Bowen Yang has transparently opened up about how he’s been dealing with the shocking major shifts at SNL, especially given that one of his closest co-stars Heidi Gardner has been affected by the communal comedian layoff. Despite Bowen being one of the stars who will be returning for next season of the hit TV series, his feelings of excitement are bittersweet since some of his favorites won’t be joining him. He spoke highly of Heidi during his podcast Las Culturistas and shared: “You are one of the greats. You will go down in history.”
Heidi was the popular series' longest-tenured female cast members, which added to the utter shock about her unknown exit. The TV star explained that Heidi not only had the comedy and acting chops, but she also had the writing chops. Bowen shared that Heidi often created the vision for a scene as a solo writer.
© Getty ImagesBowen expressed: "It's always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it. 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 that his favorite segment of hers was the "Weekend Update" which was made for Punkie Johnson.
Bowen continued: "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 [expletive] funny. A true anchor on that show." To add to that, Bowen emphasized that Heidi lit up every room that she walked into and she was the unofficial mascot for SNL, especially during the pandemic.
© Getty ImagesHe recalled her emotional "foothold" during the unprecedented time and he added that she's "just a truly beautiful person." The Wicked star added: "I will miss the people who are not coming back very, very much." As for what Heidi is planning to do following her departure, the actress previously shared in a February 2025 interview on Joy, A Podcast: "I know whatever I do next… I'd love to have a show that I co-star in and co-write, and it's a character and it's a world…And it's a character I get to live in for a while and explore more."
© Getty ImagesUnfortunately, Heidi wasn't the only one affected by the recent cuts. Fellow comedians Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and John Higgins, also announced their exits, meanwhile the show added in five new cast members to its 51st season. Devon highlighted the immense "dysfunction" that took place behind-the-scenes which may have led up the bold cast switch-up.
© Getty ImagesHe posted a note on Instagram with the subject line: "Wait...did he quit, or did he get fired," which in part read: "Me and the show did three years together and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as [expletive]. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a [expletive] lil family." Devon captioned the post: "Me and baby broke up," with a heart emoji.
