‘White Lotus’ star Aimee Lou Wood responds to ‘mean and unfunny’ impersonation in ‘SNL’ sketch

Aimee Lou Wood arrives at the season three premiere of "The White Lotus" on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, at Paramount Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

An impersonation of “White Lotus” star Aimee Lou Wood in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that aired this weekend did not make the actress laugh.

In fact, the British breakout star called the sketch “mean and unfunny” in a post made to her Instagram Story on Sunday, writing that she thought “there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way” to lampoon the show.

The sketch at the centre of her critique was titled “White POTUS” and featured several current and former cast members impersonating President Donald Trump, his family and other cabinet members on vacation in Thailand, where “White Lotus” Season 3 was set.

The episode’s host Jon Hamm played Robert F. Kennedy, who talked about having “all these crazy ideas” and wondered out loud what taking all the fluoride out of the drinking water would “do to people’s teeth.”

Sarah Sherman, playing a character who had a set of fake teeth that included a prominent overbite in the sketch, responded to Hamm’s RFK, saying, “Fluoride, what’s that?”

Wood’s natural smile has been a point of major attention since the latest season of “Lotus” began airing. She has previously said the attention on her teeth makes her “sad” because she often doesn’t get an opportunity to talk about her work as a result.

While the main characters in the sketch were largely political figures – like Secretary of State Marco Rubio played by Marcello Hernandez and First Lady Melania Trump played by Chloe Fineman, who sported a Victoria Ratliff-inspired North Carolina accent – Sherman’s was not, a point criticized by viewers who agreed with Wood about the sketch.

In later posts, Wood said that she had received “thousands” of messages in support of her speaking up about how she was portrayed, including writing that she’s received “apologies” from “SNL,” without specifying who from the show reached out to her.

CNN has reached out to representatives for “SNL” for comment.

In the sketch, James Austin Johnson played Trump in a manner inspired by the storyline involving Jason Isaacs in the third season of “White Lotus.”

Isaacs played Timothy Ratliff, a man who spent his entire vacation popping his wife Victoria’s Lorazepam after hearing from his lawyer that he was likely going to prison for money laundering upon his return to the US.

“SNL” alums Beck Bennett and Alex Moffatt appeared in the sketch, playing Vladimir Putin and Eric Trump, respectively. The episode’s musical guest, Lizzo, was also featured in the sketch portraying Natasha Rothwell’s “White Lotus” character Belinda.

“The White Lotus” Season 3 concluded last Sunday.