Saturday Night Liveis known for parodying shows, but it may have taken it too far when it targetedThe White Lotusseason 3. In its latest sketch aimed at mocking the current Trump administration, the late night comedy series placed prominent political figures in Thailand. One clip saw Jon Hamm as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ranting about removing fluoride from drinking water, before addressingThe White Lotus' Chelsea, played by Sarah Sherman in the sketch. Sherman’s version of the character had large, bulging eyes and prominent teeth.
Aimee Lou Wood, who played Chelsea in season 3, lashed out atSNL’s latest parody. On her Instagram, she posted a series of images, arguing thatSNLmocked her appearance by targeting hersolely to mock her eyes and teeth. While she did not argue against mocking the political figures in the sketch, she noted that she was the only non-politician to suffer mockery in the sketch. She also acknowledged thatSNLapologized to her after the episode aired. Check out her posts below:
What The White Lotus Controversy Means For SNL
The Comedy Show Needs To Be More Thoughtful
SNL’s latest sketch is already deeply controversial, though the show and its viewers are attempting to address this latest misstep. Wood claims that"thousands" of people are coming to her defenseon social media, and she shared a few screenshots from some of those supportive viewers. One, in particular, thanked Wood for providing positive representation by joiningThe White Lotus' cast, claiming that it improved their own perspective of their appearance. Given that representatives from the show apologized to Wood,Saturday Night Liveshould aim to avoid similar issues in the future.
Unfortunately, this is notSaturday Night Live’s first step into controversy, especially when it comes to mocking appearances. The show also targeted Chelsea Clinton, stating that she was a “future fox” when she was just 12 years old. Pete Davidson also famously mocked politician Dan Crenshaw’s eyepatch in an episode, though Crenshaw only wears the eyepatch because he experienced a serious injury while on tour in Afghanistan. WhileSNLhas apologized to Wood,this issue could continue in the future, given the show’s history.
Wood Deserved Better From SNL
Image via Max
Satirizing politicians is only natural for a show that is as deeply political asSNLcan be, butWood did nothing to draw ire from the show’s creators. She was the only cast member that the show targeted, and the only reason for her inclusion was to joke about her teeth. The sketch itself was not deeply compelling for anyone unfamiliar withThe White Lotus, and the Wood joke meant that even the show’s viewers would find it deeply insulting. It was deeply wrong for the show to isolate her, and it needs to avoid doing so in future episodes.
