Aimee Lou Wood has accepted an unexpected peace offering from Saturday Night Live comedian Sarah Sherman after a biting parody left the White Lotus actress reeling.
The British star, 31 - who played Chelsea in the third season of the hit HBO series - called out SNL over the weekend for a sketch that mocked her appearance -- specifically, her now-iconic teeth.
The skit, titled “The White Potus,” spoofed The White Lotus and President Donald Trump, with Sherman donning prosthetic teeth and a shaky British accent to portray Wood’s character, Chelsea.
During the parody, Sherman’s version of Chelsea quips about not knowing the meaning of the word “flouride".
That didn’t sit well with Wood.
“Mean and Unfunny”
Taking to social media, Wood didn’t mince words. She described the portrayal as “mean and unfunny,” and later revealed that SNL had issued an apology.
Aimee Lou Wood shared her feelings on the skit. Credit: Mike Marsland/WireImage/Getty Images
“Take the p**s for sure – that’s what the show is about – but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?” she asked. “I don’t mind caricature – I understand that’s what SNL is. But the rest of the skit was punching up and I/Chelsea was the only one punched down on.”
Despite the harsh critique, Wood made it clear her anger wasn’t directed at Sherman personally.
“It’s not [Sherman’s] fault,” she wrote, adding that she was “not hating on her,” but rather “hating on the concept” behind the sketch.
A Real Apology—and a Fake One
What followed was a bizarre twist. Wood was duped into posting an apology message from a spoof account, @sarahsquirm_5, mistaking it for Sherman’s official profile, @sarahsquirm.
The phony apology read: “Many of you saw the recent SNL sketch where I portrayed a character inspired by @aimeelouwood I want to sincerely apologize for any hurt or discomfort that sketch may have caused her.”
It continued: “The use of prosthetic teeth and the exaggerated accent weren’t meant as personal attacks, but I get why it felt that way.”
The fake message also claimed: “At SNL, we always try to aim upwards and make smart comedy, but I acknowledge that we missed the mark this time.”
After realizing the error, Wood deleted the post.
Flowers and Forgiveness
But on Tuesday, things took a turn for the better.
Sherman - also known professionally as Sarah Squirm - sent Wood a bouquet of flowers in a heartfelt gesture.
Aimee Lou Wood revealed the comedian sent a peace offering. Credit: Aimee Lou Wood/Instagram
The actress shared the colorful arrangement on Instagram Stories, captioning the post: “Thank you for the beautiful flowers,” and tagging (the real) Sherman in the message.
Tears, Tabloids, and Denials
Following the controversial sketch, photos soon surfaced showing Wood in tears on the streets of South London, reportedly upset over the parody. But the actress quickly set the record straight.
Replying to a concerned fan who said she was “reduced to tears because of people tearing into their appearance,” Wood clarified: “Thank you so much.
"Just to say, I actually wasn’t crying about anything that the papers made out I was crying about [...] Something completely unrelated.”
Wood was seen being comforted by House of the Dragon actor Ralph Davis during the emotional moment.
Behind the Scenes Tension?
The drama comes amid growing rumors of a rift between Wood and her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins.
The pair, who played love interests Chelsea and Rick, reportedly don’t follow each other on Instagram and skipped joint press appearances for the show’s promotion.
Fueling speculation further, Goggins had initially praised the SNL parody, calling it “SMASHING” in a now-deleted post.
Their co-star Jason Isaacs, who played Timothy Ratliff, acknowledged some tension on set, telling Vulture: “Some people got very close, there were friendships that were made and friendships that were lost.”