John Davidson, known as a staunch supporter of people suffering with Tourette syndrome, from Galashiels in Scotland, found himself right in the middle of a major controversy at the 2026 British Academy Film Awards-also known as BAFTAs. His outbursts, including a racial slur at the stage when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for Best Special Visual Effects, sparked a firestorm of reaction.
Understanding John Davidson’s tics and controversy
John Davidson opened up about his Tourette syndrome in a candid Variety interview, explaining how the condition manifests physically, and emotionally.“Initially, my tics were noises and movements, but the more nervous I got, the more my tics ramped up,” he shared with Variety. “When my coprolalia tics came out, my stomach just dropped.” Coprolalia, the involuntary utterance of obscene or socially inappropriate words, affects only about 10 percent of people with Tourette syndrome, yet it drew intense scrutiny that night.John Davidson described the immediate aftermath of his most shocking tic, the N-word yelled during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo’s presentation. “As always, I felt a wave of shame and embarrassment hit me all at once. You want the floor to swallow you up. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to hide, just get away from all the eyes,” he told Variety. He hoped the audience, aware of the film ‘I Swear’ loosely inspired by his life, would recognize the tic’s involuntariness. “I was hoping people would understand. My mind was saying: These people have seen the film. They will know I can’t help this. They will know it’s not me. This is exactly why we are here. I was saying in my head, ‘Please don’t judge me.’ Please understand this isn’t who I am,”
The BAFTA incident unfolds
The evening began with milder tics from John Davidson, such as shouting “Boring!” during housekeeping announcements and “Bull****!” or “Shut the **** up!” as BAFTA chair Sara Putt spoke, according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter. Tensions peaked when the racial slur echoed through the Royal Festival Hall, audible on the BBC broadcast despite promises to edit swearing. Host Alan Cumming later addressed it publicly, but not before backlash erupted online and from figures like Jamie Foxx, who called the outbursts “unacceptable.”John Davidson chose to leave the auditorium voluntarily. “I was trying to calm myself down, to breathe, but ultimately, I made the decision to leave to not cause any more upset. BAFTA found a private room with a monitor where I watched the rest of the awards,” he explained to Variety. He even reached out to Warner Bros., the studio behind Sinners, to apologize directly to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. BAFTA praised his “dignity and consideration,” announcing a policy review while apologizing for the seating near a microphone, as noted in BBC coverage.
