‘Humbled’ Heidi Gardner makes Broadway debut, talks high school with Seth Meyers
Heidi Gardner has quietly added “Broadway” to her acting resume.
The Kansas City native who left her eight-year stint on “Saturday Night Live” at the end of last season debuted this week in “All Out: Comedy About Ambition,” based on stories written by humorist Simon Rich, one of the youngest writers ever hired by “SNL”
“I feel very humbled to be making my Broadway debut, like almost to the point where I’m being very quiet about it and everyone around me is like, ‘Broadway, Broadway!’” Gardner says on the show’s Instagram.
“Even people that I don’t think want to be on Broadway, they actually want to be on Broadway. Everybody wants to be on Broadway.
“So I’m humbled and honored.”
She talked about the show Tuesday on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” She made a runway entrance in a body-hugging dress with cityscape print by Brooklyn-based Tyler McGillivary, Jimmy Choo shoes and a sleek blond bob styled by Xavier Velasquez, all of whom she credited in an Instagram Story.
“What happens when a group of the funniest people on earth gather on Broadway to read hilarious stories by Simon Rich about ego, envy, greed, and basically just New Yorkers in general,” reads the synopsis of the show.
The show debuted in December at Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre with a rotating cast of comedians, including Gardner, Jon Stewart, Jim Gaffigan, Cecily Strong and Ray Romano.
Each four-member cast will cycle through the 12-week run. Gardner will appear now through Feb. 15 with Sarah Silverman, Craig Robinson and Jason Mantzoukas.
“All Out” follows Rich’s hit show last season, “All In: Comedy About Love.”
Meyers noted how cast members don’t have to memorize their lines on “SNL” because they use cue cards.
“And now you’re on Broadway ... and I can’t help but notice you’ve chosen a wonderful Broadway show ... where you do get to have your scripts with you,” Meyers said.
“And I’ve moved on from cue cards. I have teleprompters,” Gardner said. “So I get both a script and a teleprompter, so I’m never going to be able to memorize anything ever again.”
When Meyers asked if she was “good” in high school plays or speech class, Gardner said she never did any of that but mentioned the disaster that happened after her sophomore English teacher, “who believed in me,” asked her to compete in a speech and forensics tournament.
“And then did that teacher stop believing in you?” Meyers joked.
Gardner is a Notre Dame de Sion graduate who became nationally known on “Saturday Night Live.” When her departure from the show was announced in August, she was the longest-tenured female cast member that season, as the show celebrated a landmark 50 years.
She was part of a cast shakeup that also saw the departure of colleagues Ego Nwodim Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Devon Walker.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 2:18 PM.
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