The Tourette’s campaigner who yelled the N-word at two black presenters during the BAFTAs has said he is ‘deeply mortified’ by his outburst.
John Davidson, whose life story inspired the film I Swear, was heard shouting the expletive while the actors presented the first prize of the night at London’s Royal Festive Hall on Sunday.
Davidson’s slur was aired to millions tuning in on BBC One and he has faced backlash, including from Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, who branded it ‘unacceptable’.
Neither of the actors reacted but BAFTAs host Alan Cumming later said ‘we apologise if it has caused offence’ and Davidson made the decision to leave the ceremony halfway through after several incendiary outbursts.
Davidson has now broken his silence on the outburst, admitting he is ‘deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.’
One of Davidson’s biggest symptoms is coprolalia which makes him involuntarily say socially inappropriate words or phrases, including when he famously shouted ‘f*** the Queen’ at Elizabeth II when he was awarded his MBE in 2019.
Davidson, who has suffered with Tourette’s since the age of 12, was criticised by Jamie Foxx who said: ‘Out of all the words you could’ve said Tourette’s makes you say that. Nah he meant that s**t. Unacceptable.’
Despite there being a two-hour time delay on the BBC’s coverage, Davidson’s BAFTAs slur was aired on BBC One and could still be heard on iPlayer on Monday morning.
I Swear details the life of campaigner John, now 54, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at a time when little was known about the condition
Sinners actor Delroy Lindo has condemned BAFTA for failing to speak with him after a guest with Tourette’s yelled the N-word at him and Michael B. Jordan
The BBC initially apologised for ‘any offence caused’ but has now admitted the slur should have been ‘edited out prior to broadcast’. The awards ceremony has disappeared off iPlayer while the BBC removes the N-word outburst.
Davidson was defended by a black actor who portrayed his lawyer in a movie about his battle with Tourette’s.
Scottish actor Thierry Mabonga, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said actors should have been warned about Davidson’s condition, which is characterised by involuntary movements or sounds known as tics.
Mabonga responded with a video on TikTok where he discusses the scene in which he acts as Davidson’s lawyer after he gets himself into trouble.
‘I’m representing him but at the same time, he’s hurling abuse at me and it’s very offensive words,’ the I Swear actor says. ‘Now, this is the condition, the disease of Tourette’s Syndrome. John cannot control what he says. In fact that’s the whole point of why we’re making this film.’
‘We’ve made this film, I Swear, to educate people about Tourette’s syndrome.’
Mabonga added: ‘How can you say that he can’t be there at the awards? This is a film about his life. This is a film about him. Absolutely he has to be there. And absolutely it’s great that he was there.
‘And I don’t know if some of the actors there were told in advance about someone with Tourette’s being there. Hopefully they would have been told [and] therefore prepared for that kind of stuff that happened.’
Scottish actor Thierry Mabonga, who was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said actors should have been warned about Davidson’s condition
Mabonga concluded the video by saying: ‘Regardless, John has Tourette’s. Enough said.’
Charity Tourette’s Action said it ‘deeply understands that these words can cause hurt’ but insisted they are ‘not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character’. High-profile celebrities including Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi and US star Billie Eilish have publicly spoken about living with Tourette’s.
Lindo later hit out at BAFTA for failing to speak with him after Davidson yelled the N-word at him and Jordan.
Speaking at the Warner Bros afterparty, he told Vanity Fair that he and Jordan ‘did what we had to do’ while presenting, but he wished ‘someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward’.
A Sinners production designer also later alleged she was subjected to Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs, adding that the situation was made worse by ‘the throw away apology’ of ‘if you were offended’.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the BBC of making a ‘horrible mistake’ and called for the Corporation to explain why the slur was not initially ‘bleeped out’.
Jordan’s former co-star on The Wire, Wendell Pierce, also reacted furiously, saying: ‘It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throated [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.’
During the broadcast, Cumming issued an apology for the language viewers may hear.
He said: ‘You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. If you have seen the film I Swear, you will know that film is about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome.
Hannah Beachler – a production designer on Sinners – also alleged she was subjected to Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx has blasted Tourette’s activist John Davidson for his ‘unacceptable’ N-word outburst at the BAFTAs
‘Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you were offended.’
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional.
‘We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.’
In contrast, the BBC edited out ‘Free Palestine’ from an acceptance speech made by filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr after My Father’s Shadow won the BAFTA for outstanding British debut.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
