Saturday Night Live is facing criticism over a recently-shared sketch making light of an incident which took place at the 2026 Baftas.

Over the weekend, SNL’s cast and guest host Connor Storrie took part in a skit referencing the moment in which Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson experienced an involuntary tic during this year’s Baftas and, as a result, shouted a racist slur while Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting on stage.

The sketch in question – which was cut for time, and didn’t air in the main SNL show, but was subsequently uploaded to the show’s YouTube channel – saw depictions of controversial figures including JK Rowling, Mel Gibson, Armie Hammer and Bill Cosby blaming their own past actions on having Tourette’s syndrome.

As footage of the skit became more widely-shared, it was met with immediate backalsh, including from Emma McNally, the chief executive officer of the UK charity Tourette’s Action.

In a statement provided to HuffPost UK, she said: “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.”

“I want to be completely clear here this is not acceptable,” she continued. “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.

“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.

“I hope those creating these videos understand that they create real consequences for people in our community: fear, isolation, bullying, abuse, and a feeling among many that they must hide away to stay safe.”

The statement added: “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.

“These recent events have been painful for multiple communities, and I am not for one minute dismissing that hurt, but directing anger and ridicule to people with Tourette’s does nothing to heal that pain and does not move us forward.

“What we need right now is people to be kind. We need compassion, accurate information and above all, we need education.”

Read the full statement on Tourette’s Action’s socials below:

John Davidson recently posted his own statement about the Baftas on Facebook, writing: “Whilst I will never [apologise] 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.”

Meanwhile, after Delroy Lindo voiced his disappointment at how Bafta handled the situation, the organisation issued a public apology to the two Sinners actors for how things transpired, accepting “full responsibility”.

Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson has issued a statement in response to the media furore surrounding an incident at this year’s Baftas.

On Sunday evening, John attended the awards show alongside the cast and crew of I Swear, a film based on his life story.

Variety reported that before the ceremony got underway, the event’s floor manager told guests that they “might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony”.

During the first award of the night, presented by Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan, John experienced an involuntary tic and shouted the N-word from the audience.

Following the incident – which the BBC included in its coverage of the Baftas, despite it airing on a two-hour time delay – John spoke out in a statement shared by Deadline on Monday night.

He began: “I wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast.

“I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”

John continued: “In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and Bafta, I can only add that I am, and always have been, deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.

“I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so.”

He added: “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”

After Delroy Lindo expressed his disappointment at Bafta’s handling of the incident, the organisation issued a public apology to the Sinners actor and his co-star Michael B Jordan, accepting “full responsibility”.

In a statement to HuffPost UK, Bafta said: “At the Bafta Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.

“One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over.

“Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the Bafta-nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.”

“We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion,” the statement continued. “We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.

“Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.

“During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.

“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.”

Immediately after John’s initial tic, Baftas host Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their “understanding”, apologised later in the evening to anyone “if you are offended tonight”.