A leading charity dedicated to supporting people with Tourette syndrome is furious that NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” brought negative attention to the neurological condition, suggesting it’s “not a joke” and urging people to remember that “having racial tics does not make a person racist.”
The BBC issued an apology last week after a racial slur was shouted by an audience member with Tourette syndrome during a broadcast of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). John Davidson, who has severe Tourette syndrome and was the inspiration for the BAFTA-nominated biographical film “I Swear,” was heard shouting the n-word while Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.
NBC’s “SNL” lampooned the ordeal in a sketch that was posted online, with canceled or scandal-ridden celebrities like Mel Gibson, Louis CK, Bill Cosby, Kanye West and Armie Hammer claiming Tourette syndrome caused their backlash-inducing incidents or comments.
Tourettes Action CEO Emma McNally, the head of a leading charity dedicated to supporting individuals with Tourette syndrome and their families, said she has been “inundated” with media requests around the BAFTAs and now also the “Saturday Night Live” sketch.
“The charity has made the decision to not take part in any more interviews concerning this. It is proving very upsetting for those in the Tourette’s community and also those in the Black community — we are finding it very hard to navigate,” McNally told Fox News Digital.
“When Tourette’s involves racial slurs, it is deeply upsetting for all involved. It’s upsetting for those who hear them, and it is also deeply upsetting for those with Tourette’s who say them,” she continued. “It is important to remember at these times that tics are not a reflection of a person’s thoughts, they are a symptom of their condition, having racial tics does not make a person racist.”
McNally also provided Fox News Digital with a lengthy statement condemning the “SNL” sketch.
“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,” McNally 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. 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,” she continued. “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.”
McNally said the videos like the one NBC’s “SNL” posted creates real consequences such as fear, isolation, bullying, abuse and a “feeling among many that they must hide away to stay safe.”
McNally said members of the Tourette community have faced “horrific” online harassment over the past few days, with people being “targeted with threats and humiliation simply for having a condition they did not choose.” She said that the ordeal has also caused pain in other communities and directing anger and ridicule to people with Tourette’s “does nothing to heal that pain” or allow them to move forward.
DEALING WITH TOURETTE SYNDROME
“What we need right now is people to be kind. We need compassion, accurate information and above all, we need education. I am asking everyone, content creators, viewers, the media, and the wider public, to please consider the impact of what they say and what they share,” she said.
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The sketch featured Gibson, who previously faced backlash for making antisemitic comments during an arrest in 2006, suggesting he should have pointed out he suffers from the condition years ago.
The other celebrities continued to blame their actions on Tourette’s for the duration of the sketch, which also included JK Rowling for her stance on gender.
Some online defended “SNL”, saying it was more about mocking the celebrities therein rather than making fun of the condition.
The BBC apologized after failing to remove the profane language from the BAFTAs when the pre-taped show aired last month.
Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
