Aimee Lou Wood absolutely crushed it on The White Lotus’ third season, as her adoring Chelsea stole the show even amidst crazy storylines like the incestuous Ratliff brothers and the too-real female friendship. So it must be frustrating for Wood that her teeth keep coming up in conversation. The situation came to a head last weekend when the actress took issue with Saturday Night Live’s parody of her, and cast member Bowen Yang said Wood’s reaction was “completely valid.”
Chelsea’s story on The White Lotus (which can be streamed with a Max subscription) ended tragically, as both she and boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins) were killed in a shootout at the titular resort. But much of the talk about her performance has been overshadowed by comments about her teeth. In “The White Potus” sketch that aired April 12 on the 2025 TV schedule, Sarah Sherman wore fake teeth in an apparent portrayal of Chelsea, which Aimee Lou Wood called “mean and unfunny.”
Bowen Yang understood the reaction, telling Extra:
However she reacted to that sketch is completely valid. You kind of forget the sort of human, emotional cost that it sort of extols on someone.
In trying to produce relevant sketches for SNL Season 50 host Jon Hamm, it seems the writers at Saturday Night Live forgot to consider that it was a real person’s physical appearance they were making a joke about, not just a fictional character on TV.
Aimee Lou Wood had made it clear she was over talking about her teeth, and Bowen Yang said the situation served as a reminder for the SNL writers to consider the impact of their jokes. In Yang’s words:
You need those reminders every now and then that parody can go too far sometimes, and that we as comedians can take account for that instead of banging our foot and saying that, like, we should be allowed to say whatever we want because that’s just the culture.
In the days that followed, Aimee Lou Wood was seen sobbing in South London, with many jumping to the conclusion that she was upset about her SNL portrayal. However, she clarified that her woes were “completely unrelated” to the NBC sketch show drama. You can see “The White Potus" sketch below:
The actress also suggested on social media that she’d received “apologies from SNL,” but it turns out the apology was not made in an official capacity on behalf of Saturday Night Live, but rather was a personal gesture from someone she knows on the show. That might have been Sarah Sherman herself, who did send Aimee Lou Wood flowers in the aftermath of the sketch, as the actress showed them off on social media.
We’ll have to see if this is where the drama between The White Lotus actress and Saturday Night Live ends, or if the writers will bring it up in some capacity in upcoming episodes. SNL returns at 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, on NBC and streaming with a Peacock subscription. Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson is set to host, with Benson Boone serving as musical guest.
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