To recap, John Davidson is a British man living with Tourette’s Syndrome. The British film I Swear is loosely based on Davidson’s real-life experiences living with Tourette’s. I Swear was nominated for several BAFTAs, and as such, Davidson was invited to the BAFTAs on Sunday. Before the awards show began, there was an announcement that Davidson was present and that BAFTA attendees might hear some outbursts from him. Soon after the show began, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo came out as presenters. Davidson screamed the n-word at them. Jordan and Lindo’s faces fell and the whole tenor of the awards show shifted. While Davidson reportedly left the show for the last half, he was back in the room long enough to shout the n-word at two other Black people, including Sinners’ production designer Hannah Beachler.
One of the most tragic and infuriating parts of this ordeal was watching too many people extend grace and empathy to Davidson while refusing to acknowledge the impact of Davidson’s words. Intent doesn’t matter when two BAFTA-nominated actors have to stand by silently as someone screams out a racist slur at them in front of their colleagues and friends. To make matters even worse, BAFTA host Alan Cumming repeatedly asked for compassion… for Davidson alone, not the Black artists who had to hear the slurs aimed at them. Cumming also only offered an apology “IF you were offended.” Not only did the BBC air the slur unedited from their delayed broadcast, but the BBC and BAFTA organization refused to apologize to Lindo, Jordan and Beachler in real time. Lindo told Vanity Fair that BAFTA producers didn’t even speak to him afterwards. Well, after a full 24-hour cycle of discourse, outrage and education, both Davidson and BAFTA issued statements:
BAFTA’s apology:
At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.
We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.
Early in the ceremony a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.
We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.
John Davidson’s apology:
“I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”
“In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
“I Swear, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
A few things… per BAFTA’s statement: “During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.” Like… the Sinners team also had the right to celebrate their night, didn’t they? Ryan Coogler won the screenplay award, Wunmi Mosaku won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, and Sinners also won the BAFTA for score. Did the Sinners team not have the right to celebrate their wins without being racially abused? BAFTA is falling all over themselves to say that Davidson had every right to be there… while refusing to acknowledge that Black artists (many of whom were nominees) also had the right to be there, to celebrate, to have their work honored without being racially abused in front of their colleagues.
As for Davidson’s apology… like… I don’t know the man and I have compassion for his disability, but I find it odd that Davidson is so heavily emphasizing that his campaign is geared towards increasing compassion for himself, while refusing to acknowledge the impact (however unintentional) of his words, which were enormously harmful. Davidson and BAFTA waiting 24 hours to acknowledge what happened and apologize doesn’t sit right with me either. Davidson and BAFTA org could have and should have made these apologies on Sunday night.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
-
- Guests attend the EE BAFTA Film Nominees Party at the National Gallery,Image: 1077221003, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Delroy Lindo, Credit line: Phil Lewis/Wenn/Avalon
-
- Michael B. Jordan at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK, 22 February 2026.,Image: 1077390737, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
-
- Michael B. Jordan at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK, 22 February 2026.,Image: 1077391336, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards/Avalon
-
- Dottie Achenbach and John Davidson attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank in London, England, UK on Sunday 22 February, 2026.,Image: 1077651864, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/Retna/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng/Avalon
-
- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards at Royal Festival Hall, London Featuring: Murray Gladstone, Dottie Achenbach, Chris Achenbach and John Davidson Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- Celebrities arrive at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards at Royal Festival Hall, London Featuring: John Davidson Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Feb 2026 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The sad/disgusting part is that they had to be told to apologize. It isn’t really an apology if you are told to do it.
Davidson didn’t apologize.
He said he was mortified IF anyone considered his tics to be intentional or carry any meaning.
He clearly feels that the racial slurs being attributed to him was the center of this and the true issue.
Instead of the real time failure of a whole ass institution and society at large to extend compassion and love to the people victimized.
The intentional decision to let the slur and the assault on the two gentleman on stage air before a world wide audience
And the overwhelmingly horrific response from society at large. Pressure to have grace for a white man while simultaneously having angry demands for compassion and silence from black men and woman.
As though – yet again – the sin isn’t in the thing said or done. It’s in the people who refuse to accept the status quo of abuse of black people being an unimportant blip and acceptable for the sake of a white man’s comfort.
The anger is always directed at the people who refuse to accept the false narrative being presented as truth. And who instead say – no. That’s not right. Never at the actual offender.
He basically was like – I’m not racist. I screamed a racial slur multiple times but I didn’t mean it and wasn’t intentional so no one should be hurt or upset.
This guy sucks.
Thanks for saying what I was about to. That was not an apology, as someone explained to me once. Any qualifiers in an apology shows you don’t really apologize, you are trying to explain why you really should not have to do the apology.
Not to negate the whole situation, nor to say Davidson shouldn’t have apologised to the two black actors for his unintended outburst (he STILL hurt them, and for THAT he should be apologising) but according to reports he also shouted “Fuck the Queen” when meeting QE 2 to be thanked for his services to people with the same condition as him.
