Saturday Night Live is under fire after a sketch released online depicted celebrities attributing past controversies to Tourette syndrome.
Almost immediately, critics branded the tone-deaf joke ‘disgusting’ and ‘shameful’ in the wake of last week’s BAFTA slur controversy.
The segment, which did not air during NBC’s live broadcast due to time constraints but was later uploaded online, featured cast members portraying public figures including Mel Gibson, Armie Hammer, Bill Cosby J. K. Rowling and Kanye West.
In the polarizing sketch, the characters claim to have Tourette syndrome as an explanation for their past scandals.
Andrew Dismukes, portraying Gibson, says: ‘I’m Mel Gibson, and as I probably should have pointed out decades ago, I, too, suffer from Tourette’s, which explains a lot of the things I’ve said or yelled through the years.’
Connor Storrie’s version of Hammer adds: ‘Since it’s Tourettes, I guess I have to be forgiven, if not celebrated,’ using the disorder to address the actor’s prior cannibalism controversy within the satire.
Saturday Night Live is under fire after a sketch released online depicted celebrities attributing past controversies to Tourette syndrome
The mock public service announcement concludes by stating it was ‘brought to you by National Workforce of Rethinking Disabilities, or N.W.O.R.D.’
In a statement to Variety, Emma McNally, CEO of Tourette’s Action, said: ‘Mocking a disability is never acceptable. It would not be tolerated for any other condition, and it should not be tolerated by people with Tourette’s.’
She continued: ‘Tourette’s is a complex neurological condition, of which there is no cure. It is not a joke. It is not a personality trait. It is not a source of entertainment. It is a condition that can be extremely debilitating, causing pain isolation and huge amounts of discrimination.’
Piers Morgan weighed in on X, writing: ‘Hollywood continuing to mock John Davidson over his Tourette’s condition is one of the most despicable things I’ve witnessed in a long time.’
Other reactions were similarly pointed.
British journalist Lewis Goodall called it ‘genuinely shameful,’ writing: ‘The joke is basically nothing more sophisticated than ‘people with serious disabilities make it up.’
One user wrote, ‘This is genuinely actually one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen. A disabled man mocked on prime time American TV, insinuating that Tourette’s actually is voluntary.’
Another added: ‘Look forward to seeing a skit implying people in wheelchairs are just pretending they can’t walk, next week on SNL. What a horrendous skit.’
The controversy follows an incident at last weekend’s BAFTA ceremony in London, where Scottish disability campaigner John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, involuntarily shouted a racial slur at actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan.
Almost immediately, critics branded the tone-deaf joke ‘disgusting’ and ‘shameful’ in the wake of last week’s BAFTA slur controversy
The segment, which did not air during NBC’s live broadcast due to time constraints but was later uploaded online, featured cast members portraying public figures including Mel Gibson, Armie Hammer, Bill Cosby J. K. Rowling and Kanye West
In the polarizing sketch, the characters claim to have Tourette syndrome as an explanation for their past scandals
Jordan presented the first award of the night for special visual effects at the Royal Festival Hall. The pre-recorded moment was later broadcast by the BBC.
Neither Lindo nor Jordan acknowledged the outburst on stage.
BAFTA host Alan Cumming apologized if the slur ’caused offence’ and explained that Davidson had chosen to leave the ceremony.
Davidson later said he was ‘deeply mortified’ and stressed that his comments ‘are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.’
He had attended the awards representing I Swear, a documentary following his life with Tourette syndrome, which is characterized by involuntary movements or sounds known as tics.
He has lived with the condition since age 12.
In a subsequent social media statement, Davidson wrote: ‘Whilst I will never apologies (sic) for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologize for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create.’ He thanked supporters for their ‘love, support and solidarity,’ describing it as a ‘very difficult week.’
The BBC issued an apology for failing to edit out the slur and confirmed it would launch a ‘fast-tracked investigation’ into what it described as a ‘serious mistake.’
The controversy follows an incident at last weekend’s BAFTA ceremony in London, where John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, involuntarily shouted a racial slur at Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo
Davidson (pictured above) has since apologized ‘for any pain, upset and misunderstanding’ his behavior may have caused
BAFTA also issued an ‘unreserved apology’ for the ‘very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many.’
Davidson told Variety that BAFTA had indicated any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast and questioned why he had been seated near a microphone, saying: ‘I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said … from being included in the broadcast.’
He also revealed he shouted multiple offensive words during the ceremony, not just the racial slur, including an insult directed at Cumming.
At the NAACP Image Awards in California, Lindo addressed the situation publicly for the first time, thanking fans for their ‘love and support.’
Regina Hall and host Deon Cole also referenced the incident during the ceremony.
Davidson, Britain’s most high-profile advocate living with Tourette syndrome, has long been open about his symptoms, including coprolalia, which can cause involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate words or phrases.
Tourette’s Action said it was ‘incredibly proud’ of Davidson and described the backlash surrounding the BAFTA moment as ‘deeply saddening.’
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