‘SNL’ Skit Did Go Too Far

Mel Brooks, one of the Kings of Comedy, once said: “Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall in an open sewer and die.”

The line means that as long as it doesn’t happen to me, it won’t hurt as much. Saturday Night Live has pushed the envelope in its 50 year run. And some of the skits and jokes don’t land too well as they used to and some are just dead on arrival.

The White Lotus parody entitled The White Potus blended political satire with pop culture. It was great until one scene in which cast member Sarah Sherman makes fun of Aimee Lou Wood’s Chelsea character. The problem is that while the writers and actors cleverly incorporated elements of the show to mirror the Trump Administration and his family which he, himself, has injected into his policies, they basically made fun of Wood’s appearance. And there was no joke instead of making fun of her teeth.

Wood reminds me of a young Shelley Duvall in her appearance. Not everyone can be born with great teeth. People say I have great teeth, but my late mother worked about 40 years as a dental hygienist. Yet, when I was 11-12, they were still fugly. I had buck teeth and teeth on my bottom that came in completely crooked so much that I had to have a permanent brace put in the back. I also had to have a palate expander in the roof of my mouth to expand my narrow jaw.

The expander ended up digging into my gums and got infected that I got sick. The orthodontist prescribed me some heavy antibiotics but said if that didn’t work, they’d to take it out. It cleared up the infection and I got better. But our health insurance system still acts like our teeth and eyes are different from the rest of our body.

Even growing up in the United Kingdom, Wood’s parents may not have been able to get her teeth worked on. Some cultures don’t value good dental hygiene like others. At one point, centuries ago, having bad teeth in decay by sugar consumption was a sign of riches and wealth. And even though she’s been acting for almost a decade now, actors don’t make a lot of money like people think they do.

Wood says her look made her a victim of bullying and she went through body dysmorphia. Now, she’s been the breakout on the show, it can be her trademark. We’re not all perfect. The same people saying she should’ve gotten them fixed with braces are the same ones mad about transgender people. Wood has even told people she doesn’t want them to file their teeth down to look like her.

And let’s face it, people will. People will spend a lot of money to look like a celebrity. It’s crazy. Over a decade ago when Natalie Dormer shaved part of her head for her role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, it became popular. And women did it in real life. Instead of looking like Dormer’s character Cressida, they looked like someone who fell asleep at a drunken party and got part of their head shaved. There’s a big difference between having a skilled Hollywood hair stylist shave part of your head and well, doing it yourself in the mirror.

SNL has apologized while some people are saying Wood should grow thicker skin. But Wood said on her Instagram that she is not thin-skinned but found the skit “mean and unfunny.”

“I actually love being taken the piss out of when it’s clever and in good spirits. But the joke was about fluoride,” she said. “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.”

And she’s right. The gag didn’t work. These are the same people who still defend Trump while he continues to make fun of others. And while people noting that South Park has done worse, it doesn’t excuse it.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone have been brutal to some celebrities and famous people, but their portrayal of Caitlyn Jenner shows their bias and prejudice as she’s portrayed as butch woman with a lazy eye and a tongue sticking out. It’s obvious Parker and/or Stone think transgender people are disgusting and they’re very prejudiced toward the transgender community. It’s also obvious some of the old jokes they thought could work don’t anymore as they are turning into grumpy old conservative men in their 50s who claim they don’t like conservatives nor liberals.

Some celebrities use their distinct looks to their advantage. David Letterman had a gap between his teeth and made it his trademark in comedy. Forest Whitaker’s eye condition, ptosis, adds some to his acting range. We’re not perfect in our appearances because there is no perfect look.

Wood says she’s not angry at Sherman as she shouldn’t be. The joke just didn’t work. While people expect celebrities to be thick-skinned, comics have to realize that not everyone is going to find everything funny. And the minute comics start blaming their audiences is when they really start to be nothing but bullies.

What do you think? Please comment.