Aimee Lou Wood says SNL apologized for 'mean and unfunny' White Lotus satire
White Lotus star calls out SNL sketch 'White Potus' for its caricature of her appearance
The White Lotus actor Aimee Lou Wood says that Saturday Night Live has apologized to her for a sketch that mocked her appearance, which she labelled as "mean and unfunny."
The sketch — a satire of U.S. President Donald Trump, his family and members of his staff dubbed "White Potus" — featured Sarah Sherman playing a version of Wood's White Lotus character, Chelsea, as part of a bit centred on U.S. Health Secretary Robert Francis Kennedy Jr.
After Kennedy (played by Jon Hamm) brings up the topic of removing fluoride from public drinking water — something the U.S. health secretary has said he plans to implement — he ponders what impact it could have on people's teeth.
The camera then cuts to Sherman as Chelsea, wearing prominent false teeth with visible decay. "Fluoride?" she asks in exaggerated confusion. "What's that?"
Over the weekend, Wood spoke out on Instagram about her recent interview with British GQ, in which she shared her initial worry that she was too "ugly" for the hit HBO show.
In her posts, the British actor explained that those fears were entirely internal, and "nobody at HBO called [her] ugly." She followed that up with the admission that she found SNL's depiction of her as hurtful in contrast.
While HBO was "kind and supportive," she wrote, SNL was simply "mean."
The issue she took with the SNL sketch, she said, reinforced through screenshots of responses, was its decision to skewer high-level public figures largely for their actions, but then single her out for her appearance.
"I have big gap teeth, not bad teeth," she wrote, while also criticizing Sherman's attempt at a Mancunian accent. "I don't mind caricature … but the rest of the skit was punching up, and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on."
In a flurry of subsequent posts, Wood said she received "thousands" of messages of support. She also said she did not personally blame Sherman, and that SNL later offered an apology.
One fan of the sketch was perhaps surprising. Wood's co-star, Walton Goggins, who plays her onscreen beau, Rick, commented on SNL's Instagram version of the skit, writing, "Hahahahahhahaha. Amazzzingggg." He also shared it on his Instagram story — complimenting Hamm's acting — before deleting it.
'Full-circle moment'
Wood was one of the main characters in Season 3 of The White Lotus, the most-watched season yet of one of HBO's most-popular shows. She was also a fan favourite, with her bubbly personality and distinct look garnering both audience attention and op-eds around shifting beauty standards.
It's a topic Wood herself has spoken about. Last month, she took to Instagram to explain how accepting her smile and gap teeth was "liberating," while she shared on The Jonathan Ross Show that fans' celebration of her teeth was a "full-circle moment" after having been bullied for them her whole life.
There is even an improvised line in The White Lotus from French Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon (who portrayed Chloe) complimenting Wood's teeth, and a noticeable upswell of appreciation for the actor willing to keep her natural smile amid a sea of fake teeth and veneers, according to the New York Times.
At the same time, Wood said in the British GQ interview that constantly talking about her appearance — and particularly, her teeth — can be exhausting. That's even true of the compliments she receives, she said, as the conversation becomes about her teeth instead of her work.
"They think it's nice because they're not criticizing," GQ quotes her as saying. "And I have to go there.… If it was a man, would we be talking about it this much? It's still going on about a woman's appearance."
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