Home / Arts and Entertainment / SNL Mocks Tourette's Controversy With Celebrity Impersonations
SNL Mocks Tourette's Controversy With Celebrity Impersonations
1 Mar
Summary
- SNL used a skit to satirize the BAFTA Awards incident involving Tourette's.
- Celebrities pretend to have Tourette's to excuse problematic behavior.
- The sketch drew parallels to a real-life racial slur incident at the BAFTAs.
A recent cut-for-time sketch on Saturday Night Live has brought the BAFTA Film Awards controversy into the spotlight, with a comedic take on Tourette's syndrome. The skit, titled 'Tourette's,' featured impressions of various celebrities, including J.K. Rowling, Mel Gibson, and Bill Cosby, who claim to have the disorder.
These celebrities use Tourette's as a supposed explanation for their past problematic comments or actions. For example, one character claims to suffer from 'longwinded monologue-style Tourette's,' while another suggests 'cannibalism' is a side effect. This satirical approach directly references the incident at the BAFTA ceremony where campaigner John Davidson uttered a racial slur, attributed by the host to involuntary verbal tics.
The sketch, presented as a mock public service announcement by the fictional 'National Workforce of Rethinking Disabilities' (N.W.O.R.D.), has raised questions about the boundaries of comedy when addressing sensitive topics like neurological disorders and public controversies. The BAFTA incident itself, involving offensive language including a racial slur, was broadcast on BBC's tape-delayed telecast, prompting apologies from the ceremony's host.
