'SNL' takes on BAFTAs incident, mocks J.K. Rowling's trans 'obsession'

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYSun, March 1, 2026 at 8:31 PM UTC

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In a sketch that didn't make it to air, "Saturday Night Live" tackled the controversy surrounding last week's BAFTAs, while also mocking J.K. Rowling and other controversial figures.

The sketch show on Sunday, March 1 posted a sketch to its YouTube channel that was cut for time on this weekend's episode, hosted by Connor Storrie. The sketch addressed an incident at the Feb. 22 British Academy Film Awards where Tourette Syndrome advocate John Davidson involuntarily shouted a racial slur while two Black actors, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo from "Sinners," were on stage.

The premise of the "SNL" sketch was that the BAFTAs incident inspired a series of scandal-ridden celebrities to reveal that they, too, suffer from Tourette's and that it was the reason for controversial things they have said and done. First up was Mel Gibson (Andrew Dismukes), who declared that Tourette's "explains a lot of the things I've said or yelled through the years."

Other celebrities depicted as claiming to have Tourette's included Jill Zarin, Louis C.K., Bill Cosby, Ye and Armie Hammer. Storrie portrayed Hammer, who in the sketch claimed that cannibalism is a side effect of Tourette's. "Since it's Tourette's, I guess I have to be forgiven, if not celebrated," he said.

Delroy Lindo addresses racial slur aimed at him and Michael B. Jordan

Ashley Padilla also played "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, who has drawn controversy in recent years for her outspoken views against the transgender community.

"Tourette's isn't just blurting out an offensive word," Padilla as Rowling said. "It can be yearslong obsession with something like trans rights, and a deep anger that someone who is born with a wand in their pants would want that wand removed and replaced with a Horcrux. But now you know, it was all the Tourette's fault, and not a bet I made with Bill Belichick to see who could destroy their legacy faster."

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Connor Storrie and the cast of "Saturday Night Live" on Feb. 28, 2026.

Host Alan Cumming explained during the BAFTAs that guests may notice "some strong language in the background" while Davidson was in attendance for "I Swear," a movie about his life that received multiple BAFTA nominations. But the BBC and the BAFTAs received criticism for not removing the racial slur, which Davidson shouted while Jordan and Lindo were presenting, from the broadcast, even though the ceremony aired on a two-hour delay.

Lindo addressed the incident on Feb. 28 at the NAACP Image Awards, saying he appreciates "all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend," and calling it a "classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive." Davidson previously told Variety he "felt a wave of shame and embarrassment" over the involuntary tic but stressed there was "zero" intent behind it. "What you're hearing is a symptom — not my character, not my thought, not my belief," he told Variety.

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Davidson has Tourette's with Coprolalia, which involves involuntary outbursts of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks, according to the Tourette Association of America. The majority of people with Tourette syndrome do not have Coprolalia, with a prevalence of 10-33% of people, according to the National Library of Medicine.

"SNL" also addressed the BAFTAs incident during "Weekend Update," with anchor Michael Che joking, "Today is the last day of Black History Month, sponsored by Tourette's."

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Pamela Avila and KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'SNL' Tourette's sketch addresses BAFTAs racial slur incident

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