Saturday Night Live fixture Bowen Yang is opening up about losing his friend Heidi Gardner to the latest wave of firings and exits from the iconic series.
Yang, 34, addressed the abrupt departures on Tuesday’s episode of his podcast Las Culturistas, which he hosts with Matt Rogers.
Gardner, 42, was the longest-tenured SNL star to leave ahead of season 51, but newer stars Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim were all given the boot, and Please Don’t Destroy member John Higgins was also revealed to be leaving the show.
The Wicked actor, who joined SNL as a writer in 2018 before being promoted to the cast the following year, didn’t hold back as he addressed Gardner’s exit.
‘You are one of the greats. You will go down in history,’ he gushed about the comedy star, who joined SNL in 2017.
He went on to praise Gardner for being a rare SNL cast member who could write a sketch on her own without a co-writer.
Saturday Night Live fixture Bowen Yang is opening up about losing his friend Heidi Gardner to the latest wave of firings and exits from the iconic series; seen in October 2024 in NYC
Yang said on his Las Culturistas podcast on Tuesday that Gardner was ‘one of the greats’ and would ‘go down in history’ for her eight years on SNL; Gardner (center) is pictured with Emma Stone (L) and Punkie Johnson (R) on SNL in 2023
‘It’s always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it,’ Yang shared. ‘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.’
He recalled a sketch Gardner had written for former 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,’ Yang recalled. ‘A true anchor on that show.’
He went on to praise Gardner as ‘truly a beautiful person,’ and he recalled how she buoyed her costars’ spirits during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic by sending daily text messages to everyone while they were isolating at home.
Although Yang saved most of his praise for Gardner, he also addressed the other cast members who were let go, saying, ‘I will miss the people who are not coming back very, very much.’
However, he said he was ‘thrilled to go back’ to the show despite the brutal manner of their departures.
Yang’s reminiscences about Gardner come in the wake of a report detailing how her time at SNL came to an end.
The show — which which announced the addition of five new cast members last week — opted not to renew the contract of the 42-year-old comedian for season 51 according to a source for The New York Post on Thursday.
He went on to praise Gardner for being a rare SNL cast member who could write a sketch on her own without a co-writer; pictured in March in Hollywood
‘It’s always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it,’ Yang shared. ‘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’; pictured in February in NYC
He went on to praise Gardner as ‘truly a beautiful person,’ and he recalled how she buoyed her costars’ spirits during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic by sending daily text messages to everyone while they were isolating at home; pictured with Scarlett Johansson hosting on May 17
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Gardner and SNL and has yet to hear back.
‘It’s time for a new cast,’ the source for the publication said.
Earlier this month, many were shocked as Daily Mail confirmed that fan favorite Gardner has exited the show after an impressive eight-season run as furious viewers called for SNL to be canceled amid the ongoing cast exodus.
The Daily Mail reached out to Gardner’s reps for comment at the time. A spokesperson for NBC declined to comment to the Daily Mail.
Gardner joined Saturday Night Live in 2017 during season 43 as a featured player along with now-former SNL stars Luke Null and Chris Redd.
She was then promoted to the main cast two years later.
Since then, the Missouri-born actress has written and starred in countless iconic SNL sketches.
She is best known for creating the hilarious character Bailey Gismert, a teen movie critic, who often appeared during SNL’s Weekend Update segments.
Many were shocked when Saturday Night Live let go of four talents, with the biggest name being Gardner (pictured July 2023 in Hollywood)
SNL — which added five cast members last week — opted to not renew the contract of the 42-year-old comedian (center) for season 51 according, to a source for The New York Post on Thursday.
Gardner also impersonated a number of high-profile celebrities during her eight years on SNL, including Reba McEntire, Oscar-winner Mikey Madison and Kim Kardashian.
She joined fellow SNL stars and alums at the show’s 50th anniversary special in February.
It was also confirmed by Daily Mail last Thursday that SNL cast member Michael Longfellow is leaving the hit show after just three seasons.
