Heidi Gardner adn Ego Nwodim Reflect on Competitive Atmosphere Duringโค Their ‘SNL‘ Tenures
Former Saturday Night Live cast members Heidi Gardner and ego Nwodim recently discussed the challenges of working on the โlong-running sketch comedy show, acknowledging a competitive environment that could be arduous to navigate. Their โคcomments โขshed light on the pressures facedโ by performers striving for success within the show’s ensemble structure, โand come amid a recent period ofโค cast turnoverโฃ for SNL.
Gardner announced her โdeparture from SNL on august 28 โขafterโฃ eight seasons, followed by โคNwodim’s exit on September 12 after seven.Both departures were part of a larger cast shakeup ahead of Season 51, which also saw Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow leave the show. The pair’s reflectionsโฃ offer insight into the dynamics that contributed to these changes, and theโข broader experience of working on a show knownโ for launching comedic โcareers.
“I’m so honored that โฃwe worked so hard there,and โขthen we also worked on our friendship so hard,which wasn’t hard,by the way,” Gardner said.”I just โฃmean we’reโค human, so we have egos, โwe โขwant thingsโ forโค ourselves, we want to succeed. There weren’t a lot of timesโ we โขwere able โขto succeed the way weโฃ wantedโค at the exact same time.”
Nwodim echoedโฃ thisโ sentiment, stating that it could beโฃ challenging to feel like the SNL โฃcast was “winning together,” contributing to the show beingโค “not the easiest place to work.” However, โคshe praised Gardner for remaining a positiveโค force. “But I’m โฃlike, ifโค you can leave – in a โplace where it can getโ so competitiveโ and you can โbecome โฃso self involved, if you can leave and be still remarkably lovely andโ such a light and still pouring intoโฃ othre โขpeople โlike you, โคI think you succeeded,” Nwodim said.
Gardnerโข added thatโ she โwas grateful for the friendship she and Nwodim built while onโข theโฃ show, and thankful that egos never gotโข in theโ way. Ben Marshall, a member ofโ the Please Don’t Destroy group, was โpromoted to the main cast,โข while โmartin Herlihy transitioned to the writing staff and John Higgins departed.
