Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner get emotional in reunion after shock 'SNL' exits

Live from your podcast player of choice, it's Ego Nwodim and Heidi Gardner.

Gardner appeared as the guest on Nwodim's "Thanks Dad" podcast on the Oct. 28 episode after the two comedians both surprisingly exited "Saturday Night Live" ahead of its current 51st season.

The pair did not directly discuss leaving "SNL," but they got emotional as they reminisced about working together and becoming close friends on the show.

"Getting to spend seven years of my time on 'SNL' with you (was) one of life's greatest gifts," Nwodim told Gardner. "It's not the easiest place to work, but you were such a huge gift, and I absolutely adore and love you and am so grateful for that time."

Nwodim, who described Gardner as her best friend, went on to tell the comedian that she did "amazing" work on the show, and "you deserve your flowers" for it. Gardner starred on "SNL" for eight seasons, first joining in 2017. Nwodim joined "SNL" the following year and noted on the podcast that when she first started, she shared a dressing room with Gardner.

Nwodim also praised Gardner for being "so gracious towards everyone" on "SNL," even though it's "so easy to be caught up with your own stuff" when working at the show, and said Gardner was "such a light in what can be such a challenging place."

"What I think matters most is the kind of person you are when you leave that place," Nwodim said. "…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, I think you succeeded. That's what I think success is there, and you did that a million times over."

Gardner, meanwhile, told Nwodim she is "so honored" to have worked with her. She noted there "weren't a lot of times when we were able to succeed in the way we wanted at the exact same time" but said that it was "beautiful to watch" Nwodim succeed.

In particular, Gardner became emotional while talking about the Jack Black episode of "SNL" from April, which was a highlight for her both because Black is a personal hero and because Nwodim scored a big hit with her "Miss Eggy" character on "Weekend Update." "My best friend had the moment of the year," Gardner said, choking up as she thought about what a "beautiful" week it was.

Gardner's exit from "SNL" was revealed via media reports in August amid a wave of departures that also included Michael Longfellow and Emil Wakim. But unlike other "SNL" stars who left the show, Gardner never released a statement or publicly commented on the news, sparking speculation about whether it was her choice to exit.

Nwodim later announced her own exit from "SNL" in September, which came as a surprise after reports indicated the cast for Season 51 had already been set and Nwodim would be back. "The hardest part of a great party is knowing when to say goodnight," she wrote in an Instagram post on Sept. 12.

Bowen Yang, who returned for the new season of "SNL," previously paid tribute to Gardner on his "Las Culturistas" podcast in September, saying she "will go down in history." Yang also said he will "miss the people who are not coming back very, very much."

"SNL" is three episodes into its 51st season. After the departures, the show added five comedians to its cast: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska. The show's next episode on Nov. 1 will be hosted by Miles Teller with musical guest Brandi Carlile.