Aimee Lou Wood, best known for her role as Chelsea in the upcoming season of The White Lotus, is speaking out after a recent Saturday Night Live sketch left a sour taste.
While social media buzzed with reactions to SNL’s parody of The White Lotus, Wood took to Instagram to clarify: she’s not mad at comedian Sarah Sherman — but she is disappointed.
💬 “Not Hating. Just Being Honest.”
In the now-viral SNL skit, Sarah Sherman portrayed a wild caricature of Wood’s character Chelsea — exaggerated teeth, clueless reactions, and all — during a pre-recorded spoof that imagined Donald Trump as a guest at a fictional White Lotus resort.
Although Wood admitted she’s usually game for satire, this time she felt the joke didn’t land:
“Last thing I’ll say on the matter. I’m not thin-skinned,” she wrote in an Instagram story.
“I love being taken the piss out of when it’s clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth — not bad teeth.”
🦷 The Sketch That Sparked the Discussion
The SNL parody featured:
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James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump
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Chloe Fineman as Melania Trump
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Mikey Day as Donald Trump Jr.
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Jon Hamm as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
At one point in the sketch, Hamm’s RFK Jr. says:
“What if we took all the fluoride out of the drinking water? What would that do to people’s teeth?”
The camera then cut to Sherman’s exaggerated Chelsea, who responded:
“Fluoride? What’s that?”
— complete with oversized prosthetic teeth.
😕 “It Felt Like I Was the Only One Being Mocked Downward”
Wood explained that while most of the SNL skit took aim at powerful political figures, her character was the only one mocked in a way that felt more personal than political.
“The rest of the skit was punching up, and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on,” she noted.
📩 Thousands of Messages of Support
After sharing her thoughts, Wood revealed she was flooded with support, receiving thousands of messages from fans who agreed the joke felt off.
“Yes, take the piss — that’s what the show is about,” she added,
“but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”
Despite the backlash, she emphasized she holds no ill will toward Sarah Sherman, saying the issue wasn’t about the performer — but rather the writing.