The White Lotus was one of the viral hits on the 2025 TV schedule, and after it ended, Saturday Night Live’s parody of it has made waves. In the sketch, Sarah Sherman impersonated Aimee Lou Wood, and afterward, Wood reacted to it, calling the sketch “mean and unfunny.” Now, the comedian has opened up about everything that happened after the sketch aired and shared her thoughts on the actress’s reaction.
In the weeks since The White Lotus sketch, “The White Potus,” aired, many have commented on it, including current SNL cast members (more on that later). Now, the comedian who played Wood has been asked about it. During an interview with Vanity Fair, Sarah Sherman reflected on impersonating the Sex Education star, and the discourse that followed, explaining that she didn’t want to make anyone “feel bad:”
I was excited to play her because she’s so iconic, her character is so iconic, and I fucking obviously never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings. Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad.
Saturday Night Live will close out Season 50 this Saturday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC (or you can stream with a Peacock subscription). You can stream The White Lotus with a Max subscription.
Now, it’s been reported that Saturday Night Live didn’t apologize to Wood directly. However, it was alleged that someone who works on the show did reach out to her. Along with that, The White Lotus actress confirmed Sherman sent her flowers after she called the sketch out.
In the weeks since, a few cast members have also commented on what happened and how Wood reacted. In terms of folks who were also in this White Lotus sketch, Chloe Fineman responded to the criticism by saying they make “stuff with love,” and both she and Sherman “worship” Amiee Lou Wood.
Before that, Bowen Yang shared his thoughts on Wood’s reaction, calling it “completely valid.” He also said this situation was a reminder that “parody can go too far sometimes” and “comedians can take account for that.”
To that point, Sherman was also asked about working on SNL and if she needs to consider the fact that she could be “upsetting people” more. In response, she said:
Totally. The show is in constant dialogue with culture as it’s happening, and it happens really fast. [Long pause] You have to be vigilant, you know what I mean? There are a lot of things out of your control. You’re playing a lot of different parts, you’re doing a lot of different roles that you’re not in control of. A lot of the process of the show has been, to me—how am I answering this? [Pause] Staying vigilant but also being a part of the show—that is your job.
In the weeks since the sketch aired, Aimee Lou Wood has been asked about appearing on the NBC mainstay. This happened at the Met Gala right before her co-star Walton Goggins hosted an episode of SNL 50. While she said she likely wouldn’t appear in his episode, the door was not closed in terms of future appearances. In fact, she said, being on the sketch comedy show “would be fun.”
Overall, it would seem Aimee Lou Wood is cool with SNL, and Sarah Sherman made it very clear that she thinks the actress is “iconic” and had no intention of hurting her with her impersonation. Now, maybe someday, the two can share the stage in Studio 8H, since Wood made it clear she wouldn’t be opposed to coming on the show.
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