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“Saturday Night Live” star Bowen Yang defended “The White Lotus” star Aimee Lou Wood after the actress criticized the comedy show for a sketch that mocked her appearance.

Last weekend’s “The White Lotus” parody, a prerecorded political spoof dubbed “The White Potus,” ridiculed members of President Donald Trump’s administration and inner circle. In one scene, Sarah Sherman, who portrays Wood’s “White Lotus” character Chelsea, displayed a large set of false teeth while speaking in an exaggerated British accent.

The sketch came less than a week after the season finale of the popular HBO show, a social satire that follows a dysfunctional group of wealthy guests staying at a luxury resort. Hours after the “SNL” parody aired, Wood shared via a series of Instagram stories that she found the sketch “mean and unfunny.”

“Such a shame cuz I had such a great time watching it a couple weeks ago,” Wood wrote. “Yes, take the piss for sure — that’s what the show is about — but their must be a cleverer, more nuanced, less cheap way?”

Yang told Extra on Thursday that Wood’s reaction to the sketch was “completely valid.”

“With parody, you kind of forget the sort of human, emotional cost that it sort of extols on someone,” Yang said, adding that “everyone at ‘SNL’” is a fan of Wood’s and the show.

Wood also shared on Instagram that messages of support have poured in from viewers, and that she’s received “apologies from SNL” as well. Representatives from “SNL” were not immediately available for comment.

In the scene that made her teeth the butt of the joke, Jon Hamm, who plays Robert F. Kennedy Jr., frantically suggests taking fluoride out of the drinking water — something the real Kennedy has stated he’s pursuing — before expressing worries about what that might “do to people’s teeth.”

The sketch then cuts to Sherman’s Chelsea, who shows off her enlarged teeth as she responds, “Fluoride? What’s that?”

In a follow-up Instagram story, Wood said she’s happy to have “taken the piss out of [her] when it’s clever and in good spirits.”

“But the joke was about fluoride. I have big gap teeth not bad teeth,” Wood wrote. “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.”

In the days following the “SNL” parody, Wood posted an Instagram story thanking Sherman for sending along a bouquet of flowers as an apology. The “SNL” comedian had been getting backlash on social media for her portrayal of Wood’s Chelsea.

Yang said in his interview with Extra that the episode was a reminder that “parody can go too far sometimes, and that we as comedians can take account for that instead of banging our foot and saying that we should be allowed to say whatever we want.”

Wood has previously expressed her frustration with the conversation around her teeth, which have become a subject of intrigue among some viewers who say they pose a refreshing contrast to the look of Hollywood veneers.

She told GQ earlier this month that while she’s glad her teeth are “symbolizing rebellion and freedom” for some, she’s growing tired of the discussion.

“The whole conversation is just about my teeth, and it makes me a bit sad because I’m not getting to talk about my work. They think it’s nice because they’re not criticizing.” Wood said. “And, I have to go there. … I don’t know if it was a man would we be talking about it this much? It’s still going on about a woman’s appearance.”

Two men were injured in a shooting at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday night.

The incident occurred at around 11:30 p.m on a street that runs through the university campus, according to the Norfolk Police Department. One man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries and another with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said the shooting was still under active investigation and did not provide additional details.

It’s unclear if any students were involved in the shooting or if a suspect has been identified. A representative for Norfolk State University did not immediately respond to a call for more information.

The shooting comes just days after a shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. A 20-year-old man is accused of opening fire at the FSU student union, killing two people and injuring several others.

President Donald Trump is registering the worst economic approval numbers of his presidential career amid broad discontent over his handling of tariffs, inflation and government spending, according to the latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey.

The survey found that the boost in economic optimism that accompanied Trump’s re-election has disappeared, with more Americans now believing the economy will get worse than at any time since 2023 and with a sharp turn toward pessimism about the stock market.

