The 2026 BAFTA Awards took place in London on Sunday night.
And one awkward moment is making more headlines than any of the winners or acceptance speeches.
Tourette’s activist John Davidson was on hand for the event, and he shouted a racial slur as Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award for visual effects.
Davidson’s life was the basis for the 2025 British film I Swear.
His tics are involuntary, and he was not asked to leave the ceremony despite numerous interruptions.
At one point, host Alan Cummings took the stage to explain to the audience what had happened.
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming told the attendees, per Variety.
“Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Cumming later addressed the incident further, noting, “Tourette’s syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s syndrome has no control over their language.”
“We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
On X (formerly Twitter), Sinners‘ production designer Hannah Beachler was critical of Cummings’ apology.
“I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through,” she wrote (via Radar Online), adding:
“But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show.”
In addition to the incident that took place during Lindo and Jordan’s presentation, Davidson also shouted at BAFTA chair Sara Putt to “shut the f–k up” during her speech at the start of the show.
And he shouted “f–k you” at the directors of Boong, when they accepted the award for best children’s and family film.
For the millions of people who suffer from Tourette’s globally, Davidson’s tics are all too relatable.
He first gained fame as the subject of the 1989 documentary John’s Not Mad, and he’s been spreading awareness of his condition ever since.
Obviously, Davidson would have preferred not to be the subject of so many headlines the morning after the BAFTAs.
But hopefully, he can take some solace in the fact that the whole world is having a conversation about Tourette’s and its challenges.
John Davidson: Tourette’s Activist Shouts N-Word at Michael B. Jordan & Delroy … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.