“You are one of the greats”: Bowen Yang reacts to SNL co-star Heidi Gardner’s exit

Bowen Yang recently praised his Saturday Night Live colleague Heidi Gardner following her departure from the NBC sketch show after eight seasons.

Yang shared his thoughts during an episode of Las Culturistas, his podcast with Matt Rogers.

“You are one of the greats. You will go down in history,” Yang said of Gardner.

Matt Rogers also offered high praise for Gardner, calling her one of the show’s strongest comedic performers.

As per Variety, earlier in the week, NBC confirmed that Bowen Yang would be returning for his seventh season on SNL. The network also announced that several cast members, including Devon Walker, Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and John Higgins, would not be returning. At the same time, five new names were added to the lineup.

“I will miss the people who are not coming back very, very much,” shared Yang.

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Bowen Yang recalls Heidi Gardner’s impact on SNL as she departs the show:

Bowen Yang also reflected on Heidi Gardner’s reputation as one of the few SNL cast members trusted to craft sketches on her own.

“It’s always a very, very vulnerable thing as a cast member to put only your name on it, 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 shared.

Yang recalled one of his favorite examples of her generosity: a Weekend Update bit Gardner wrote for Punkie Johnson, who left the show 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,” he said. “A true anchor on that show.”

Beyond her on-screen work, Yang remembered how Gardner kept morale high behind the scenes, especially during the pandemic. She encouraged castmates to share daily texts about small joys, a ritual Yang described as an emotional “foothold.”

“Just a truly beautiful person,” he added.

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Bowen Yang recalls career-defining SNL moments and reluctant JD Vance role:

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times on August 12, 2025, Bowen Yang built a reputation on Saturday Night Live for his willingness to embody an eclectic mix of characters. Since joining the show as a writer in 2018 and later as a cast member in 2019, Yang played everything from George Santos to Charli XCX, even portraying the iceberg that sank the Titanic.

“My only intention at the show has been to try as many things as possible, with impressions, I’m like, ‘Let me just try it. Let me try my hand at these little dishes and go from there.’ That was my approach even when I could have really specialized. And I have the show to thank for giving me an opportunity to try out different things,” shared Yang.

In Season 50, SNL creator Lorne Michaels asked him to portray Vice President JD Vance, a decision Yang admitted he resisted.

“I very intentionally tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t budge, so I put my best foot forward. I hired a dialect coach. I requested a screen test to get the beard right. I tried color contacts. I feel like I’ve developed this reputation where I will do my best even if I don’t think I’m the best person for it,” explained Yang.

Though not his preferred role, Yang confirmed he would continue playing Vance if given the opportunity.

“It might sound like a complaint to say I really didn’t want to do it, but it truly just is me reflecting on it, I’m really honored and proud to have done it. And I thought a lot about the legacy of other cast members who have done vice presidential impressions in the past, like Beck Bennett, Jason Sudeikis and Tina Fey. Those are all heroic comedians to me,” he explained.

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Bowen Yang celebrates Emmy milestone and praises SNL’s diverse comedy roster:

In 2025, Bowen Yang made Emmy history as the most-nominated Asian male performer, earning four acting nods. He admitted the milestone didn’t sink in until he saw it written in a headline, but he called the recognition a “genuinely singular thing.”

Yang also recalled advice from SNL creator Lorne Michaels during his first season, when Michaels warned that “people won’t know what to make of you.” Looking back, Yang said it was gratifying that both his Asian and gay identities connected with audiences.

“The best thing about ‘SNL’ in the last few years is that it’s this really representative cross-section of all different schools of comedy, we have club comedians, alt comedians, people who came up on TikTok, sketch people, improv people, Black people, queer people - every kind of comedy has a place in the show.” shared Yang.