ITV presenter Susanna Reid has found herself at the centre of a growing backlash after viewers branded her comments about Tourette syndrome “totally uncaring, stupid and dismissive” during Monday’s episode of Good Morning Britain.
The controversy erupted after Susanna and co-host Ed Balls discussed the shocking moment at the BAFTA Film Awards when a racial slur was heard during the ceremony broadcast.
The incident occurred as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took to the stage to present an award. Viewers heard offensive language shouted from the audience — later confirmed to have come from Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, whose life inspired the biopic I Swear.
Davidson, who lives with Tourette syndrome, was heard shouting “shut the f**k up” and “boring” before involuntarily using a racial slur. The condition, a neurological disorder characterised by uncontrollable vocal and physical tics, affects around one in 100 children, according to NHS England.
BAFTAs host Alan Cumming swiftly addressed the audience inside London’s Royal Festival Hall, saying: “You may have heard some strong offensive language tonight, but if you’ve seen the film I Swear, it’s about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome.
“It is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary — that means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language and we apologise if it has caused offence.”
A BBC spokesperson later echoed the apology, explaining the language “arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional.”
However, the debate reignited on Good Morning Britain when Susanna reflected on the moment. She said she was still “thinking about the language” and described it as “completely unacceptable.” While acknowledging that Tourette’s sufferers cannot control their tics, she questioned whether a racial slur should ever be “accepted or simply brushed away,” insisting: “It’s absolutely vital that you apologise for it. A racial slur is always something, presumably, that needs to be apologised for.”
Ed pushed back, drawing a distinction between broadcasting standards and disability. “There’s two different issues,” he argued. “If this racial slur was said at the awards ceremony, it shouldn’t have been broadcast. The guy who has Tourette’s — apologising for his disability is not fair or right. It’s not in his control. If it was me, I would have bleeped out the racial slur and not had the apology.”
Susanna maintained her stance, replying: “I think you should always apologise if an utterly offensive racial slur is used.”
Within minutes, social media lit up with furious reactions. One viewer wrote: “So it doesn’t matter where, or from whom, the racial slur was issued? Even if it was shouted out by someone with Tourette’s… Susanna says SOMEONE has to apologise?”
Another fumed that “the actor in the film regarding Tourette’s wins an award but Susanna states that we need to apologise for the consequence of that disability in real life.”
A third blasted the presenter, claiming her comments showed she knew “sweet FA about what she’s talking about,” while others accused her of “virtue signalling” and failing to understand that Tourette’s outbursts “cannot be helped.”
John Davidson, 54, was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 25 and has spent decades campaigning for awareness. His life story was brought to the screen in I Swear, starring Robert Aramayo, which was nominated for Outstanding British Film. Though it lost out to Hamnet, Aramayo triumphed on the night, winning Leading Actor and the EE Rising Star Award.
Before the ceremony began, a floor manager reportedly warned attendees: “John has Tourette’s syndrome, so please be aware you might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.”
Despite the pre-warning and on-stage clarification, the debate has now shifted from the BAFTAs stage to Britain’s breakfast television sofas — and viewers remain deeply divided over whether apologies should focus on the language heard, the broadcaster’s handling of it, or not be demanded at all when disability is involved.
