Is Heidi Gardner still married? Comedian's personal life explored as she announces departure from SNL after 8 seasons

On Friday, August 29, it was announced on social media that Heidi Gardner will not be returning to SNL for its 51st season this year. The news comes after Gardner was the core cast of the NBC series for nearly 8 years.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actress first appeared on the show in the 2017-2018 season. It took Heidi two years to make her way into the main cast.

Heidi Gardner is leaving SNL after 8 seasons. pic.twitter.com/sjwLPvdDLg

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) August 28, 2025

Heidi Gardner's sudden decision to exit SNL has brought scrutiny to her personal life as well. The actress is currently single, but was previously married to Zeb Wells. Wells, who is a renowned Marvel Comics creator, tied the knot with Heidi back in 2010. The couple was together for 13 years before their marriage ended in a divorce.

Heidi Gardner is the fourth cast member to be exiting SNL in the coming season, following Emil Wakim, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker. While Gardner is currently the longest-tenured female cast member on the show, her exit will pass the title to Ego Nwodim.

Heidi Gardner spoke about her marriage's end on a podcast in 2024

After nearly a year of their separation, Heidi Gardner spoke on the subject of her divorce from husband, Zeb Wells, on The Liz Moody Podcast in March 2024.

While the Shrinking actress didn't mention Wells by name, she was clearly talking about him when she said:

"Sadly, I went through the end of a relationship, which it feels weird to say end because I also know that person will always be in my life and it will transform in a different way."

Gardner also described how painful the couple of years around their separation had been for her, calling it a period of "transition and grief and hope and loss".

Determined to use that period productively, Heidi claimed to have devoted it to getting to know herself better and worked on becoming a better partner and friend in the future.

According to US Weekly, Wells and Gardner first crossed paths in 2009, when they were both members of a sketch comedy group called The Groundlings.

In addition to expressing the pain and discomfort the relationship's end brought to her, Heidi also called her reliance on other women as one of its positive aspects, saying:

"I already had amazing friends and family, but I will just say that women showed up in such an incredible way and showed me that in future relationships, my romantic partner, I learned does not need to be my emotional rock."

While Heidi Gardner isn't one to indulge the private details of her relationship to the media, she did talk about how moving to New York in 2017 changed it, saying:

"We had both been in L.A. even before we met each other. So, we had gotten used to that. And we both moved to L.A. when we would be considered young and dumb, and you just have to figure it all out. You forget how even just a move can be traumatic."

Despite 13 years of marriage, Zeb Wells and Heidi Gardner do not have any children.