SNL Shocker: Heidi Gardner Leaving After Eight Seasons

The rapidly turning revolving door over at Saturday Night Live just saw its biggest name yet walk through it.

Heidi Gardner, who's been an SNL cast member for the past eight seasons, will not return for the upcoming Season 51, according to Variety.

Gardner joined SNL as a featured player in 2017 and then was promoted to a full-time cast member two years later, becoming known for playing deranged suburban moms and memorable Weekend Update characters like Angel, Every Boxer's Girlfriend. She was SNL's longest-tenured female cast member before her departure.

She's the biggest name to depart SNL in recent days, but not the only one. Also on Thursday, fellow cast member Michael Longfellow left the show after three seasons. Plus, earlier this week, featured player Emil Wakim revealed he won't be returning after his one and only season ("It was a gut punch of a call to get, but I'm so grateful for my time there"), and Devon Walker also told fans he's leaving the show after a three-season run. In an Instagram post, Walker admitted about his time on the show: "Sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell."

With all of those departures accounted for, SNL's current cast now includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernández, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson and Bowen Yang, with featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Season 51 premieres Saturday, Oct. 4 on NBC.

Does Gardner's exit hit the hardest of the recent SNL departures? Sound off in a comment below!