Heidi Gardner Shares Lorne Michaels’ Single Requirement for Travis Kelce to Host Snl After ‘years’ of Her Requests

Heidi Gardner Shares Lorne Michaels' Single Requirement for Travis Kelce to Host Snl After 'years' of Her Requests

by Tasha Mayberry

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“I was like, ‘That’s such a huge thing to ask,'” the comedian shared.

Heidi Gardner is Travis Kelce’s biggest fan!

The Saturday Night Live star, 41, recently opened up on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast about her persistent efforts to get Kelce, 35, to host the iconic sketch show — though Lorne Michaels had one major stipulation.

“The biggest swing I ever did in that department — and it did work, but it took a couple of years — was Travis Kelce,” Gardner shared. “I don’t want to take full credit from the show and the talent department, but I’m obviously a huge Chiefs fan, and I had seen him in other small acting gigs and appearances.”

She added, “He’s funny, he’s charming. I had even done the ESPYs with him, where we announced something together.”

Kelce eventually hosted Saturday Night Live during a season 48 episode in 2023, just before going public with his relationship with Taylor Swift, Gardner pointed out.

“He was doing stuff,” the comedian remarked. “His talents were already on their way.”

She revealed that Michaels had one clear requirement for Kelce to host: “He had to ‘win the Super Bowl.'” Gardner laughed, recalling her reaction. “I was like, ‘That is so much pressure to ask!’ And then he won the Super Bowl!”

The Shrinking star, who joined Kelce and his brother Jason in a sketch, celebrated the occasion in true fan fashion. “I threw a tailgate party with my loved ones in my dressing room the night of the show,” she shared.

“I was like, ‘I’m gonna have a tailgate in my room,’ because Arrowhead Stadium is famous for tailgating,” Gardner explained, sharing that barbecue was, of course, on the menu.

Although she mentioned the tailgate to Kelce, she didn’t expect him to stop by given his packed schedule as the show’s host.

“That morning, he was so nice. Jeff, one of our guys in the talent department, knocked on my dressing room door, and when I opened it, he had these cans of tequila sodas,” Gardner recalled. “He said, ‘These are from Travis for the tailgate.'”

Despite Kelce’s thoughtful gesture, Gardner was convinced he wouldn’t have time to make an appearance, given the quick turnaround between dress rehearsal and the live show.

“I had run to get my makeup done before the show went live, and that’s usually when guests start arriving in your dressing room,” she said. “My brothers were texting me like, ‘We’re in.’ My best friend, Michelle, and others were showing up. I was thinking, ‘Oh, cool. It’s gonna be a great show,’ while still getting my makeup done. Then I got another text.”

She opened the text to find a photo of the Kelce brothers enjoying barbecue in her dressing room. “I just know for a fact that’s the only host in SNL history that’s ever tailgated before hosting,” Gardner joked.

Since his SNL appearance, Kelce has continued to expand his acting career, landing a guest role in Ryan Murphy’s horror series Grotesquerie and hosting the Prime Video game show Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?

In May, Gardner shared on Today with Hoda & Jenna that she went the extra mile to ensure Kelce felt at ease during his SNL hosting debut.

“I was very protective,” she admitted. “I asked him questions, which, as a sports fan, I was genuinely curious about. I asked, ‘On game day, what do you eat?’ And he said, ‘Uncrustables. I’m just pounding Uncrustables.'”

Gardner remembered going to the store on show day to buy Kelce his favorite snack.

“I was like, ‘I want this to feel as much like home as it can,'” she said.

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