Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner opened up about their experiences at “Saturday Night Live” following their sudden departures, revealing – as many have over the years – that the hit NBC sketch comedy series was a challenging place to work.
The two exchanged stories while on Nwodim’s “Thanks Dad” podcast on Tuesday, where they discussed having feelings of competition with their fellow castmates, frustrations related to what skits they were and weren’t part of and more.
Nwodim said it was “not the easiest place to work.”
“The sketches, they come, they go, they’re really fun. They can be hard, they can be things you’re not into, whatever,” Nwodim said. “But I’m like, if you can leave — in a place where it can get so competitive and you can become so self involved, if you can leave and be still remarkably lovely and such a light and still pouring into other people like you, I think you succeeded.”
She added that Gardner, whom she bonded with on the show “instantly,” was “such a light in what can be such a challenging place.”
As they reflected on one another’s experiences, Gardner celebrated their accomplishments and the work they did on their on their friendship while on the show.
“I am so honored that we worked so hard there, and then we also worked on our friendship so hard, which wasn’t hard, by the way,” Gardner said, “I just mean … we’re humans, so we have egos, we want things for ourselves, we want to succeed, and there weren’t a lot of times when we were able to succeed in the way we wanted at the exact same time.”
Gardner continued, mentioning that she was overjoyed with Nwodim’s “Miss Eggy” “Weekend Update” viral moment.
“It was beautiful to watch you succeed so much, and that’s why I think back, it’s so recent, but that Jack Black week, it was everything to me because it was my hero,” Gardner shared. “I could’ve never imagined a week like that, and I got to do so much in the show.”
After seven seasons, Nwodim chose to leave “SNL” back in September after the show finalized its Season 51 cast.
“The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight. But after seven unforgettable seasons, I have decided to leave ‘SNL,’” Nwodim wrote at the time on Instagram. “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.”
As for Gardner, she had an eight-year stint on sketch comedy series and departed back in August ahead of Season 51.
