US EditionBritish Film Awards Interrupted by Racist Slur From Man with Tourette Syndrome
John Davidson’s involuntary outburst at the BAFTAs sparked public debate on race, mental health, and broadcast responsibility after the BBC aired his Tourette’s-related slur.
- On Sunday night, John Davidson, Tourette syndrome activist, attended the BAFTAs to represent the film I Swear and had an uncontrollable outburst, yelling expletives and the N-word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.
- Medical experts explain that Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder causing involuntary tics, including coprolalia, which worsen under stress in high-pressure events like awards shows, Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey and Kate Hanselman say.
- The BBC said it aired the slur on a delayed feed, later apologized, and BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed the incident on stage, with the broadcast remaining on BBC iPlayer Monday morning before removal.
- Online debate intensified as Jamie Foxx called the incident `Unacceptable` and `Nah he meant that s---,` while Wendell Pierce said, `The insult to them takes priority` amid calls for outreach to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo.
- The debate widened as commentators said the incident raised questions about who receives compassion versus accountability and highlighted deep-seated racism affecting responses to mental illness, including the role of race. Dr. Adjoa Smalls-Mantey emphasized the lack of cultural sensitivity, while David Harewood called for broader discussion.
40 Articles
40 Articles
Baylen Dupree Says ‘Tourette’s Doesn’t Pull from Hatred’
Baylen Dupree, who lives with Tourette’s and stars in her own reality show ‘Baylen Out Loud’, explains the difference between intent and impulse with Tourette’s after what happened with John Davidson at the BAFTAs.
Baylen Dupree Defends John Davidson After BAFTAs Racial Slur Controversy
Reality star Baylen Dupree is speaking out in defense of Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson after he blurted out a racial slur as part of his Tourtette’s tics at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards. “I need to speak on this as someone who lives with Tourette’s,” Dupree, 23, wrote in a statement shared via Instagram on Tuesday, February 24. “When you live with this disorder, you lose control of your own voice sometimes. And that is a terri…
The Conversation
Taboo tics like shouting curses and slurs are uncommon in Tourette syndrome − but people who have them suffer harsh social stigma
Tourette's tics can include obscenities and slurs. These taboo words are emotionally charged and socially significant, so they tend to be more strongly encoded in the brain’s wiring. Dominic Lipinski/Stringer via Getty ImagesJohn Davidson, whose life inspired the award-winning biopic “I Swear,” involuntarily shouted a racial slur during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo’s speech at the BAFTA film awards in London on Feb. 22, 2026. The moment we…
It’s Not His Fault He Used the N-Word
Amid the glitz and glam of awards season, the BAFTA Film Awards are usually treated like the annoying little brother—or odd, distant cousin—of the much more prestigious Academy Awards and the much more intoxicated Golden Globes. But this year, a surprise outburst at Sunday night’s BAFTA ceremony has them trending in the discourse on two continents, after a man named John Davidson yelled a racial slur (yes, that racial slur) at actors Michael B. …
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