Live" premiere on October 4, 2025, showrunner Lorne Michaels teased a "shake-up" at the late night sketch show (via Puck). After making good on that promise by axing cast members like Devon Walker, the Norm Macdonald-esque Michael Longfellow, and single season featured player Emil Wakim, one of the biggest changes yet came with word that longtime cast member Heidi Gardner would not be returning to "SNL."

Vulture was the first to report on Heidi Gardner's departure from "SNL." As for the reasoning, it's not clear whether Gardner wasn't asked back or if she chose to leave the show after eight seasons. However, we're betting it's the latter, especially since Gardner has been popping up in a variety of other projects in recent years. 

While enjoying her time at "SNL," Gardner landed a key supporting role on the Apple TV+ series "Shrinking," not to mention a role in Adam Sandler's Netflix basketball drama "Hustle." She also acted as one of the judges on the HBO Max competition series "Second Chance Stage" in 2024, so she's had no shortage of opportunities outside of "SNL," and leaving the series will give her much more time to pursue other projects.

At "SNL," once cast members hit five seasons, along with getting a raise, their chances of leaving the series increase — typically because their profile is also getting bigger outside of the show. Gardner has been a longtime fan favorite, and she's likely reached the point where she's accomplished everything she can at the show, and it's time to move on. 

Let's take a look back at some of Gardner's best bits from "SNL" over the years.

One of Gardner's most famous moments on "SNL" happened not too long ago, when a sketch went viral due to her breaking character and having trouble controlling laughter in the middle of a sketch. The moment came when she was confronted by fellow cast member Mikey Day and host Ryan Gosling, made up to look like live-action versions of the animated knuckleheads known as Beavis and Butt-Head:

After the sketch went off the rails, Gardner initially felt bad for breaking in the sketch, but once she realized she wasn't going to be in trouble for the hilarious misstep, she enjoyed the reactions and treasured the sketch's viral reputation. It will certainly go down as one of her best moments on the show.

Gardner was also no stranger to creating original characters on  "SNL," especially ones that appeared at the Weekend Update desk. For our interests, we certainly can't help but remember teen film critic Bailey Gismert:

Also on the movie-related side of things, we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Angel, Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever. This edition even managed to bring in "Creed" franchise star Michael B. Jordan for an added layer of fun:

The comedian wasn't shy about digging into physical comedy when required, as evidenced by this sketch where she's eagerly taking on a burger challenge in a restaurant at an inappropriate time, resulting in plenty of food on her face:

Those are just a few highlights that stick out, but Garder has been a mainstay on "SNL" for a longtime, easily able to fit into any kind of role on the show. She was about to play the straight-person when someone else was taking the spotlight, and she had plenty of wild, original characters that she brought to life over the years too. 

Gardner's departure leaves a major gap in the "SNL" roster, and it'll be interesting to see how Lorne Michaels manages to make up for her absence.