Good Morning Britain star Susanna Reid has been criticised for the comments she made about Tourettes syndrome, with some branding it a ‘totally uncaring, stupid and dismissive’ remark
11:03, 23 Feb 2026Updated 11:03, 23 Feb 2026
Susanna and Ed hosted Good Morning Britain today(Image: itv)
Susanna Reid has been slammed by ITV viewers for a “totally uncaring, stupid and dismissive” remark about Tourette syndrome during a discussion on Good Morning Britain.
The presenter has come under fire for comments she made whilst discussing John Davidson, a Tourette’s campaigner who had his life serialised in new movie I Swear. Actor Robert Aramayo played the role of John in the movie, which he won Best Actor for last night.
Now, Susanna Reid has been criticised for her comments about Tourettes whilst discussing the news. She said that she was still “thinking about the language'” and branded it “completely unacceptable”.
She referenced that people with Tourettes couldn’t control their ticks, but added: “There’s plenty of people watching who say, ‘Why should a racial slur ever be accepted or simply brushed away?'”
Ed then said: ‘There’s two different issues. 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.”
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Susanna added: “But it’s absolutely vital that you apologise for it. A racial slur is always something, presumably, that needs to be apologised for.” Ed then replied: “They ought to have apologised for having it on the programme, but apologising for the gentleman with Tourette’s, you can’t apologise for his disability.”
Fans of the ITV show fumed over Susanna’s comment, with one writing: “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.” Another added: “You shouldn’t apologise for #TouretteSyndrome, it can’t be helped. You should never apologise for an illness…no one asked to have the illness.”
Yesterday, at the awards, host Alan Cumming addressed the comments. He told the audience: “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 ticks 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 added: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
Susanna Reid sparks backlash with ‘stupid and dismissive’ Tourette’s comment after BAFTAs
Good Morning Britain star Susanna Reid has been criticised for the comments she made about Tourettes syndrome, with some branding it a ‘totally uncaring, stupid and dismissive’ remark
11:03, 23 Feb 2026Updated 11:03, 23 Feb 2026
Susanna and Ed hosted Good Morning Britain today(Image: itv)
Susanna Reid has been slammed by ITV viewers for a “totally uncaring, stupid and dismissive” remark about Tourette syndrome during a discussion on Good Morning Britain.
The presenter has come under fire for comments she made whilst discussing John Davidson, a Tourette’s campaigner who had his life serialised in new movie I Swear. Actor Robert Aramayo played the role of John in the movie, which he won Best Actor for last night.
During the BAFTAs last night, as Sinners stars Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award, John was heard shouting “shut the f**k up” and “boring” at the actors before using the N-word.
Now, Susanna Reid has been criticised for her comments about Tourettes whilst discussing the news. She said that she was still “thinking about the language'” and branded it “completely unacceptable”.
She referenced that people with Tourettes couldn’t control their ticks, but added: “There’s plenty of people watching who say, ‘Why should a racial slur ever be accepted or simply brushed away?'”
Ed then said: ‘There’s two different issues. 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.”
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
Susanna added: “But it’s absolutely vital that you apologise for it. A racial slur is always something, presumably, that needs to be apologised for.” Ed then replied: “They ought to have apologised for having it on the programme, but apologising for the gentleman with Tourette’s, you can’t apologise for his disability.”
Fans of the ITV show fumed over Susanna’s comment, with one writing: “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.” Another added: “You shouldn’t apologise for #TouretteSyndrome, it can’t be helped. You should never apologise for an illness…no one asked to have the illness.”
Yesterday, at the awards, host Alan Cumming addressed the comments. He told the audience: “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 ticks 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 added: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
Source link