Former Saturday Night Live stars Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim, both of whom exited before the current season 51, reunited on Nwodim’s Thanks, Dad podcast, where they shared the most “challenging” aspect of the show.
‘Not the Easiest Place to Work’
“It’s not the easiest place to work, but you were such a huge gift, and I absolutely adore and love you,” Nwodim told Gardner, after revealing that the two shared a dressing room when they arrived on the show and quickly forged a friendship. Nwodim then recalled an episode in which she had “two sketches on, or something,” while Gardner had none. Seeing that her co-star was “frustrated about something,” Nwodim broached Gardner, who told her, “I want you to know I’m frustrated, but I’m happy for you.”
“I am so honored that we worked so hard there,” Gardner said. “And then we also worked on our friendship so hard, which wasn’t hard, by the way.” She went on to explain that “we have egos” and “want things for ourselves” and “we want to succeed,” adding, “And there weren’t a lot of times when we were able to succeed in the way we wanted at the exact same time.”
Gardner then recalled an incident in which her own hero, Jack Black, hosted the show in 2024. During the episode’s monologue, Nwodim was given a scene-stealing appearance. “There’s a part of me, like if I think about it, I’m like, wait, but I should want that for me,” Gardner reflected. “But you had it and it was f—ing awesome.”
‘Easy to Get Caught Up in Your Own Stuff’
“It’s so easy to be caught up with your own stuff at SNL,” Nwodim responded, “and what you’re getting on and what you’re not getting on, and how you’re succeeding and how you wish you were doing better, or how I want what that person has.” Ideally, Nwodim said, cast members should be “winning together” so that they can have a “full celebration and not one of us mourning or frustrated.”
Nwodim told Gardner, “You were just such a light in what can be such a challenging place to so many people. And that’s just where you stood, and you worked from love, and you came from love. I feel honored to have been there at the same time as you. And I feel honored to have gotten the gift of a best friend out of it.”
