Aimee Lou Wood, the British breakout star of The White Lotus season three, said Saturday Night Live has apologized after unkindly parodying her during Saturday night’s show.
In a pre-taped sketch dubbed The White POTUS, the NBC series spoofed Mike White’s hit HBO series, swapping characters from the Thailand-set third season with President Donald Trump, his family and members of his cabinet. James Austin Johnson played Trump, standing in for Jason Isaacs‘ Timothy Ratliff character, with Chloe Fineman putting her twist on Parker Posey’s Victoria Ratliff by portraying Melania Trump with Victoria’s now-iconic Southern accent.
Episode host Jon Hamm spoofed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who took on Walter Goggins’ character Rick, and was shown with Wood’s character Chelsea, who was played by Sarah Sherman in the sketch. Sherman, who appeared to wear a pair of fake teeth in the sketch, had few lines but did say, “Fluoride, what’s that? Oh look, a monkey!”
Wood took to Instagram Sunday to clear up previous online speculation that someone at HBO had called her ugly, posting two Instagram stories expanding on something she noted in a previous interview before posting another that said, “But whilst in honest mood — I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny xo.” The British actress added that she might delete the post later.
The 31-year-old followed up that initial post with a note that many people reached out to her to agree that the sketch was in bad taste, adding that she was glad she spoke up about it. “Such a shame [because] I had a great time watching it a couple weeks ago,” she said in another follow-up post. “Yes, take the piss for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a [more clever], more nuanced, less cheap way?”
Wood also took a jab at the British accent Sherman put on for the sketch. “At least get the accent right seriously. I respect accuracy, even if it’s mean,” she said, adding a laughing emoji.
About an hour after her initial update, The White Lotus star posted another Instagram story saying, “I’ve had apologies from SNL.” The actress didn’t clarify who from the show reached out about the sketch. The Hollywood Reporter reached out to SNL for comment.
In her post-finale interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Sex Education star, who had previously opened up about the fan response to her and her teeth, opened up about the overwhelming response to her character, which included outrage over her poignant ending.
“I can let go of the parts of this character, of Chelsea, that have been holding me back and I can grow up in the way that Chelsea couldn’t,” she said of her fate. “And at the same time, all the bits that I love about her, I can take with me. So, there’s this weird feeling today of rebirth… It feels like today is the first new day that I’ve had in a very long time. Because this journey has felt so long — and the weekly thing, I love it, but it’s meant that I’m still in it. But now I feel like I’ve been released and it’s sad, but it’s also like, I’m free to be Aimee again.”
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