Tourette's Charity Says 'Unacceptable' Saturday Night Live Sketch 'Deepened Hurt' Faced By Community Since Baftas
Saturday Night Live is facing criticism over a recently-shared sketch making light of an incident which took place at the 2026 Baftas.
Over the weekend, SNL’s cast and guest host Connor Storrie took part in a skit referencing the moment in which Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson experienced an involuntary tic during this year’s Baftas and, as a result, shouted a racist slur while Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting on stage.
The sketch in question – which was cut for time, and didn’t air in the main SNL show, but was subsequently uploaded to the show’s YouTube channel – saw depictions of controversial figures including JK Rowling, Mel Gibson, Armie Hammer and Bill Cosby blaming their own past actions on having Tourette’s syndrome.
As footage of the skit became more widely-shared, it was met with immediate backalsh, including from Emma McNally, the chief executive officer of the UK charity Tourette’s Action.
In a statement provided to HuffPost UK, she said: “Over recent weeks, our community has faced an unprecedented wave of online trolling, misinformation, and targeted mockery.
“Following the extremely difficult events surrounding the Baftas, many people with Tourette’s have been struggling with fear, shame, isolation and a huge need to defend a condition they cannot control.
“We had hoped this would be a new week and we could move on but the release of further content online that has been designed to ridicule Tourette’s and reduce our community to a punchline has only deepened that hurt.”
“I want to be completely clear here this is not acceptable,” she continued. “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.
“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.
“Videos and posts that deliberately misrepresent or sensationalise tics set us back years. A single video can undo the progress our community has spent years building toward greater awareness.
“I hope those creating these videos understand that they create real consequences for people in our community: fear, isolation, bullying, abuse, and a feeling among many that they must hide away to stay safe.”
The statement added: “The trolling and harassment members of our community have endured in the past few days has been horrific. People have been targeted with threats and humiliation simply for having a condition they did not choose. No one should ever be treated that way.
“These recent events have been painful for multiple communities, and I am not for one minute dismissing that hurt, but directing anger and ridicule to people with Tourette’s does nothing to heal that pain and does not move us forward.
“What we need right now is people to be kind. We need compassion, accurate information and above all, we need education.”
Read the full statement on Tourette’s Action’s socials below:
John Davidson recently posted his own statement about the Baftas on Facebook, writing: “Whilst I will never [apologise] for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create.
“This past week has been tough, and has reminded me that what I do, raising awareness for such a misunderstood condition, there is still a long way to go and I will keep on keeping on until this is achieved.”
Meanwhile, after Delroy Lindo voiced his disappointment at how Bafta handled the situation, the organisation issued a public apology to the two Sinners actors for how things transpired, accepting “full responsibility”.