A longtime Saturday Night Live star is leaving the show amid a major casting shakeup that has left fans of the iconic sketch comedy series shocked.

Daily Mail can reveal that Heidi Gardner has departed from the show after an impressive eight-season tenure, as upset viewers demand the cancellation of SNL due to the ongoing exodus of the cast.

The announcement of the 42-year-old comedian’s departure follows the news that cast members Michael Longfellow, Emil Wakim, and Devon Walker will also not return for season 51 on NBC.

Daily Mail has reached out to Gardner’s reps for comment.

A spokesperson for NBC declined to comment to Daily Mail.

Gardner joined Saturday Night Live in 2017 during season 43 as a featured player along with now-former SNL stars Luke Null and Chris Redd.

She was then promoted to the main cast two years later.

Since then, the Missouri-born actress has written and starred in countless iconic SNL sketches. 

She is best known for creating the hilarious character Bailey Gismert, a teen movie critic, who often appeared during SNL’s Weekend Update segments.

Throughout her eight years on SNL, Gardner portrayed numerous well-known celebrities, including Reba McEntire, the Oscar-winning Mikey Madison, and Kim Kardashian.

She joined fellow SNL stars and alums at the show’s 50th anniversary special in February.

Confirmation of Gardner’s exit comes after she seemingly hinted at leaving the show earlier this year.

In an episode of Craig Ferguson’s Joy podcast, she confessed that the situation behind the scenes had become ‘a little tough’ and that she was feeling tired.

‘I will say the only thing that I’ve started to feel a little bit is just sketch fatigue, or idea fatigue,’ she told Ferguson at the time.

‘At this point, after doing Groundlings and SNL for so long, I’m like, ‘I’ve written a lot of sketches.’

Gardner’s shock departure evoked a strong reaction from SNL fans on social media — with some demanding that the show be canceled ahead of season 51.

“I think we should cancel SNL at this point. What’s even the point if we’re losing so much talent already,” one frustrated fan commented on X (formerly Twitter).

Another speculated that SNL’s mass exodus could be due to a cut back on production costs as they called for NBC to ‘just cancel SNL already.’

Many were left frustrated over the loss of another beloved player, with one fan calling Gardner ‘the heart and soul of the show.’

Another penned: ‘Wow, she’s one of the funny people still there.’

Among the tweets expressing sadness and disappointment over Gardner’s exit, several fans saw it as an opportunity for a new, young comic to make a name for themselves on the show.

‘Love Heidi Gardner, but maybe it was time for her to make room for the kids coming up.’ 

It was also confirmed by Daily Mail on Thursday that SNL cast member Michael Longfellow is leaving the hit show after just three seasons.

Longfellow, 31, joined SNL in season 48 as a ‘featured player’ – and, like Gardner, was known for his Weekend Update segments. 

Earlier this week, featured cast member Emil Wakim joined the long list of former SNL stars who have had their tenures with the show cut short before joining the main cast.

Wakim, 27, announced his departure in an Instagram post with photos of happier times at Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

He indicated that he had been let go by SNL, and his unexpected departure came just a day after his costar Devon Walker revealed he was leaving the series after three seasons.

Both exits come in the wake of series creator and longtime showrunner Lorne Michaels’ announcement that there would be a ‘significant shake-up’ amid the cast ahead of season 51.

Daily Mail previously contacted a representative for Wakim but hasn’t yet received a response.

Wakim’s tenure with SNL began in 2024 for the show’s 50th season.

He shared a post which read: ‘I won’t be returning to SNL next year.’

He wrote that ‘it was a gut punch of a call to get but I’m so grateful for my time there,’ adding that he ‘was at six flags celebrating my friends 36th birthday and went on a really emotional walk through bugs bunny park and stared out across daffy duck lake thinking about life.’

‘Every time i scanned into the building i would think how insane it is to get to work there,’ Wakim continued. ‘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.

Wakim, who was born in Chicago and attended Indiana University Bloomington before getting his big break, holds the distinction of being the first SNL cast member of Lebanese heritage.

The comedian included a photo of himself appearing at the Weekend Update desk with Colin Jost and Michael Che, along with photos of himself proudly displaying his SNL staff badge and making playful faces at a live llama that had been brought in for a special appearance on the comedy show.

On Tuesday, Walker took to Instagram to announce he’s leaving after three seasons, comparing his time at SNL to a rocky romance.

The 34-year-old admitted the job could be ‘toxic’ at times, though he stopped short of naming names.

When contacted by Daily Mail, Walker chuckled a bit as he said he did not want to comment ‘at this time.’

It remains unclear if his departure was his choice or not.

‘To me, jobs in this industry feel like a bunch of little marriages,’ he began in his Instagram post.

‘Some of em last for a long time if we’re lucky, but most of them are fleeting. Permanent until they’re not. That’s the deal. You know what it is it when you sign up.’

Looking back on his three years with the late-night staple, he admitted the highs came with plenty of lows.

‘Me and the show did three years together, and sometimes it was really cool,’ Walker continued.

‘Sometimes it was toxic as hell. But we did what we made the most of what it was, even amidst all of the dysfunction. We made a f***ed up lil family.’

The star said he was ultimately ‘happy’ he got to share the stage with his fellow comics, adding that he’s now preparing to take off overseas.

He wrapped things up with a surprising reveal. ‘Anyway, I’m bout to go to Japan,’ Walker concluded.

‘When I get back I’m tryna be in a prestige drama. Ideally something with Julianne Moore. Hope y’all staying hydrated and getting some money today.’

The Texas native cheekily captioned his exit post, ‘Me and baby broke up’, and shared his official announcement as a computer note bluntly titled: ‘Wait..did he quit or did he get fired?’

One screenshot even showed him texting a friend, ‘I’m out’, punctuated with a celebration emoji.

Walker made his SNL debut in 2022 as a featured player in Season 48.

By 2024, he’d been bumped up to the main cast.

He quickly became a standout on ‘Weekend Update’ with Colin Jost and Michael Che, nailing impressions of Michael Strahan, Van Jones, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

Just before Walker went public, Michaels teased a big shake-up coming ahead of SNL’s Oct. 4 season premiere.

When asked whether he felt ‘pressure to reinvent this season’, Michaels said: ‘Yeah, for sure’. ‘It’ll be announced in a week or so,’ he added.

The most famous members of the current cast include Colin Jost, Bowen Yang and Kenan Thompson.

SNL Season 51 will premiere on Saturday, October 4, at 11:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock, after the summer hiatus since May 17.