Top 10 Hilarious Heidi Gardner SNL Moments

Top 10 Heidi Gardner SNL Moments

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Heidi Gardner SNL Moments.

For this list, we’ll be looking at the hilarious “SNL” cast member’s best impressions, characters, and sketches.

What’s your favorite Heidi Gardner moment? Let us know in the comments.

#10: Taco Math

In this sketch, two women at a restaurant can’t grasp the buy one, get one free concept. This was clearly written by someone with experience in the foodservice and retail industries. From the frustration of the waiter and a nearby patron, to the customers’ inability to understand basic math, everything is spot on. Heidi is especially entertaining in this infuriating skit, as a woman who’s “trying to use [her] brain more.” She really stands out with the best lines that are random yet give us insight into the character’s confused mind.

#9: The Naomi Show

Most of us have seen those crazy talk show moments with troubled teens and their distressed parents. Then here comes a “sergeant” ready to scare them straight. That’s the setup for “The Naomi Show,” but things take a turn when A.J. does want the sergeant to be her new dad. And her mom, Naomi, and everyone in the audience are immediately on board with the idea, much to the sergeant’s chagrin. This was only Heidi’s second show as a cast member, and she quickly proved to be a comedic talent on the rise. But seriously, what did she use the straws for? The world may never know.

#8: December to Remember Car Commercial

This hilarious skit calls out those highly unrealistic car commercials we see during the holiday season. Surprising someone with a brand new car is a bit much, no? “SNL” takes a look at a big reveal gone wrong on Christmas morning. Beck Bennett as Nathan surprises his wife Cathy (played by Heidi) with car keys. A horrified Cathy and her son rush out to see a Lexus with a big red bow. But Nathan doesn’t get the response he anticipated. Heidi plays a disappointed spouse so well, especially with Bennett.

#7: RV Life

In what would otherwise be a pretty dull sketch, Heidi Gardner manages to make us laugh, and feel sorry for her character. She plays a deeply unhappy woman who regrettably went along with her husband’s early retirement plan to live in an RV. It’s cramped, she’s demoted to the backseat, and doesn’t even get a bed. Those areas are reserved for the too-big-for-an-RV Great Dane. But she puts on a happy face. That is, until their kids visit and the facade breaks. Heidi’s voice really goes on a journey in this sketch, shifting from high-pitched when lying to much lower when finally being honest. It’s those details that make all her characters so interesting.

#6: New Orleans Vacation

In this sketch poking fun at New Orleans tourists, Gardner and host James McAvoy put on their best NOLA-inspired accents to play Deirdre and Reynolds. The obnoxious couple arrives fashionably late to a dinner with their very irritated friends and immediately get into the details of their vacation. Deirdre recounts a wild story involving an “authentic” voodoo ceremony that was most definitely a robbery. However, to them it was magical. McAvoy couldn’t hold it together through the sketch, especially when Gardner described the strange encounter with a topless woman. And we can’t blame him.

#5: Angel, Every Boxer’s Girlfriend From Every Movie About Boxing Ever

Heidi Gardner has become a welcome addition to the slew of mini segments on “Weekend Update.” Carla, the Famous 80’s Cocaine Wife, made a memorable appearance. But there are two characters — Bailey (more on her later) and Angel — who stand out among the rest. Angel is a character so specific that it could’ve easily fallen flat. But Gardener’s amazing character work makes for an instant “SNL” classic. If you’ve seen a boxing movie, chances are you know exactly what a boxer’s girlfriend is like. Armed with a thick accent and simple catchphrase, Heidi plays the loyal, fragile, and emotional woman trying to keep her boyfriend from fighting. In her third appearance, we finally meet the infamous Tommy, played by a perfectly cast Matt Damon.

#4: Brutal Marriage Movie

We’ve seen so many movies and TV shows explore deteriorating relationships. Heidi and host Rami Malek step into the roles of a melancholic married couple who are clearly miserable but desperately try to make it work anyway. The two play out all the stereotypical moments like fights that escalate for no reason and going to couple’s therapy. Their many tearful embraces and over-the-top shouting matches are both funny and so true to this subgenre. They really play up the melodrama showing just how ridiculous some of these stories can be. The narrator comments on actors vying for the coveted Oscar with these roles. We’d like to nominate Gardner and Malek, please.

#3: Floribama Shore

If you’re not familiar with MTV’s lineup, you’d be forgiven for thinking “Floribama Shore” was strictly an “SNL” sketch. However, it is, in fact, an actual reality show. Sort of like the southern version of “Jersey Shore.” “SNL’s” twist is that the show takes place during the quickly approaching Hurricane Irma. Heidi plays a girl named Epcot, who has a usual but very distinct voice. The gum-loving Epcot immediately gets into a fight with Quartney (“with a Quart”). But mid-fight, the two find out they share a father — Hulk Hogan. With a string of iconic lines, Epcot Hogan is one of Heidi’s top characters.

#2: The Perfect Mother

Here’s an incredibly accurate skit that’ll make all the parents out there feel seen. Host Emma Thompson plays Heidi’s loving mother, who straight-up lies about how difficult it is to be a mom. For every lie, we get a flashback showing the realities of motherhood. And when Emma compliments Heidi’s own parenting skills, she tells similarly blatant lies. Sure, everything is totally fine! Heidi really embodies the completely exhausted mom who’s just trying to keep it all together. And this isn’t the first time she and Mikey Day played a stressed-out married couple with kids. Their great chemistry makes for some hilariously accurate parenting moments.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

House Hunters
Such a Brief Appearance, but Undeniably the Best Part of the Sketch

Weekend Update: Goop Staffer Baskin Johns
A Super Awkward Employee Just Trying to Sell Goop’s Number One Products

The Last Dance: Extended Scene
Heidi Pulls Out a John Michael Wozniak Impression No One Was Expecting

Post-Quarantine Conversation
Because Socializing After Being in Isolation Is Hard

Lesbian Period Drama
A Fake Performance Deserving of a Real Oscar

#1: Teen Film Critic Bailey Gismert

Hands down, Heidi Gardner’s most well-known and praised character is Bailey Gismert, and for good reason. There are many stereotypical ways to play teens, but Gardner does an excellent job of capturing the painfully awkward and highly emotional aspects of teenage life. The insecurity and false bravado come through Gardner’s constant eye-rolls, fluttery vocal nuances, and fidgety mannerisms. She’s always on the verge of a breakdown because she’s just really going through a lot. For “SNL at Home,” Gardner brought Bailey back in her own skit outside of the “Update” desk. Honestly, we’d watch more of the teen film critic in her YouTube space. But Heidi is so good at bringing the cringe that it’s almost too uncomfortable to watch.