Sarah Sherman Finally Addresses Aimee Lou Wood Joke
Delight your skeptic heart: SNL’s Sarah Sherman has deigned to explain why she poked fun at Aimee Lou Wood—and, of course, it didn’t go smoothly. In a rare public statement this week (via Variety and confirmed by People), Sherman rolled her eyes at the uproar over her March sketch where she quipped about Wood’s now-iconic Sex Education haircut. The bit aired during the March 23 live show, and social-media critics pounced within minutes. Sherman’s response? She insists it was “all in good fun” with zero ill intent, even though she admits, “Maybe I was snarkier than I meant to be.” Cue the world’s collective shrug.
According to a Monday Instagram post charted by Page Six and echoed in The Hollywood Reporter, Sherman claims she “didn’t imagine it would turn into a thing,” before acknowledging that Wood’s fans had every right to feel slighted. In an interview excerpt published by Variety on Tuesday, she added, “I told you so—I knew this would spiral, but hey, that’s live TV.” Signed off with a hesitant apology (“Sorry if it came off harsh”), Sherman insisted she admires Wood’s work and meant no disrespect to the actress behind the fan-favorite series. She also pointed out that late-night comedy thrives on exaggeration and that every performer is fair game—subject to “the SNL roast” treatment, she sighed.
Wood herself has remained mostly mum, with her reps telling People that the actress “understands comedy” and is “not seeking drama.” Still, superfans and tabloid chatter will not let this slip quietly into the archives. Critics on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit have been debating whether Sherman’s apology was heartfelt or a PR-sanctioned lifeline. Some commenters on Variety’s site even argued that Sherman handled it well, while others called it a classic case of “celebrity backpedaling”—a phrase Sherman, no doubt, will love to hate.
Sources agree that Sherman’s statement was prompted by mounting backlash on forums like Reddit and the mock-call request from SNL’s digital team, which apparently advised her to clarify “before it snowballs.” It’s a lesson in how a fleeting bit of TV banter can suddenly become digital waterboarding. And Sherman, with her patented deadpan humor, promises to “keep pushing boundaries”—just maybe with a bit more caution next time.
In the grand scheme of things, this is exactly why live comedy is equal parts thrilling and hazardous. You poke fun, someone pokes back, and a simple joke becomes tomorrow’s tabloid feast. Did anyone expect a different outcome? No? Thought so. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Variety, People, Page Six, The Hollywood Reporter
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