Penelope. Gilly. Nancy Pelosi. Suze Orman. Kathie Lee Gifford. Michelle Bachmann. These are just a few of the hilarious Kristen Wiig’s aliases on “Saturday Night Live.” It has been rumored that the comedian will be departing from the show at the end of its 2011-2012 season. Gasp. If this were to happen, the loss of Wiig would no doubt be a major bummer, but the show could rebound easily. Wiig has proven that she’s ready for bigger and better things in the film/TV business.

According to entertainmentweekly.com, Lorne Michaels, once called Wiig one of the “three or four top performers” in “SNL” history. Though I haven’t been watching the show since 1975 (obviously), I am certain Wiig is an SNL alpha. It’ll definitely be a blow for the show, losing such an iconic cast member, but that means there’ll be room for new comedians to showcase their talent.

Wiig has also proven her talent beyond the TV screen. She recently produced, co-wrote, and starred in the popular summer comedy, “Bridesmaids.” On behalf of many women, I just want to personally thank Wiig for proving that females can in fact be as funny as men. Although, that food poisoning scene might haunt me forever.

It’s obvious that Wiig no doubt has good means for parting from the show, but she’ll still be missed by many. I can’t count the number of times I’ve laughed at her various impersonations of the always intoxicated Kathie Lee Gifford as the Today show stretches on into it’s “sixth hour.” And I’m always excited to see her improvise songs as Kath of the forgetful singing duo, “Kath and Garth,” who frequently appear on Weekend Update. They just never are prepared, are they? She even shines as the “Target Lady,” where she plays an overzealous Target employee who is almost too chipper that it comes off annoying.

I’d have to say that my favorite of the many dynamite Kristen Wiig sketches is “Surprise Party.” She plays Sue, a relative of the character of that night’s host, Christopher Walken, who just can’t seem to control herself when she hears he wants to throw a surprise party for his daughter. “Oh my g-o-o-o-d!” she says frequently. Throughout the sketch, she tries things like snacking to suppress her enthusiasm (though she almost chokes) and when the daughter unexpectedly interrupts their planning, Sue seems to be the only one who can’t contain herself, worried she’ll spill the beans. By the end of the sketch, it’s clear that Sue is pretty much crazy about everything from surprise parties to the mall to ice cream. Yes, it really is an “SNL” classic.  I recommend everyone to check it out.

So in conclusion, it will be sad if this is Wiig’s final season on Saturday Night Live. I find her performances consistently versatile, charming, and of course hilarious. But don’t forget the silver lining: this means Wiig will have much more time to write or star in many more hilarious movies, like “Bridesmaids.” I hope it isn’t so, but if Wiig really does decide to leave “SNL”, she will definitely be missed. And I can say right now, that I’ll be the first to purchase the “Best of Kristin Wiig” DVD when it comes out.