Heidi Gardner exits 'Saturday Night Live'

Actress Heidi Gardner will be exiting Saturday Night Live after eight seasons. The news comes amid a shake-up at the NBC sketch comedy series, which this week saw the departure of Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker ahead of Season 51. Last season, Gardner was the longest-tenured current female cast member. In Season 49, she appeared in more sketches than any other cast members. The actress is well-known for her Weekend Update characters. Outside of SNL, Gardner has appeared in TV series Shrinking alongside Jason Segel, as well as The Other Two and the Adam Sandler basketball movie Hustle. Gardner marks the latest example of a roster refresh happening at Studio 8H. Walker announced his departure from SNL on Instagram. He wrote, "Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool. Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction." Walker added, "I won't be returning to SNL next year. It was a gut-punch of a call to get, but I'm so grateful for my time there. Every time I scanned into the building, I would think how insane it is to get to work there. It was the most terrifying, thrilling, and rewarding experience of my life, and I will miss it dearly and all the brilliant people that work there that made it feel like a home." Saturday Night Live returns on NBC on October 4 with the premiere of Season 51.