Sarah Sherman had never intended to inflict emotional distress upon Aimee Lou Wood through the viral "White Potus" sketch on Saturday Night Live. The SNL star addressed the wave of criticism surrounding the show's parody of The White Lotus, which reimagined characters from Mike White's hit drama's third season as President Donald Trump, his family, and cabinet members. Sherman's portrayal of Wood's character, Chelsea, equipped with a set of fake teeth seemingly mocking Wood's own, sparked particular outrage.
"I absolutely never meant to hurt anyone's feelings," Sherman emphasized in a Tuesday Vanity Fair profile. "Comedy was never about upsetting people for me. I feel genuinely terrible if anyone was offended." She further clarified that her intention was never to cause hurt and that she was thrilled to embody Wood's iconic character, Chelsea.
The comedian's response came after Wood spoke out against the sketch, branding it "mean and unfunny." During Jon Hamm's hosting gig on April 12, Sherman's Chelsea quipped, "Fluoride, what's that?", which the Sex Education actor found unamusing.
"I'm not easily offended. I actually love being the butt of a joke when it's clever and done in good humor," Wood posted on her Instagram Stories. "But the joke was centered around fluoride. I have big gaps between my teeth, not bad teeth. I'm fine with caricatures—I understand that's what SNL is about. But in this sketch, everyone else was being lampooned, while Chelsea, or I, was the only one being belittled."
The White Lotus star clarified that her issue was with the concept, not Sherman herself, and noted that she had received apologies from SNL, though she didn't specify from whom.
However, just a few days after voicing her concerns on Instagram, Wood took to social media to thank Sherman for her apology. "Thank you for the lovely flowers," she wrote.
