“Saturday Night Live” got in on the hype for “The White Lotus” season 3 this week, imagining a version of the show where it’s mostly high-profile members of the Trump administration hanging out at the Thailand resort. The parody sketch included host Jon Hamm taking up the role of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who was also a parody of Walton Goggins’ Rick Hatchett. He delivers a funny line about wanting to stab someone with a needle full of the measles virus, but then things get weird. The woman he’s talking to is not another impression of someone on Trump’s team, but a straightforward impression of Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), Rick’s loving girlfriend on the show.
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The joke of this Chelsea impression, performed by cast member Sarah Sherman, is pretty much entirely about how big her teeth are. Sherman keeps talking with a wide open mouth, making sure the audience can laugh at her fake front teeth. When RFK talks about taking fluoride out of the drinking water, Sherman’s Chelsea says in an over-the-top attempt at a Mancunian accent, “Fluoride, what’s that?”
Aimee Lou Wood responded to the sketch in a series of Instagram Stories posts on Sunday morning, writing:
“I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny … Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago. Yes, take the p**s for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”
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Wood shared screenshots of some responses from her fans, one of which pointed out, “Everyone else in that parody was a political figure who was being mocked. The only character who wasn’t political was Chelsea, and they were clearly just taking the piss out of your appearance.” Wood also responded to a fan message complaining about Sherman’s impression of Chelsea’s accent, writing: “At least get the accent right seriously. I respect accuracy even if it’s mean.”
Mocking Aimee Lou Wood’s teeth was a weird choice from ‘SNL’
The sketch’s Chelsea parody feels particularly meanspirited given Wood’s recent interview with British GQ, where she talked about feeling “frustrated” by how people keep obsessing over her natural teeth:
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“It makes me really happy that it’s symbolising rebellion and freedom, but there’s a limit … The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work. … And, I have to go there… I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much? It’s still going on about a woman’s appearance.”
The interview was published on Tuesday, offering the “SNL” writers plenty of time to rethink how they could approach (or simply cut) their Chelsea parody. Give how long the sketch is for a digital short, shaving off a few seconds wouldn’t have hurt.
Wood also talked about how much she appreciated “The White Lotus” showrunner Mike White fighting to get her cast for the part, but she had mixed feelings about knowing that he had to fight so hard:
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“Someone told me how much Mike had fought for me. They said ‘it had to be you, no matter what HBO said.’ … It was honestly from the nicest place, but my little head goes: ‘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!'”
The Chelsea joke also feels strange because, well, why not make her someone else from the Trump administration? An impression of Cheryl Hines, RFK’s famous real-life wife, would’ve fit in perfectly. If they couldn’t find a good angle on Hines, there are still countless other women in the Trump administration for the “SNL” writers to pick from. In a sketch that was otherwise all about imagining the Trump administration at the White Lotus resort, why put that premise on pause just to make fun of Aimee Lou Wood’s appearance? Surely the writers at “SNL” could’ve found a kinder, smarter angle.
Wood added in her Instragram reel, “So, to conclude today’s rant. @hbo — kind and supportive and never wronged me so leave them alone. @nbcsnl — mean.” She later posted, “I’ve had apologies from SNL,” though did not provide any further details.