Heidi Gardner pulled out all the stops for her SNL dream host, throwing a Jack Black tailgate party.
The Saturday Night Live cast member decked out her dressing room with tons of tributes to Black (aka JB, or Jables, his Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny alter ego).
The Jack Black superfan served up an assortment of foods inspired by Black’s work. Nachos nodded to the film Nacho Libre, while “seasoned curlies” referenced the Tenacious D song “Drive‐Thru.”
Vendors included Court Street Grocers, Dos Toros, Harlem Shake, Elbow Bread, and Lil Sweet Treat. Jell-O shot makers Solid Wiggles contributed an assortment of cocktail jellies with more JB-inspired names, like “J.D. McNugent,” “Dio,” and “Devil’s Backbone.”
A heart-shaped cake from Velvet Valley Cakes featured a photo of Black as J.D. in Saving Silverman, with the character’s quote “and a beer bong for the lady?” written beneath it.
Video: Gardner's SNL dressing room was all Jack Black from floor to ceiling Saturday night for her JB tailgate party (from Gardner's Instagram) pic.twitter.com/WVSFDTIhKd
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) April 7, 2025
Gardner decorated the space with DVDs and VHS tapes, posters, and shirts from Black’s various film roles and his musical project Tenacious D, all flanked by a giant carpet with Black’s face.
Her guests were given Jumanji-inspired safari helmets, and cups shaped like mini versions of the headgear—each labeled with the name of a different character Jack Black has played across his deep filmography.
Black had been a dream host for Gardner, who has cited him as an early comedic influence. “The first time that I really felt like, ‘I want to be like them’ is watching Jack Black,” she told costar Kenan Thompson during a recent conversation for the Wall Street Journal, acknowledging his “reckless abandon, just ‘you are you, you are free’” energy.
Alongside photos and video of her extensive tailgate party prep, Gardner wrote a tribute to Black on Instagram, sharing a pic of her grinning wide during her appearance alongside Black in his monologue.
“Jack Black is my hero and this is how I felt the entire week,” she said. “My heart is beaming from this experience and makes me want to put more love out into the world.”
Images: Heidi Gardner/Instagram
“I know that there are billions of people that feel the same way about Jack Black as I do,” she added. “I saw it so much this week in the tshirts people wore around set, the subtle nods to his work or even direct quotes. I felt the magnitude of this moment and felt really connected to people that feel the same way I do and tried to harness all that collective joy. He’s made us smile and laugh so much with his freedom of expression and absolute singular talent.”
“Simply put,” Gardner concluded, “he’s a unicorn.”
