Saturday Night Live’s skit referring to the recent BAFTA racial slur incident was criticized by a leading Tourette syndrome charity. According to the Mayo Clinic, Tourette syndrome is a disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds that can’t be easily controlled.
Lifetime Tourettes supporter, John Davidson, involuntarily shouted the N-word during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo’s presentation. This occurred at February’s BAFTA Film Awards.
Saturday Night Live is facing backlash from a leading Tourette’s charity
The sketch, called ‘Tourette’s,’ parodied controversial celebrities in a PSA-style format. It had Mel Gibson, Bill Cosby, J.K. Rowling, Armie Hammer and Louis C.K. blaming Tourettes for their scandalous past comments. In the skit, SNL cast member Andrew Dismukes said, “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.”
The film, I Swear, is based on John’s true life story of living with severe Tourette syndrome. It took home the BAFTA for Robert Aramyao as Best Actor in a Leading Role and Lauren Evans for Best Casting.
Addressing the skit, Tourettes Action CEO Emma McNally emailed Deadline that mocking a disability is never acceptable.
She also emphasized the disorder 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,” she said.
In addition, on his Facebook page, John thanked the Tourette’s community for its support. “Whilst I will never apologies [sic] 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.”
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