Longfellow, 31, joined SNL in season 48 as a ‘featured player’ – and, like Gardner, was known for his Weekend Update segments.
Also last week, featured cast member Emil Wakim joined the long list of former SNL stars who have had their tenures with the show cut short before joining the main cast.
Wakim, 27, announced his departure in an Instagram post with photos of happier times at Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
He indicated that he had been let go by SNL, and his unexpected departure came just a day after his costar Devon Walker revealed he was leaving the series after three seasons.
Both exits come in the wake of series creator and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels’ announcement that there would be a ‘significant shake-up’ amid the cast ahead of season 51.
Gardner joined SNL in 2017 during season 43 as a featured player along with now-former SNL stars Luke Null and Chris Redd. She was promoted to main cast two years later
Daily Mail previously contacted a representative for Wakim but hasn’t yet received a response.
Wakim’s tenure with SNL began in 2024 for the show’s 50th season.
He shared a post which read: ‘I won’t be returning to SNL next year.’
He wrote that ‘it was a gut punch of a call to get but I’m so grateful for my time there,’ adding that he ‘was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life.’
‘Every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there,’ Wakim continued. ‘it was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life and i will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home.
Wakim, who was born in Chicago and attended Indiana University Bloomington before getting his big break, holds the distinction of being the first SNL cast member of Lebanese heritage.
The comedian included a photo of himself appearing at the Weekend Update desk with Colin Jost and Michael Che, along with photos of himself proudly displaying his SNL staff badge and making playful faces at a live llama that had been brought in for a special appearance on the comedy show.
Last Tuesday, Walker took to Instagram to announce he’s leaving after three seasons, comparing his time at SNL to a rocky romance.
The news of the 42-year-old comedian’s exit comes shortly after it was revealed that cast members Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker would not be returning for season 51 on NBC
The 34-year-old admitted the job could be ‘toxic’ at times, though he stopped short of naming names.
When contacted by Daily Mail, Walker chuckled a bit as he said he did not want to comment ‘at this time.’
It remains unclear if his departure was his choice or not.
‘To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages,’ he began in his Instagram post.
‘Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up.’
Looking back on his three years with the late-night staple, he admitted the highs came with plenty of lows.
‘Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,’ Walker continued.
‘Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f***ed up lil family.’
It was also confirmed by Daily Mail on Thursday that SNL cast member Michael Longfellow is leaving the hit show after just three seasons; seen in February
Longfellow (R) is seen with fellow ousted SNL stars Devon Walker and Emil Wakim
The star said he was ultimately ‘happy’ he got to share the stage with his fellow comics, adding that he’s now preparing to take off overseas.
He wrapped things up with a surprising reveal. ‘Anyway, I’m bout to go to Japan,’ Walker concluded.
‘When I get back I’m tryna be in a prestige drama. Ideally something with Julianne Moore. Hope y’all staying hydrated and getting some money today.’
The Texas native cheekily captioned his exit post, ‘Me and baby broke up’, and shared his official announcement as a computer note bluntly titled: ‘Wait..did he quit or did he get fired?’
One screenshot even showed him texting a friend, ‘I’m out’, punctuated with a celebration emoji.
Walker made his SNL debut in 2022 as a featured player in Season 48.
By 2024, he’d been bumped up to the main cast.
He quickly became a standout on ‘Weekend Update’ with Colin Jost and Michael Che, nailing impressions of Michael Strahan, Van Jones, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
The most famous members of the current cast include Colin Jost, Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson; Thompson is pictured (center) with Yang and Gardner in October 2024 in NYC
Just before Walker went public, Michaels teased a big shake-up coming ahead of SNL’s Oct. 4 season premiere.
When asked whether he felt ‘pressure to reinvent this season’, Michaels said: ‘Yeah, for sure’. ‘It’ll be announced in a week or so,’ he added.
The most famous members of the current cast include Colin Jost, Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson.
SNL Season 51 will premiere on Saturday, October 4, at 11:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock, after the summer hiatus since May 17.
