Heidi Gardner Says She's Open to Popping Into 'SNL' After Exiting in 2025: 'There's So Much Joy in That'

Though Heidi Gardner only left Saturday Night Live in August 2025, she is open to returning.

"Oh, yeah. There are so many of those pop-ins. When I was a kid watching SNL and you'd see an alum return, there's just so much joy in that," the comedian, 43, exclusively tells OK! while talking about her partnership with TEMPTATIONS™, which is opening the first-ever TEMPTATIONS™ Cat Bodega, an immersive pop-up experience coming to NYC this fall and inspired by the iconic cats who have been winning hearts for generations.

The blonde beauty said it's still "hard to believe" she's come so far in her career and is a role model to others.

"I do know when I was younger, and I looked up to people, even the few times I got to meet a hero or unexpectedly got some wisdom or advice or a moment with someone I looked up to and the interaction was positive, that was enough to make an entire year for me. So I always do try to keep that in mind. Even when someone's like, 'A friend of a friend's daughter is going to school for writing, and do you have anything to impart or advice?' I'm like, 'I do.' I want to make sure to support that because it's important to know that people care about you, and it sure helped me," she shares.

In the meantime, the actress is booked and busy after leaving SNL behind.

"It's been weird to not have that same schedule because I feel like I continue to recreate the schedule just in real life. I would always say when you're on SNL, you do kind of 750 things in a day. Rehearse, act, fittings, go shoot something — so many things. So that was weird to come down from that and be like, 'Oh, I can just sit, or I can just do one thing a day,'" she says.

She adds, "I just shot a movie in Kansas City this summer and this last month. I just wrapped on Friday. Those days were every day, and they were 12- to 14-hour days. I was like, 'Oh, I like this.' I'm used to it. I think people were surprised that I didn't seem that tired, and I was like, 'I've been through this before. I can do this.'"

The starlet loves a "good comedy" and "good character," which is why she is open to anything that comes her way.

"The movie I just shot was a month-long shoot, and that's always fun. It was right at the end of the summer. It felt like summer camp. So I would definitely love another experience like that. I also got lucky because it was filmed in my hometown, so I was able to be like, 'Let's go here after work, and let's go here on the weekend.' That doesn't always happen. I need to remember, 'Oh, that was a really ideal experience that you might not ever have again. I hope you savored it.' But I guess film in that way, especially, you get to have a summer camp," she says.

She also recently got the chance to work with William H. Macy, which she still can't get over.

"Being in a scene with him and staring into his eyes — from Boogie Nights, Fargo, Magnolia — that was a pretty big bucket list for me. Those are the best moments getting to do this, when I take myself back to my 14-year-old self. I was also filming in Kansas City, so whenever I probably first saw him, and he became one of my favorite actors, I was probably two blocks away from that location, then shooting with him. Those are really special feelings," she notes.

In the meantime, Gardner is teaming up with TEMPTATIONS™ to celebrate the launch and shine a spotlight on bodega cats nationwide.

"Sometimes the stars align in your life in such a beautiful way. I feel like I've just been putting it out there into the world for so long that I love cats and have cats, and finally something cat-related noticed and was like, 'We'd like her to speak on cats and our treats.' It's perfect because I live in New York, and TEMPTATIONS™ is doing an actual pop-up Cat Bodega which focuses on the cats. The cats have just been such an extra-added perk of bodegas," she explains.

"When I moved here, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, every market I go into is going to have a cat. What an ultimate scavenger hunt.' There are unofficial mayors of New York, and now TEMPTATIONS™ is basically being like, 'We're putting them front and center.' We're filling this bodega with cat treats and claw machines and chances to win things. That's all for the cats. So, of course, I was like, 'Yes, I'm doing this with TEMPTATIONS™. What a dream,'" she adds.

As a cat mom herself, Gardner knows what it's like to spoil her three pets.

"It's the best feeling in the world and the most relaxing. Each one has their different personalities. Lately, I've really — I always feel like I pampered my cats, but I think probably I've been influenced a little — started really intentionally plating their food or plating their treats in a really cute way, doing a full morning routine," she says.

"It's just cute. It's cute to watch that. It's cute to spoil something that you love so much. That's been my favorite thing lately. I do think about the movies I used to watch as a kid that would follow cats and dogs in New York. I'm like, 'Oh, my cats are kind of living the dream,'" she adds. "I just want to tell people to go to the actual bodega because it'll be September 17th through the 19th in New York. It's just going to be really fun. Like I said, it's an actual bodega fully for the cats, and there will be cat treats and claw machines and chances to win merch and get free treats. Also, if you can't go to it, you can go online and you can still win a lot. There are daily scratch-offs and all that stuff. So just indulge in this really special gift that we're getting, but mostly for our cats too."

Visitors can stop by the bodega at 213 Bowery from September 17 to 19 for immersive, photo-worthy moments, exclusive bodega-inspired merchandise and plenty of free, purr-worthy treats to take home.