"Completely valid" — Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang responds to Aimee Lou Wood's criticism of The White Lotus skit

Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang addressed Aimee Lou Wood's criticism of a skit that mocked her. The SNL star was attending the press junket for his upcoming film The Wedding Banquet on April 17, 2025, when Extra TV asked him to comment on the same.

In his statement, Bowen said that the actress's criticism, saying her reaction was understandable.

“However she reacted to that sketch is completely valid. You kind of forget the sort of human, emotional cost that it sort of extols on someone,” Bowen Yang said.

He noted that comedians sometimes forget the emotional impact of their sketches on others and emphasized the importance of considering whether parody can go "too far." The comedian mentioned that the Saturday Night Live cast admired Aimee Lou Wood's work on The White Lotus and felt she should be proud of it.

It is worth noting that Bowen wasn't a part of the skit, a parody of The White Lotus, titled The White Potus. The skit mocked Aimee Lou Wood's character in the film as well as her teeth and the actress called out the sketch on Instagram. The Saturday Night Live sketch featured Sarah Sherman wearing large fake teeth, referencing Wood's teeth.

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Aimee Lou Wood received an apology and flowers from Saturday Night Live

During a series of Instagram stories, Aimee Lou Wood noted that while she initially enjoyed Saturday Night Live, she felt that the sketch could have been done in a more "nuanced" way. She went on to criticize the British accent that Sarah Sherman used, stating that it should have been more accurate.

“At least get the accent right, seriously. I respect accuracy, even if it’s mean,” wrote Aimee Lou Wood in the stories.

Later, Wood posted that she had received apologies from Saturday Night Live's representatives. She also clarified that her criticism wasn't aimed at Sherman but at the concept of the joke. The White Lotus star explained that she doesn't mind being mocked if it's done cleverly and in good spirits.

Sarah Sherman also apologized to Aimee Lou Wood and sent her flowers, which Aimee confirmed, expressing her gratitude towards Sherman on Instagram. She tagged Sarah and used holding-back-tears emoji, a bow, and a heart.

Previously in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter from March 4, 2025, Aimee Lou Wood revealed that she was obsessed with The White Lotus. When Will Sharpe joined the cast in season two, Aimee's interest turned into a potential opportunity, as she knew him. She asked her agents to secure an audition, but soon had second thoughts.

"And then I was like, ‘Actually, I don’t want to do it’. It puts so much pressure on me," said Aimee Lou Wood.

She auditioned for the role of Chelsea, describing her character as "unfazed." However, she felt that the pressure would be overwhelming and attempted to talk herself out of submitting an audition tape for the role. However, she submitted it and got the role.

She plays Chelsea, Walton Goggins' character's girlfriend. While the actress noted that she felt like the opposite of her character in real life, the role felt like taking a break for her.

She noted that Chelsea's optimistic outlook can sometimes tip into being unrealistic, but believes that a bit of unrealistic thinking is necessary to deal with life.

Aimee found out that she got the job while out with friends at a pub. She even shared the news with the waiter, who then had the bar play the show's theme song for everyone to dance to.

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New episodes of Saturday Night Live can be watched on Saturdays at 11:30 pm ET on NBC and the next day on Peacock.