Aimee Lou Wood has been spotted crying in public following SNL's parody of her, which the actress publicly slammed on social media.
The 31-year-old actress, who recently starred as Chelsea in Season 3 of the HBO hit, took to Instagram to call out the sketch, which spoofed The White Lotus as "The White Potus".
While the bulk of the parody featured SNL cast members portraying political figures like POTUS Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), Melania Trump (Chloe Fineman), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Jon Hamm), it was Sarah Sherman’s portrayal of Wood that struck a nerve with both viewers and Wood alike.
Sherman exaggerated Wood’s striking wide eyes and front teeth using prosthetics and layered on a cartoonish Manchester accent, delivering lines about fluoride that focused almost entirely on Wood’s appearance.
The moment quickly became the subject of ridicule online - and hit far too close to home for the actress herself.
“I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny,” Wood wrote in a now-viral Instagram Story. “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?”
She added: “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. At least get the accent right, seriously. I respect accuracy, even if it’s mean.”
Later that same day, Wood was spotted crying on a South London high street. Paparazzi captured the visibly emotional actress being comforted by Ralph Davis, co-writer of her upcoming BBC miniseries Film Club, per News.com.au.
The following day, Wood took to her Instagram Stories to respond to the viral photos of her in tears. She posted a fan message that said she’d been “reduced to tears because of people tearing into their appearance,” calling her “beautiful” and “an incredibly talented actor,” while slamming SNL for being “cruel.”
Alongside the message, Wood clarified the situation, writing: “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.”
Despite the harsh sketch, Wood says she received a private apology from SNL — and she’s also received waves of support from fans and celebs alike.
Georgia May Jagger called the parody “low” and “misjudged,” while Cara Delevingne and Jameela Jamil also came to Wood’s defense.
However, not everyone in Wood’s circle had her back.
Her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins, who played her love interest on the show, shared the SNL clip and praised it as “smashing.”
The move raised eyebrows among fans already suspicious about a rumored rift between the two — particularly after both stars unfollowed each other on Instagram and deleted prior posts featuring one another.
The actress has previously spoken about the intense and sometimes frustrating focus on her teeth, telling GQ: “It makes me really happy that it’s symbolizing 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,” she added. “They think it’s nice because they’re not criticizing. And, I have to go there… I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much?”
In a separate interview with The Sunday Times, Wood echoed the sentiment.
“It’s, like, cool, and now I want to stop f**king talking about it. Can I talk about my character? Why am I talking about my gnashers?” she said. “It’s like now I’m just a pair of front teeth.”
Wood has been open about the role her teeth played in shaping her confidence from a young age.
“A big thing for me growing up was my mouth, because it was the thing that everyone pointed out, and it was the thing that made me different,” she previously wrote to fans on Instagram.
But through her work, she’s gained a sense of empowerment: “Playing loads of different characters has really helped with my self-confidence surrounding beauty. I’ve had to surrender control a lot. The more that you can surrender, the more beautiful you feel.”