'SNL' Says Goodbye to Kristen Wiig

After being one of Saturday Night Live's for seven years, Kristen Wiig got her official farewell from the show on Saturday. With Mick Jagger as host, Wiig was serenaded with the Rolling Stones' She's a Rainbow and Ruby Tuesday, as she danced with the members of the cast. Wiig's Bridesmaids cohort Jon Hamm returned to the show for the cold open and then stuck around for the end, joining Wiig's former castmates Chris Kattan, Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch.

I've been mixed on Wiig over the past few years. There was no doubt that she's been one of SNL's strongest and funniest cast members, but at times it seemed like she was just playing Kristen Wiig. Thanks to Bridesmaids and her Oscar nomination, Wiig will be just fine after SNL. In the end, it was pretty touching to see her get this kind of farewell.



It's been widely rumored that Andy Samberg and Jason Sudeikis will also be leaving SNL. Lazy Sunday 2 was clearly Samberg retiring the Digital Shorts and probably served as his goodbye. Sudeikis, though, was almost completely absent from SNL's season finale, something that strikes me as bizarre for such a well-known cast member in what's supposed to be his final episode. Big names have left the show before without a huge goodbye, but it would be odd for Wiig to get an entire musical number and Samberg to get Lazy Sunday 2 while Sudeikis gets nothing.

Lorne Michaels is always mysterious about SNL casting news, so it may be a few months until we find out who's actually coming back.