Saturday Night Live Bafta sketch described as ‘horrific’ by leading Tourette’s syndrome charity | Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live is under fire over a sketch that mocked the Bafta N-word incident, with a leading Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) charity branding it “horrific”.

Filmed in the style of an informative public service announcement, the clip featured the SNL cast members as public figures explaining that their controversial comments were due to TS. The sketch was cut for a time on NBC’s Saturday night show but was uploaded to YouTube shortly after.

Andrew Dismukes, dressed as the American actor, said: “I’m Mel Gibson, and as I should have pointed out decades ago, I also suffer from Tourette’s disease, which explains a lot of the things I’ve said or shouted over the years.” “Fortunately, I’m not alone.”

“Now you know it was all Tourette’s fault,” said Ashley Padilla, who was dressed as JK Rowling.

Episode host Connor Story played actor Armie Hammer and said, “Not a lot of people know this, but one of the most common side effects is cannibalism.”

“This is unacceptable,” Emma McNally, CEO of Tourettes Action, said in a statement to Deadline. “Making fun of a disability is completely unacceptable. It will not be tolerated in any other situation, nor should it be tolerated by people with Tourette Syndrome.”

The graphic sparked a Baftas N-word controversy last February, as John Davidson, the inspiration for I Swear, could be heard shouting racist slurs as Sinners actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the special visual effects award.

“I can’t begin to explain how upset and distraught I felt,” Davidson later said. “My tics are not an intention, they are not a choice, and they are not a reflection of my values.”

Tourettes Action’s McNally echoed his words in her statement. “Tourette’s is a complex neurological condition, for 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 isolating pain and a tremendous amount of discrimination.”

“Videos and posts that intentionally misrepresent or trigger tics set us back years. One video can undo the progress our society has spent years building toward greater awareness.”

After the sketch was posted on YouTube on March 1, others were quick to criticize Saturday Night Live.

Comedian Al Murray called the skit “vile” and “disgusting” in his X post, adding: “The problem with the ‘punch up and down’ thing is whether you’re upside down.”

“We were truly appalled when Trump made fun of a disabled person,” former member of the Scottish Parliament Joan McAlpine said, referring to the 2015 event. “So why is it any different when SNL makes fun of people with Tourette’s? Is bigotry acceptable if it’s wrapped in ‘progressive’ credentials?”

British actor James Dreyfuss, star of the HBO Game of Thrones spinoff series House of the Dragon, said: “Good grief. It just goes to show that ‘regime comedians’ are as deeply unfunny, disgusting, ignorant and prejudiced as they are here.”

Over the weekend, the NAACP Image Awards also poked fun at the Bafta-Davidson controversy. At the Los Angeles ceremony, host Dion Cole said: “If there are any white men here in the audience with Tourette’s, I advise you to tell them they better read The Room tonight.”

Piers Morgan responded: “Hollywood continuing to mock John Davidson over his Tourette’s condition is one of the most vile things I’ve seen in a long time. Shame on @deoncole and everyone in the audience who laughed at his vile ‘jokes’. What the hell is wrong with you???!!!”

McNally concluded her statement to Deadline with a plea for compassion for those living with TS. “The trolling and harassment our community members have been subjected to these past few days has been horrific,” she wrote. “People have been targeted with threats and humiliation simply because they suffer from a condition they did not choose. No one should ever be treated this way.”