Saturday Night Live star Sarah Sherman has finally commented on the controversial sketch featuring her impression of Aimee Lou Wood.
The sketch caused viral uproar online after The White Lotus star said she found Sherman’s impersonation of her — which featured a messy brown wig and buck teeth — was “mean and unfunny”. To apologise, Sherman sent Wood flowers which she posted on Instagram.
However, she hadn’t spoken publicly about the backlash until now.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Sherman explained that she felt awful for causing Wood any offence and admitted that she took the wrong tone.
“I was excited to play her because she’s so iconic, her character is so iconic and I fucking obviously never meant to hurt anyone’s feelings,” she said.
“Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad.”
For Sherman, the incident was a reminder that she needed to stay vigilant to the ebbs and flow of culture.
“The show is in constant dialogue with culture as it’s happening, and it happens really fast,” Sherman continues.
“You have to be vigilant, you know what I mean? There are a lot of things out of your control. You’re playing a lot of different parts, you’re doing a lot of different roles that you’re not in control of. A lot of the process of the show has been, to me — how am I answering this? Staying vigilant but also being a part of the show — that is your job.”
“Sometimes you just don’t realise how it comes across, but you’re put in a position to be engaging with it all the time, because you are a part of a show that’s constantly interacting with culture and popular politics and popular whatever,” Sherman continued.
“As I get thrown more and more into the show, it’s just this other thing that I have to learn about.”
In case you missed it, the sketch in question was called The White Potus and featured a bunch of American political figures staying at The White Lotus hotel in Thailand.
The only character who was not based on a politician was Sherman’s impression of Wood’s character, Chelsea.
The White Potus pic.twitter.com/PhOlMPx02y
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) April 13, 2025
Taking to Instagram after the episode aired, Wood shared that she wasn’t too impressed with the sketch.
“I did find the SNL thing mean and unfunny,” Wood wrote on her stories.
“Yes, take the piss for sure — that’s what the show is about — but there must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”
At the time of the sketch, the internet firmly believed that Wood was feuding with her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins — especially when he shared the sketch on his Instagram Story despite Wood’s negative opinion of it.
However, the pair dismissed beef claims at the 2025 Met Gala.
Plus, this week Goggins was the celebrity host of SNL alongside Sherman, so I guess we can say there’s no more beef on the menu.
