SNL Apologizes After Aimee Lou Wood Calls Out Sketch Mocking Her Teeth

Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live aired a sketch called The White POTUS, a political spoof set in Thailand and styled as a send-up of The White Lotus Season 3. It was packed with the usual unfunny impressions and jokes.

The skit featured Trump impressions, a fluoride joke from RFK Jr., and Melania with a North Carolina accent. Then, in came Sarah Sherman wearing fake buck teeth, clearly meant to be Aimee Lou Wood’s character Chelsea. The punchline was Wood’s looks.

The British star wasn’t laughing. “I did find the 'SNL' thing mean and unfunny,” she wrote in an Instagram Story the next day. “Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago.”

“Yes, take the piss for sure – that’s what the show is about – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”

Before the sketch even aired, Wood had already been candid about how much scrutiny over her appearance was affecting her. In a recent interview with GQ, she admitted that when she found out Mike White had to fight for her casting, her first instinct was, “HBO didn’t want me. And I know why HBO didn’t want me, it’s because I’m ugly. Mike had to say, ‘Please let me have the ugly girl!’” She later clarified that no one at HBO ever called her ugly—that it was just her own paranoid thought.

SNL just reminded Wood that the industry is fixated on what she looks like instead of what she brings. And to make it worse, they didn’t even commit to a good impression. She called that out too, adding, “At least get the accent right seriously. I respect accuracy even if it’s mean.”

While most of the sketch targeted political figures, Wood’s character was the only civilian being mocked. “I actually love being taken the piss out of when it's clever and in good spirits," she said. "But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth. I don't mind caricature - I understand that's what SNL is. But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on." 

Still, Wood didn’t blame Sarah Sherman for the portrayal. “Not hating on her, hating on the concept.”  

“On a positive note, everyone is agreeing with me about it so I’m glad I said something instead of going in on myself,” she wrote later that day. A follower messaged her saying the way SNL mocked her “appearance/accent” was “uncalled for.” Her response? “Correct.”

Another fan encouraged her not to delete her original post. “I have a big gap in my teeth and an overbite and you've genuinely made me feel so much better about myself,” they wrote. That’s the power of saying something. Because when a celebrity calls it out, it chips away at the shame we’ve all been taught to swallow quietly.

And it seems like someone at SNL felt the pressure, too. “I’ve had apologies from SNL,” she said in a later Story.

Others came to Wood’s defense. Model Cara Delevingne reposted Aimee’s original Instagram Story and wrote, “@aimeelouwood YOU ARE STUNNING PERIOD.” Georgia May Jagger then screenshotted that and added, “Agreed! @aimeelouwood is gorgeous.” 

Jameela Jamil shared an article headline about the backlash and writing, “I hate this so much.” She said, “It’s the least interesting or memorable thing about this brilliant actor. Our next Olivia Coleman. Hilarious, deep, vulnerable, and relentlessly lovable.” 

She continued, “We make fun of the assimilation of women, and then mercilessly obsess over anyone with any slightly alternative features from whatever bulls--t AI standard we have allowed, as women, to take hold of this world.”

Even Aimee’s sister, Emily Wood, showed her support.  “She is out here personifying the word POWERHOUSE,” she wrote over a selfie with Aimee. “The admiration I have for this woman is nuts. Beyond comprehension. JUST like my feelings of deep animalistic protectiveness over her.” She added, “The greatest big sister. My best human on the planet. Her authenticity and originality is incomparable. My god we are really madly blessed to experience life on earth at the same time as her.”

Aimee reposted the messages from Cara, Georgia, and Jameela with heart emojis, and added “I love you Emily” alongside her sister’s post.

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