“Mocking a disability is never acceptable,” said Tourette’s Action CEO Emma McNally.

Tourette’s charity slams SNL for mocking BAFTAs racial slur incident with cut-for-time sketch: ‘It is not a joke’

"Mocking a disability is never acceptable," said Tourette's Action CEO Emma McNally.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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March 2, 2026 11:19 a.m. ET

Connor Storrie as Armie Hammer and Ashley Padilla as J.K. Rowling in the Tourette's sketch on 'SNL'. Credit:

*Saturday Night Live* is facing a wave of backlash over its controversial Tourette's sketch about the racial slur incident at last weekend's BAFTA Film Awards.

One week after Scottish campaigner John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, shouted the N-word while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award onstage, *SNL* jumped into the conversation with a PSA–inspired bit that sees several divisive figures blame their bad behavior on their own so-called Tourette's syndrome. The sketch, which was cut for time and didn't make the Saturday night broadcast, was posted on social media the following day and swiftly condemned by several viewers.

Among the critics was Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action, a U.K. charity — with a longstanding relationship to Davidson — dedicated to improving the lives of people living with Tourette syndrome.

"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," McNally began in a statement provided to **. "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."

Kenan Thompson as Bill Cosby in a sketch about Tourette syndrome on 'SNL'.

Addressing the *SNL* sketch directly, McNally continued, "I want to be completely clear here THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. 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."

The sketch, which has clocked in at almost 1 million views on YouTube, sees the *SNL* cast portray a slew of canceled celebrities, including Andrew Dismukes as Mel Gibson, Ashley Padilla as J. K. Rowling, James Austin Johnson as Louis C.K., Kenan Thompson as Bill Cosby, and Feb. 28 host Connor Storrie as Armie Hammer. Each of them blames their respective controversies on Tourette's, arguing that they should be let off the hook because their actions were out of their control.

"I too suffer from Tourette’s, which explains a lot of the things I’ve said or yelled through the years," said Dismukes in the video, alluding to the fact that Gibson has made headlines for antisemitic, racist, and homophobic remarks. "And as I probably should have pointed out decades ago, Am I proud of what I said? No. But I am very proud for you to know that it was because of Tourette’s. Unfortunately, I’m not alone."

Referencing the way that Louis C.K.'s career imploded after the comedian was accused of sexual misconduct by five women in 2017 and later admitted that their allegations were true, Johnson at one point quips. "Tourette’s sucks, especially if you get it in your penis."

Meanwhile, Storrie earned gasps from the studio audience with his portrayal of the *Call Me by Your Name* star who was accused of sexual assault and having erotic cannibalistic fantasies (which he has consistently denied). "Hi cuties, I'm Armie Hammer," Storrie began. "Not many people know this, but one of the most common side effects of Tourette's is cannibalism."

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In her statement, McNally noted that deliberately misrepresenting or making fun of tics is harmful to those actually suffering from Tourette's.

"A single video can undo the progress our community has spent years building toward greater awareness," she continued. "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."

John Davidson, Michael B. Jordan, and Delroy Lindo at the BAFTAs.

Aurore Marechal/BAFTA/Getty;Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

She added, "What we need right now is people to be kind.  We need compassion, accurate information and above all, we need education… To those in the Tourette’s community: Please know you are not alone. We are here for you.  I know times now are causing extreme pain but please don’t feel like you need to hide away. Reach out to us for support."

Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to EW's request for comment.

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Last weekend, Davidson attended the BAFTA Film Awards in honor of *I Swear*, a film about his experience living with Tourette's. After he shouted the N-word in the middle of Jordan and Lindo's presentation, the moment spawned a media firestorm made worse when BBC initially declined to edit out the uncomfortable moment, despite a two-hour delay between the awards ceremony and its edited broadcast.

Afterwards, the BAFTAs and BBC issued apologies. In his own statement, Davidson reiterated that his verbal tics, which include uncontrollable swearing, are involuntary and a symptom of Tourette's. He added that he was and continued to be "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."

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