‘SNL’s Heidi Gardner Thanks Kelly Clarkson For Helping Her Secure A Spot On The Show: “You Were Playing While I Was On The Stage Auditioning”

Kelly Clarkson ‘s “Heartbeat Song” is much more than just a catchy tune for Saturday Night Live star Heidi Gardner. In fact, she thinks it helped her secure a spot on the famed sketch comedy show.

The comedian stopped by The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday (April 1), where Clarkson revealed herself to be a fan of Gardner’s.

“You make me laugh with my whole being,” she gushed. “You are so funny.”

Gardner expressed her gratitude to Clarkson, revealing that she is “actually part of why [she] believe[s she’s] on SNL.”

The American Idol alum replied in disbelief, “What? No way.”

Gardner proceeded to explain that she was “actually playing one of [Clarkson’s] songs during [her] audition.”

“Not before to hype me up,” she clarified. “Like, you were playing while I was on the stage auditioning for SNL.”

A curious Clarkson asked, “Were you doing interpretive dancing or singing?”

Gardner then recalled that she was playing a “crazed Mary Kay executive makeup woman giving a seminar.”

“And every time I would hit a point, I would then make eye contact with the audience, start tracking across the stage, while ‘Heartbeat Song’ was playing,” she shared. “So it as like, ‘This is my heartbeat song.'”

After Clarkson praised Gardner’s talent for impressions, the comedian shed light on how she mastered the art, noting that she “used to watch SNL” and “loved Dana Carvey.”

“He used to do Weekend Update, and he would do Robin Leach,” she remembered. “And he just always said, ‘My name is Robin Leach and I don’t know why!’ And I would say that, and I remember that was the first time I ever made my parents laugh.”

The Kelly Clarkson Show airs on weekdays. Check the website for local listings.