Saturday Night Live has been going for more than 50 years. In that time, it's produced eras considered good and eras considered not so good. But it’s always been a place where great comedians get their starts, and occasionally a place of controversy when those comedians leave. This past summer’s Season 51 cast shakeup was significant as it included two long-serving members, both leaving the show.
Both Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim departed SNL during the hiatus. Gardner had been on the show for eight seasons while Nwodim had been there for seven. In addition to being SNL vets, the two are also good friends, and Gardner recently appeared on her friend's podcast, Thanks Dad, and they talked about how important their friendship was working together in a place that she called “not the easiest place to work.” Nwodim said…
I’m so glad we got paired together in that dressing room and getting to spend seven years of my time on SNL with you. One of life’s greatest gifts. It’s not the easiest place to work, but you were such a huge gift, and I absolutely adore and love you, and I’m so grateful for that time.
While neither comedian goes into a great deal of detail, it’s clear that Saturday Night Live was a very competitive place. Many former Saturday Night Live cast members have spoken about the struggles that they have had on the show, the frustration that comes with sketches being cut or otherwise not getting the best opportunities. Seth Myers once put a hole in a wall over losing a sketch. Tempers can run high.
If anything, this makes the friendship between Gardner and Nwodim all the more impressive, as the two were, at least to some degree, competing with each other while working on Saturday Night Live together. While the two were clearly able to enjoy the success of their friend, they also joked that it was rare for them to succeed equally at the same time. Nwodim credits Gardner, calling her a “light” at SNL during their time. She said…
It’s so easy to be caught up with your own stuff at SNL and what you’re getting on, what you’re not getting on, and how you’re succeeding and how you wish you were doing better. How I want what that person has…There’s nobody like you, and you were just such a light in what can be such a challenging place to so many people.
Heidi Gardner’s departure from SNL was something of a shock, given her tenure on the show and her general popularity. She was one of several cast members who were let go between seasons, which is common for the show, but something of a rarity for those who make it past a certain point. Ego Nwodim’s departure was surprising only for the fact that it happened last month. In her case, the decision to leave was hers.
While SNL may not be an easy place to work, there's no indication that either Gardner or Nwodim regret anything that happened. They both found success there, and friendship, and will almost certainly continue both going forward.
