After joining the SNL cast in 2017, Heidi Gardner has appeared in more than 500 sketches. But she's kept a presence in her hometown, buying a Leawood home and attending Kansas City Current games.

Kansas City native Heidi Gardner will not return to “Saturday Night Live” when the long-running sketch show returns Oct. 4, according to multiple media reports.

The comedian first joined the show in 2017 as a featured player and writer, before being promoted to the full cast. She's appeared in more than 500 sketches during her tenure, bringing such characters as Angel ("Every Boxer's Girlfriend from Every Movie About Boxing Ever") to life on screen.

She was also instrumental in bringing Kanas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce on as host in 2023 .

In the meantime, Gardner has remained a fixture

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