It’s a feat only 29 other SNL cast members have pulled off: With tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, Heidi Gardner has appeared in 500 sketches.
That’s according to longtime SNL statistician Mike Murray, who hosts The Saturday Night Network’s weekly SNL by the Numbers podcast. (Full disclosure: The SNN is LateNighter’s podcast partner.)
Tonight’s game show sketch “Couple Goals” was Gardner’s 500th sketch.
Gardner, who’s in her seventh SNL season, is only the 30th cast member to hit the 500 sketch milestone, an honor she shares with two other current cast members, Mikey Day and (of course) Kenan Thompson, whose 21 seasons on the show put him at the top of the list.
Lest you think there’s a direct correlation between one’s tenure on the show and their sketch count, there are quite a few SNL cast members who’ve made it to seven seasons without hitting the 500 episode milestone, including the likes of Mike Myers, Molly Shannon, Tracy Morgan, and Pete Davidson.
To be fair, there are also a handful of cast members who surpassed 500 sketches in less time than Gardner, including Jimmy Fallon, Taran Killam, Ana Gasteyer, and Jay Pharoah, who each served six seasons on the show. In SNL’s 49-year history, Gilda Radner is the only SNL cast member to appear in 500 sketches in less than six seasons.
Our congratulations to Heidi Gardner–your new elite status qualifies you for a free checked bag at the Studio 8H page desk.
