Good Morning Britain faced extensive backlash online over the presenter’s remarksGeorgia Burns Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer and Jennie Buzaglo
11:23, 23 Feb 2026Updated 12:52, 23 Feb 2026
Susanna Reid sparked major backlash on Good Morning Britain(Image: ITV)
Good Morning Britain viewers criticised Susanna Reid after she clashed with co-host Ed Balls during a heated debate. Monday’s (January 23) episode aired just one day after the BAFTA Awards, which honoured some of the most acclaimed films and performances of the past year, including I Swear, the true story of John Davidson, a Scottish man living with severe Tourette’s syndrome.
The film was widely praised for shining a light on Tourette’s syndrome, but that same condition was cited in relation to a controversial moment at the awards ceremony, when a racial slur was reportedly shouted from the audience by John Davidson while Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.
In the Good Morning Britain studio, Kate Garraway said “It’s lovely to have a Brit winner”, after Robert Aramayo took home Best Actor for his portrayal of John, beating contenders including Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet and Ethan Hawke.
However, Susanna appeared distracted, admitting she was “thinking about the language” heard in the footage. She acknowledged that living with Tourette’s means you have an inability to control your tics sometimes resulting in comments, which she describes as “completely unacceptable” but reminded viewers that this is the result of the disability.
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Susanna then noted that host Alan Cummings had apologised for the slur, which she said “caused a lot of concern”, but posed the question: “There’s plenty of people watching who say, ‘Why should a racial slur ever be accepted or simply brushed away?'”
Ed was quick to push back, explaining: “There’s two different issues. If this racial slur was said at the awards ceremony, it shouldn’t have been broadcast.”
To which Susanna agreed, saying: “It’s a delay of two hours so a lot of people were saying, ‘Why was it broadcast at all?'”
Highlighting another perspective in the debate, Ed said: “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.”
Robert Aramayo won Best Actor for his portrayal of John in I Swear(Image: BAFTA via Getty Images)
Susanna hit back: “But it’s absolutely vital that you apologise for it. A racial slur is always something, presumably, that needs to be apologised for.”
The discussion grew more intense as Ed questioned who the apology would actually be directed at, the Express reports. “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,” he declared.
After a clip of Alan’s apology was played, Ed admitted he didn’t agree with it because “I don’t think you should apologise for somebody who has Tourette’s”.
Reiterating her stance, Susanna responded: “I think you should always apologise if an utterly offensive racial slur is used.”
Good Morning Britain viewers were stunned by Susanna’s comments, with one posting online: “So it doesn’t matter where, or from whom, the racial slur was issued? Even if it was written on a piece of paper or produced by AI or… shouted out by someone with tourettes.. Susanna says SOMEONE has to apologise??”
Viewers were gobsmacked by Susanna’s remarks(Image: ITV)
As a second fumed: “So the actor in the film regarding Tourette’s wins an award but Susannah states that we need to apologise for the consequence of that disability in real life #GMB.”
Criticising the ITV host, another viewer wrote: “If there was ever any doubt that Reid knows sweet FA about what she’s talking about, her little rant on Tourette’s (or should I say “the consequences” of the disability) should remove any shred of doubt left. Someone get her a ladder for the huge hole she just dug herself.”
A fourth penned: “Susanna Reid playing the ultimate virtue signalling clown once again! The racism tops the disability does it?! I’ve heard it all now! Does she know how Tourette’s Syndrome ticks works? She knows that these ticks and outbursts cannot be helped right?”
Another user weighed in, stating: “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.”
As someone else commented: “Susanna digging a hole there saying the disability is not the issue, it’s the consequences of it, wtf!! I agree with #edballs.”