Heidi Gardner Was ‘Very Protective’ of Travis Kelce When He Hosted SNL

Travis Kelce got a helping hand from Heidi Gardner during his March 2023 Saturday Night Live hosting debut.

During a Friday, May 3, appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna, the SNL star, 40, shared what she did to make the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, feel comfortable on the show.

“I was very protective,” explained Gardner, a Kansas City, Mo., native. “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.’ ”

Gardner recalled going to the store to buy Kelce the tasty snack on show day.

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

Kelce seemingly appreciated the gift, as Gardner remembers talking to him about it as they were about to rehearse a sketch that involved them lying in bed together.

“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,'” said Gardner, who added that he ultimately “won SNL” and did “such a good job.”

It’s no surprise that Gardner wanted to ensure that Kelce had a good experience, as he admitted to being “nervous” about his appearance on the show when it was first announced. Gardner also joked that she “loved him very much” before his relationship with Taylor Swift began.

Kelce revealed that he’s been a longtime SNL fan during a conversation with PEOPLE last May, expressing that he and his brother Jason Kelce grew up watching it “whenever we had a chance to sit down on Saturday nights.”

“It was an experience that was like nothing else that I’ve ever gone through,” he said. “I just can’t thank them enough for giving me that opportunity because I didn’t know I was going to enjoy scripted comedy or that entire entertainment world as much as I did until I was on a set and going through the week of preparation and stuff like that.”

The football player’s SNL appearance was also praised by SNL veteran Tim Meadows. “He hosted once, and he did a great job. He was really funny. I like him a lot. I think he’s really funny,” Meadows told PEOPLE in March.

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Kelce will soon appear in front of the camera again as the host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? A release date for the competition series has not been announced.