Heidi Gardner was 'protective' of Travis Kelce when he hosted 'SNL'

Heidi Gardner, the longest-running female cast member on “Saturday Night Live," says she was "very protective" of Travis Kelce when he hosted the program for the first time in March 2023.

To help him get ready for the gig, Gardner said she tried her best to make the "SNL" set feel like home to the three-time Super Bowl champion.

“I was very protective. I asked him questions, which also as a sports fan I’m just interested in, but I was like, 'On game day what do you eat?' And he was like, 'Uncrustables. I’m just pounding Uncrustables,'" she told TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on May 3.

"And so the Saturday of the show, I went to the store, I got Uncrustables. I was like, I want this to feel as much like home as it can," she explained.

Kelce, who did a skit with Gardner in bed, ended up mentioning the snack right before they did that sketch for a dress rehearsal.

"He leaned over into me right before lights up on the scene and he was like, 'I've been eating the Uncrustables all day.' And I was like, 'Cool,'" she said with a smile.

Kelce hosted "SNL" right after he won the 2023 Super Bowl with his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, which helped him score the gig.

Gardner had encouraged "SNL" boss Lorne Michaels to bring in Kelce, but, she recalled, he replied, "'Well, he has to win the Super Bowl.' And I was like, 'Well, that's a really big ask.' And then he went and won the Super Bowl."

Kelce's skits included one where he enjoyed a lunch with dolls at the American Girl café.

After seeing his performance on the show, "SNL" alum Tim Meadows said he would love to see Kelce host the program again.

“He hosted once, and he did a great job. He was really funny,” Meadows told People. “I like him a lot. I think he’s really funny.”

“It’s like, those athletes, they come in, and you are surprised how good they can be,” he shared.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com