On Sunday, actress Aimee Lou Wood shared a series of Instagram Stories in which she weighed in on Saturday Night Live’s portrayal of her character on The White Lotus. The live sketch show aired a pre-taped spoof of the popular HBO series called “The White Potus,” replacing most characters with members of Donald Trump’s family. Wood’s character on the show, Chelsea, was portrayed by cast member Sarah Sherman.
The sketch joked about Trump’s back-and-forth with announcing tariffs and the negative effects on the American economy. Sherman’s version of Chelsea mocked her mannerisms and included prosthetics that appeared to exaggerate Wood’s teeth.
In her Stories, she called the sketch “mean and unfunny.”
Not long after, she shared a post with a filtered selfie, writing, “I’ve had apologies from SNL.”
She also shared some more specific thoughts about why the portrayal bothered her, saying, “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?”
Wood shared a comment from a viewer who remarked on the fact most of the other caricatures in the sketch were politicians and that the accent was off. She added that if they’d nailed that, she would “respect the accuracy.”
The Sex Education star did say, “On a positive note, everyone is agreeing with me about it so I’m glad I said something instead of going in one myself.”
The sketch did appear to go over well with the audience when it aired, in part due to some surprise celebrity guests. Scarlett Johansson popped up as Ivanka Trump, who sneaks out of a meditation session after being warned against “material things.” Jon Hamm appeared as RFK Jr., threatening to give everyone measles. And Lizzo starred as an American whose 401k had fallen dramatically in the wake of the tariff announcements.
