Aimee Lou Wood Confronts SNL Teeth Joke in Promo for UK Spinoff Hosting Debut

Key facts

• Aimee Lou Wood, 32, hosts SNL UK on May 2 with musical guest MEEK.
• In April 2025, SNL aired a sketch parodying White Lotus Season 3, with Sarah Sherman wearing fake buck teeth to portray Wood's character Chelsea.
• Wood called the sketch 'mean and unfunny' on Instagram, saying it 'punched down' on her.
• Sherman sent Wood flowers and told Vanity Fair she 'never meant to hurt anyone's feelings.'
• Wood later told BBC News she received apologies from SNL and does not regret speaking out.
• The SNL UK promo features Wood confronting cast members covering their mouths, only to reveal they had grown mustaches.

Lede: Wood Directly Addresses the Teeth Controversy in SNL UK Promo

Aimee Lou Wood has immediately confronted the elephant in the room as she prepares to host Saturday Night Live UK this weekend. In a promo video released on April 28, the Sex Education and White Lotus star roasted a 2025 SNL sketch that she had previously described as 'mean and unfunny.' The NBC series had used a parody of White Lotus Season 3 to poke fun at Wood's character Chelsea, with Sarah Sherman sporting a pair of buck teeth. The promo opens with Wood arriving at the SNL UK studio and telling the cast, 'I cannot wait to get started, you know, especially after the whole thing in America with the teeth. It's gonna feel good to just wipe the slate clean.' As she speaks, the cast members are conspicuously covering their mouths, as if hiding something. Wood immediately notices and asks, 'Wait, why are you all covering your mouths?'

The Big Reveal: Mustaches, Not Fake Teeth

Cast member Ayoade Bamgboye responds, 'Just doing a big yawn.' Wood presses further: 'Have you guys got fake teeth in? Wow, wow. This is all one big set up to humiliate me then. I thought SNL UK would be different, but I was wrong.' Bamgboye then explains, 'Aimee wait. We all grew big glorious moustaches,' before the cast removes their hands to reveal facial hair. Celeste Dring adds, 'We don't want you to feel left out, we're sorry.' The skit is a direct nod to the controversy that erupted a year earlier, when Wood called out the U.S. version of SNL for a sketch that placed President Donald Trump and members of his administration in Season 3 of The White Lotus. Host Jon Hamm played Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said he wanted to remove fluoride from drinking water. 'What would that do to people's teeth?' he asked. The show then cut to Sherman as Wood's character Chelsea, wearing fake teeth.

Wood's Viral Criticism and the Aftermath

The day after the sketch aired in April 2025, Wood took to Instagram to slam it as 'mean and unfunny' and said there 'must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way' to make fun of her. 'I am not thin skinned,' she wrote. 'I actually love being taken the piss out of when it's clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth. 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.' Wood received widespread support from fans, who agreed the joke was in poor taste. She clarified she was 'not hating on' Sherman but rather 'hating on the concept' of the joke. Sherman sent Wood flowers amid the controversy and told Vanity Fair in May that she 'obviously never meant to hurt anyone's feelings,' adding, 'Never in a million years did I get into comedy to make anyone upset. I feel terrible that anyone would feel bad.' Wood later said she received apologies from SNL after making her original comments.

No Regrets: Wood Reflects on Speaking Out

In September 2025, Wood reflected on the drama in an interview with BBC News, saying she made a choice to 'go in' and tell her followers how she felt. 'I don't regret saying it because it was breaking a pattern, which is what I would usually do – what I did when I was younger and got bullied,' she said. 'No matter what chaos came from it, I'm still happy for me and my personal journey that I said something.' Wood's decision to speak out went viral, and she has consistently maintained that she stands by her actions. The actress has not hosted the U.S. version of SNL, but she is set to take the stage on the U.K. spinoff on May 2, with musical guest MEEK. On the same day, Olivia Rodrigo will serve as both host and musical guest on the American version of the show.

What Comes Next: SNL UK and the Future

SNL UK, the British spinoff of the long-running American sketch show, is airing its first season. Wood's episode, the final one of Season 1, follows Hannah Waddingham and Ncuti Gatwa as hosts in previous weeks. The show has been closely watched for how it would handle the teeth controversy, especially after Wood was announced as host. The promo video has already generated buzz, with fans eager to see how Wood acknowledges the incident on the actual show. The actress's willingness to confront the joke head-on suggests she is ready to move past the drama, but the episode itself may offer further commentary. Wood's appearance marks a significant moment for SNL UK, as it navigates its identity separate from its American counterpart.

Analysis: A Pattern Broken, a Slate Wiped Clean

Wood's handling of the teeth controversy illustrates a shift in how celebrities engage with comedy that targets their appearance. By calling out the sketch publicly, she challenged a long-standing pattern of silent acceptance, particularly for women in the entertainment industry. Her statement that she was 'breaking a pattern' resonates beyond this single incident, as it speaks to a broader cultural reckoning with body shaming and the limits of satire. The SNL UK promo, with its playful twist, suggests that the show is willing to acknowledge the controversy without re-litigating it. By turning the tables with mustaches, the cast defuses the tension while affirming Wood's place in the comedy ecosystem. Whether this episode will fully 'wipe the slate clean' remains to be seen, but Wood has already achieved what she set out to do: speak her truth and move forward.

The bottom line

• Aimee Lou Wood hosts SNL UK on May 2, directly addressing the 2025 SNL sketch that mocked her teeth.
• Wood called the sketch 'mean and unfunny' on Instagram, sparking a viral backlash and receiving apologies from SNL.
• Sarah Sherman, who portrayed Wood, sent flowers and expressed regret, saying she never intended to hurt feelings.
• Wood told BBC News she does not regret speaking out, calling it a personal breakthrough in breaking a pattern of silence.
• The SNL UK promo features a scripted skit where cast members reveal mustaches instead of fake teeth, humorously defusing the controversy.
• Wood's episode is the final one of SNL UK's first season, with musical guest MEEK.