Dana Carvey is pretty sure that it was not Heidi Gardner’s decision to leave Saturday Night Live after eight seasons—despite all indications that one of the show’s most popular stars could not possibly have been fired along with three newer cast members.
Speaking on his Fly on the Wall podcast with David Spade Wednesday, Carvey said, “From what I know as of this recording, it was not her idea to leave” ahead of Season 51, adding the caveat that he “could be wrong.”
“That would be a little shocking,” Spade replied, “because she really is one of the core ones you know from that show and she does a great job.”
“You never know, and it is a hard thing, but I was really, really surprised,” Carvey added, lauding her as an especially versatile performer on the show over her eight years in the cast.
Gardner has not said anything publicly about her reported exit from the show. The Daily Beast has reached out to her representatives for comment but has not received any response.
Carvey himself spent seven seasons in the SNL cast from 1986 to 1993, but returned consistently during Season 50 to play President Joe Biden among other characters and got to know the current cast well during his time there.
With that in mind, he recalled speaking to another cast member who was just fired from the show, Devon Walker, about his struggles during his three years in the cast.
“Devon had told me that when you don’t get on the show a lot,” Carvey said, “then when you get out there and you have a moment, you’re not relaxed because it’s like, if you don’t score here, you go back in line. So, it can be emotionally violent depending where you are in the show or it could be a magic ride.”
In addition to Gardner and Walker, cast members Emil Wakim and Michael Longfellow also confirmed that they had been let go, with Wakim calling the move a “gut punch” and Longfellow telling a stand-up comedy crowd that SNL boss Lorne Michaels didn’t bother to call him personally to break the news.
On Tuesday, SNL announced the addition of five new cast members, including the elevation of writer and Please Don’t Destroy member Ben Marshall and the hiring of “Kill Tony” regular Kam Patterson, who is a self-professed Trump supporter.
Even more than Gardner, the piece of SNL casting news that Carvey said got his attention “the most” was the effective breaking up of Please Don’t Destroy given that John Higgins, son of longtime SNL producer Steve Higgins, is leaving the show altogether.
“So that really surprised me and on a human level I was surprised that they kept some of them,” Carvey said, while getting rid of Higgins.
Spade added, “So the one guy has to say, ‘I’m going to take this, I’m going to be a cast member.’ It’s f—ing awkward for sure.”
