Heidi Gardner said goodbye to SNL. What was the reason for Sketch Fatigue?
Goodbye, Weekend Update Queen
Saturday Night Live’s ever-glamorous Heidi Gardner is leaving the show.
Joined as a Featured Player in 2017, Heidi was promoted to Repertory Player in 2019 and made us laugh for eight seasons.
But now she has announced that it’s time to move on.
How did the journey begin?
Before comedy classes, Heidi was involved in hairstyling for nine years.
She joined Groundlings in 2010 and then made her way to SNL.
In the early days, her effortless Weekend Update sketches with Reba McEntire made everyone laugh and her impressions of Jill Biden and Sabrina Carpenter made her a fan favorite.
Sketch fatigue and desire for new ideas
In a February 2025 conversation, Heidi said that “sketch fatigue” gradually surrounded her.
It happens – sometimes the ideas dry up, sometimes the characters don’t come to mind.
But she also said that the writers of SNL always kept coming up with new stuff.
Still, Heidi now wants to explore herself in a new world or character with growth.
Way forward: New project expected
Heidi indicated that she wants to co-star and co-write a show where the character is hers and she can live it deeply.
Currently, her work has been seen in films like Life of the Party, Otherhood, and Hustle and TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Girls5eva, and Shrinking.
Now, in the next challenge, she can create a stir with her style.
Glimpse of memorable moments
Many times, Heidi could not stop laughing in the middle of the sketch – her breaking down in Ryan Gosling’s Beavis and Butt-Head scenario was a mascara moment.
From the comic timing of Michael Jordan’s security guard, John Michael Wozniak, to the parody of the upcoming 2024 US elections, her energy was different in every role.
The 51st season of Saturday Night Live begins on NBC and Peacock on October 4, 2025.
Heidi’s goodbye is sad, but her new journey will be just as sparkling and full of jokes—no doubt about it.