Bowen Yang Praises Heidi Gardner After Leaving ‘SNL’

Bowen Yang discussed Heidi Gardner’s Saturday Night Live exit on the latest episode of his Las Culturistas podcast.
He praised her for boosting morale during the pandemic, calling her “a truly beautiful person.”
The Wicked star also praised Heidi, calling her “one of the greats” who would “go down in history.”

Saturday Night Live is a diva down. Heidi Gardner announced that she’d be leaving the iconic variety show after eight seasons on August 28, after a slew of cast members revealed their departures. (ICYMI, Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow are also exiting the show.)

However, her legacy isn’t lost on fellow SNL mainstay, Bowen Yang. Bowen discussed her exit on the latest episode of his Las Culturistas podcast with Matt Rogers, where he fully gushed about her time on the Emmy-winning show.

“You are one of the greats,” he said of Heidi, adding, “You will go down in history.” The Wicked star also reflected on his favorite memories with her and praised her for writing “quality” sketches for fellow cast members on her own.

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Bowen Yang and Heidi Gardner at a For Your Consideration event on June 2, 2025.

“It’s always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it,” Bowen explained. “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 went on to tell a story about Heidi writing a Weekend Update segment for their former castmate Punkie Johnson before she left 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 fucking funny. A true anchor on that show.”

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The cast of SNL with Scarlett Johansson on May 18, 2025.

The Wedding Banquet star also gave a shoutout to the other SNL cast members who wouldn’t be returning, adding, “Shout out Devon, Emil, Michael Longfellow. They were fantastic comedians going in. They are fantastic comedians coming out. Those are some A+ gems.”

As for his own future on the series, Bowen confirmed that he’ll be part of the cast for season 51. “I am thrilled to go back,” he shared. “I will miss the people who are not coming back very, very much.”