‘Saturday Night Live’ hit with major setback ahead of Season 51

‘Saturday Night Live’ cast shaken up with fresh blow ahead of new season premiere

Saturday Night Live seems to be losing its grip, with cast members gradually resigning from the iconic sketch comedy show.

Heidi Gardner is the latest cast member to join the growing list of departures from the NBC comedy sketch show.

She joined in Season 43 as a featured player and was promoted to the main cast in 2019.

The 42-year-old actress and comedian went viral last year after the Beavis and Butt-Head sketch during which she cracked while playing NewsNation host Bobbi More.

She’s also known for her impressive range of characters, including Angel (from Every Boxer’s Girlfriend in Every Movie About Boxing Ever), teen film critic Bailey Gismert, and Crystal (the co-worker who’s always “extremely busy” doing seemingly nothing).

Though the Shrinking star’s exit wasn’t completely unexpected, as she had previously hinted that things had gotten a “little tough.”

Speaking to comedian Craig Ferguson on his podcast Joy, the Hustle actress said, “I will say the only thing that I’ve started to feel a little bit is just sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue.”

She added, “At this point, after doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches.'”

Gardner’s goodbye to SNL marks the most high-profile exit ahead of the Season 51 premiere, following the departures of other cast members including Devon Walker, Emil Wakim, and Michael Longfellow.