The White Lotus star Aimee Lou Wood said she received a response from Saturday Night Live after the actress criticized the show's parody. Now, Wood is ready to put it all behind her.
The controversy stared during the April 12 episode when Saturday Night Live aired a White Lotus parody, "The White Potus." Characters from the hit HBO series were replaced with President Donald Trump and people from his orbit, including his family and administration members.
But cast member Sarah Sherman's impression of Aimee Lou Wood's character Chelsea caught attention for all the wrong reasons. Sherman wore fake teeth and used an exaggerated accent to parody Chelsea in a sketch in which every other White Lotus character was replaced with a public figure.
Wood took to Instagram the next day to express disappointment with the sketch, suggesting it was mean-spirited and unfairly targeted her.
The internet quickly picked up on Wood's post and fans discussed the merits of her argument. Now, Wood says she's heard from Saturday Night Live.
"I’ve had apologies from SNL,” she wrote on Instagram. “The last thing I’ll say on the matter. I am not thin-skinned… But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on.”
Wood did not specify who from Saturday Night Live reached out to her. It could have been Lorne Michaels, another producer, someone from NBC, or even Sarah Sherman. The point is that SNL heard Wood's response and that of her supporters and made the rare move of apologizing to a celebrity.
Chelsea's inclusion in the sketch, surrounded by parodies of Robert Kennedy Jr., and Donald Trump, Jr., did seem out of place. If SNL couldn't come up wih a comparable public figure to use in Chelsea's spot, the character should have been left out. It would have been a noticeable absence, but it's clear that the alternative didn't work.
Wood emphasized this was the last thing she'd say about the controversy. Maybe down the line, Saturday Night Live will extend a bigger olive branch and invite her to Studio 8H (or the upcoming UK version).