A Tourette sketch on Saturday Night Live was condemned by John Davidson’s charity Tourette Action.
Emma McNally, CEO of the charity Tourette Action, which has a long-standing relationship with John Davidson and was involved in the production of the biopic I Swear, said in a statement: “Mocking a disability is never acceptable. It is not acceptable for any other condition and it should not be tolerated for people with Tourette’s.”
“Tourette’s disease is a complex neurological disease with no cure. It’s not a joke. It’s not a personality trait. It’s not a source of entertainment. It’s a potentially extremely debilitating disease that causes isolating pain and tremendous discrimination.”
The sketch was cut from the Feb. 28 episode of “SNL” for time reasons, but was shared on YouTube, where it racked up nearly 1 million views in one day. In it, the cast mocked a number of canceled celebrities, including Andrew Dismukes (who played Mel Gibson), Kenan Thompson (who played Bill Cosby), and Ashley Padilla (who played J.K. Rowling), alleging that each of them had made controversial comments or actions because of Tourette syndrome.
“I also suffer from Tourette’s disease, which explains a lot of the things I’ve said and yelled over the years,” said Dismukes, who plays Gibson. “Am I proud of what I said? No. But I’m so proud that you all know it was because of Tourette’s. Unfortunately, I’m not alone.”
Meanwhile, James Austin Johnson, who played comedian Louis C.K., whose career was ruined after admitting to sexual misconduct, said: “Tourette’s suck, especially when it comes to penises.”
Davidson, the Tourette’s campaigner who was the subject of the award-winning biopic I Swear last weekend, spontaneously shouted a number of expletives and slurs, including a racial slur, while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage during the BAFTAs. Mr Davidson said the incident was “regrettable”, but both BAFTA and the BBC have come under fire for broadcasting the ceremony two hours late and not censoring the slur.
Variety has reached out to NBC for comment.
Read McNally’s full statement below.
In recent weeks, our community has faced an unprecedented wave of online trolling, misinformation, and targeted ridicule. In the wake of the extremely difficult events surrounding BAFTA, many people living with Tourette’s have struggled with fear, shame, isolation and a huge need to protect a condition that is beyond their control.
I was hopeful that this week would be a new week and that we could move on, but the hurt has only deepened as more content has been published online designed to mock Tourette’s and use our community as a punchline.
Let me be clear here: this is unacceptable.
It is never acceptable to mock a disability. It is not tolerated in other diseases and should not be tolerated in people with Tourette’s.
Tourette’s disease is a complex neurological condition and there is no cure. It’s not a joke. It’s not a personality. It’s not a source of entertainment. This is a potentially extremely debilitating condition that causes pain isolation and tremendous discrimination.
Videos and posts that intentionally misrepresent or sensationalize tics take us back years. Just one video can undo the progress our community has made in raising awareness over the years. We want the people making these videos to understand that they are creating real consequences for people in our community, including fear, isolation, bullying, abuse, and the feeling of having to hide to stay safe.
The vandalism and harassment that members of our community have endured over the past few days has been horrific. People have been targeted for intimidation and humiliation simply because they have a condition they did not choose. No one should be treated like that.
Recent events have been painful for multiple communities, and I do not intend to ignore that hurt for a moment, but directing anger and ridicule at people with Tourette’s will not heal the pain and will not move us forward.
What we need now is for people to be kind. We need compassion, accurate information, and above all, education.
We challenge content creators, viewers, media, and the wider public to think about the impact of what they say and share. Behind every tic there is a person. It’s family. life. A long history of being misunderstood.
I was always raised with the motto to never say anything if you don’t have something nice to say and to always be kind.
Dear Tourette community: Please know that you are not alone. we are here for you. I know times are very painful, but please don’t feel like you need to hide. If you need assistance, please contact us.
To the broader public who would like to help: Share our educational content, dispel myths, and help our community move one step closer to acceptance.
We will continue to advocate, educate, and come together as a community. #Together we are stronger
