As Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim bid adieu to Saturday Night Live ahead of its 51st season, the duo has recently reconnected to revisit their cherished friendship and time spent on NBC's sketch comedy series. During a recent visit to Nwodim's 'Thanks Dad' podcast, the former SNL castmates reminisced about their instant bond after Nwodim joined the show in 2018, a year after Gardner. They shared a dressing room, a space that became their sanctuary during the grueling rehearsals on Saturdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
"To have to share such an intimate space together for hours on end, it made us close quickly," Nwodim recalled. "But it doesn't always work that way. It could also not make you close. It can make you not like each other. But I'm so grateful we got so close." Gardner added, "I'm honored that we worked so hard there, and we also worked on our friendship so hard. We're human, so we have egos, we want things for ourselves, we want to succeed. But there weren't many times we were able to succeed the way we wanted at the exact same time."
During their conversation, Gardner recalled a particular SNL episode that was "beautiful to watch" with Nwodim. She was referring to her friend's viral "Miss Eggy" segment during the April 5, 2025 episode hosted by Jack Black. "That Jack Black week was everything to me because he was my hero. I could never have imagined a week like that, and I got to do so much in the show," she shared, her voice trembling with emotion. "And then I can honestly say my best friend had the moment of the year. There's a part of me that thinks, 'Wait, I should want that for me,' but you had it, and it was fucking awesome."
Gardner continued, "And I got to go out there and watch it, and to have you have it with my favorite person in the world and you're my favorite person in the world, it's like, 'What is my life? This is so beautiful.' We wanted it. We knew how special that was, and I knew how important it was to you and everyone who loves you."
Nwodim echoed similar sentiments, noting that there were "so many times being like, why can't we be able to be winning together at the same time, so it could feel like a full celebration and not one of us mourning or frustrated and one of us like on cloud nine." She also mentioned that SNL was "not the easiest place to work," but praised Gardner as being "such a light in what can be such a challenging place."
While Gardner has yet to address her departure from SNL ahead of the season 51 premiere in October, Nwodim had announced her exit on Instagram in September. "The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight," she wrote at the time. "But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave SNL. I am immensely grateful to Lorne for the opportunity, to my castmates, the writers, and the crew for their brilliance, support, and friendship. Week after week on that stage taught me more than I could have ever imagined, and I will carry those memories (and that laughter) with me always."