The survey of 1,000 Americans across the country showed 44% approving of Trump’s handling of the presidency and 51% disapproving, slightly better than CNBC’s final reading when the president left office in 2020. On the economy, however, the survey showed Trump with 43% approval and 55% disapproval, the first time in any CNBC poll that he has been net negative on the economy while president.

Trump’s Republican base remains solidly behind him, but Democrats, at minus-90 net economic approval, are 30 points more negative than their average during his first term, and independents are 23 points more negative. Blue collar workers, who were key to the president’s election victory, remain positive on the Trump’s handling of the economy, but their disapproval numbers have shot up by 14 points compared to their average for his first term.

“Donald Trump was re-elected specifically to improve the economy, and so far, people are not liking what they’re seeing,” said Jay Campbell, partner with Hart Associates, the Democratic pollster on the survey.

The poll was conducted April 9-13 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

The results show that Trump has so far been able to convince only his base that his economic policies will be good for the country over time: 49% of the public believe the economy will get worse over the next year, the most pessimistic overall result since 2023. That figure includes 76% of Republicans who see the economy improving. But 83% of Democrats and 54% of independents see the economy getting worse. Among those believing the president’s policies will have a positive impact, 27% say it will take a year or longer. However, 40% of those who are negative about the president’s policies say they are hurting the economy now.

“We’re in a turbulent, kind of maelstrom of change when it comes to how people feel about what’s going to happen next,” said Micah Roberts, managing partner with Public Opinion Strategies, the Republican pollsters for the survey. “The data … suggests more than ever that it’s the negative partisan reaction that’s driving and sustaining discontent and trepidation about what comes next.”

While partisanship is the most significant part of the president’s negative showing, he loses some support among Republicans in key areas like tariffs and inflation, and has seen a notable deterioration among independents.

Tariffs look to be a substantial part of the overall public’s discontent. Americans disapprove of across-the-board tariffs by a 49 to 35 margin, and majorities believe they are bad for American workers, inflation and the overall economy. Democrats give tariffs a thumbs down by an 83-point margin and independents by 26 points. Republicans approve of the tariffs by a 59-point spread — 20 points below their 79% net approval of the president.

Large majorities of Americans see Canada, Mexico, the E.U. and Japan as more of an economic opportunity for the United States rather than an economic threat. In fact, all are viewed more favorably than when CNBC asked the question during Trump’s first term. The data suggest the public, including majorities of Republicans, do not embrace the antipathy the president has expressed toward those trading partners. On China, however, the public sees it as a threat by a 44% to 35% margin, substantially worse than when CNBC last asked the question in 2019.

The president’s worst numbers come on his handling of inflation, which the public disapproves of by a 37% to 60% margin, including strong net negatives from Democrats and independents. But at 58%, it’s the lowest net positive approval from Republicans for any of the issues asked about the president. Fifty-seven percent of the public believes we will soon be, or are currently in, a recession, up from just 40% in March 2024. The figure includes 12% who think the recession has already begun.

The public also disapproves of the president’s handling of federal government spending, 45% to 51%, and foreign policy, 42% to 53%.

Trump’s best numbers come on immigration, where his handling of the southern border is approved by a 53% to 41% margin, and deportation of undocumented immigrants is approved 52% to 45%. The president achieved a slight majority of support from independents on deportations and 22% support from Democrats on the southern border. While still modest, it’s the best-performing issue for Trump among Democrats.

Meanwhile, Americans have turned more negative on the stock market than they’ve been in two years. Some 53% say it’s a bad time to invest, with just 38% saying it’s a good time. The numbers represent a sharp turnaround from the stock market optimism that greeted the president’s election. In fact, the December survey represented the sharpest swing toward market optimism in the survey’s 17-year history and the April survey is the sharpest turn toward pessimism.

The president’s troubles with his approval rating do not appear to be translating for now into significant potential gains for Democrats. Asked about congressional preference, 48% of the public supports Democratic control and 46% supports Republican control, barely changed from CNBC’s March 2022 survey.