Being a little too into pop culture has always made my life kind of rough. It was devastating last year when the final “Harry Potter” film was released. I also don’t know how I ever recovered from saying goodbye to David Tennant on “Doctor Who.” But somehow I made it out of those two incidents alive and emotionally stable. This past week seven-year cast member Kristen Wiig said farewell to “Saturday Night Live,” and it felt like my heart was about to burst out of my chest and break into pieces in front of me.
In our sad reality, women are just recently considered funny by the mainstream media, although to anyone with a decent sense of humor they have been funny for as long as comedy has been around. In this new age where women are recognizably hilarious, Wiig shines. She is arguably one of the biggest stars on the show. She also co-wrote and starred in the hit movie “Bridesmaids,” which made more than $288 million worldwide and has been featured in numerous other film roles throughout her career.
Wiig is more than a successful actress, though. She is a representative of all of the people in the world who have an inner weirdo. After watching Wiig’s impressions and insane characters on SNL, I would do weird voices and strange dances all around my house. Wiig brought out my incredibly strange side, and I loved every second of it. She will continue to be an inspiration to me and tons of others across the world through her strange and hilarious view on comedy.
In what the creator of SNL, Lorne Michaels, described as “difficult,” Wiig and the rest of the cast mates donned graduation caps and gowns for her final sketch in a mock high school graduation. Host Mick Jagger proceeded to call Wiig up and then dance with her to “She’s a Rainbow.” After Jagger had his turn, every cast member came up for one final dance with Wiig.
She was twirled by Keenan Thompson, got lifted up and spun by Andy Samberg and then tearily slow danced with cast mates Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis, as well as Michaels. If seeing Wiig cry was not enough to break my heart, the entire cast sang “Ruby Tuesday” by the Rolling Stones, which accurately summed up how everyone is going to feel about Wiig with the line “Still I’m gonna miss you.”
Although she has six films in the works and will continue to act in hilarious movies, the pain of her not being on my television every week will always be here. I think the pain may only go away when she hosts the show while I am a cast member and we become best friends and roommates. Until that happens, though, all I can say is thank you.
Thank you, Kristen Wiig. Thank you for Penelope, Triangle Sally, Target Lady, Katt, Rebecca Larue: Flirting Expert and Judy Grimes. Thank you for all the laughs and for the laughs to come, but mostly thank you for being an inspiration to weirdos like me.
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