The (real) Queen just carried on and pretended she hadn’t heard!
Apparently Davidson has a tick that makes him say the most offensive thing you can say in the context he’s in at that moment. It’s pretty rare. I just don’t understand why he doesn’t say something that addresses both that and the pain it brings with it to the people who are the triggers for it. It wouldn’t minimize his own problem or hurt for having to live with it, it would bring people closer to him for having their pain simultaneously acknowledged.
Thank you for your insightful comment. He didn’t really apologize. He should have apologized directly (and privately) to MBJ, Mr. Lindo and Hannah Beachler and the 4th person his racial tic was directed at.
I also feel like both BAFTA and BBC left in the slur to promote Davidson’s current film. It just feels nasty all the way around. I am so saddened by this unfortunate situation.
We could have used this moment to educate/teach more people on both Tourette’s and the impact of racial slurs (racism) has on everyone in society.
P.s WHERE IS THE BAFTA PRESIDENTS Apology?? aka Scooter King? insert “eyeroll”
EMM1 I don’t care how the late Queen handled the situation because her being willing to brush it off as if it never happened doesn’t mean that the three to four black people he directed a racists slur towards should be okay with it. Maybe if the Queen would have expected him to apologize for him unintentionally saying that to her, he would have learned that his disorder doesn’t absolve him of responsibility of apologizing for the disrespect and pain he caused the people he said the n word directly to or those who heard it. I go shopping often and it always amazes me how people casually just walk in front of people without showing simple kindness of saying excuse me or pardon me. I personally judge people by their avoidance of showing basic kindness or respect towards others. He should apologize not for him having Tourette’s but for how the words he unintentionally said impact others. The fact that the word is racist should have been even more reason for him to have apologized. This isn’t about attacking someone having a disability, this is about regardless of that disability, he still has the same responsibilities as everyone else to be held responsible for apologizing for how he made others feel. I’m tired of this argument that because he has this disability he shouldn’t be held accountable for how his disability affects others. He showed with that non apology that he is capable of attempting to apologize so why are some people trying to make it seem as if him apologizing is an attack on his disability instead an expectation that he is more than capable of meeting. He made that statement (non apology) about himself and didn’t acknowledge how his words, even though they were unintentional, are horrible words that deserve to be apologized for and that the people they were directed towards deserved to be respected by simply saying I’m sorry.
I also see no apology in his “apology.” There isn’t even an acknowledgement of the people he offended. It’s all about himself, and his feelings. HE is mortified?
🎯
I need to know if he “chose to watch the event” from a secondary location right before William was to come out.
Because that seems to be what happened.
Protect the white man at all costs. Both of them. Davidson couldn’t be skewered for yelling something likely truthful at the POW – rapist uncle! – and protect William from being potentially yelled at.
The black people actively being attacked through out the night? Not so much.
100% this. I hate what happened for everyone that night, especially for all of the Black artists in attendance and around the world watching. But the snarky side of me appreciates that somewhere in one of their umpteen houses around the UK, a giant egg is whining about how this ruined his night and his return to UK glory for all the Windsors after the arrest.
It’s an interesting question. Was he not in the audience while William was speaking?
Oooh!
They’re doing it because Warner Bros likely inferred that projects could be impacted.
This was not a genuine apology it was driven by business interests.
Too little and too late and in my opinion not very sincere as apologies go!
^^^^exactly
Yes! Black people need to boycott this shitshow. It’s been racist for a long time! PLEASE stop going!!!
These are crap non-apologies.
The apology went to those who were offended.
It’s pretty obvious that this guy, BBC and BAFTA and the society they exist in weren’t ones offended. So you know…. they are still scratching their head at why the N word is so offensive. It’s so “ boring”. But public pressure and all that…
Free Palestine is BTW totally not okay! Please recognize the difference (full on sarcasm here)
John Davidson made his “apology” about himself, as if he’s somehow the wronged party.
Not even mentioning the people he abused — Michael B Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Hannah Beachler — is a choice.
A bad one.
Whoever decided to have that statement go out could as well have decided to not say anything at all.
And BAFTA? Too little, too late. Something like that should have been published immediately after the show. Too bad they never managed to contact MBJ, DL, and HB in person.
But at least BAFTA’s president is bored by racism.
This!! 👆🏿
Thank you for hitting all the relevant, specific points. Davidson’s apology is tone deaf.
100% Nanea! I don’t even see an actual apology anywhere in his statement. To me, it’s an explanation of his disability. No where did he write the words, I’m sorry. He’s only deeply mortified IF anyone considers his involuntary tics intentional. That is NOT an apology, IMO.
The BAFTA “apology” is also garbage. The first 3 paragraphs are spent offering an explanation (again, that is not an apology) and begging for compassion and understanding to Davidson. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo’s names aren’t even mentioned until the 4th paragraph. And Hannah Beachler isn’t mentioned AT ALL.
I guess because she’s not as famous as Jordan and Lindo and, therefore, not as “worthy”. Eff ’em all. A day late and a dollar short.
YES! I just wrote the same above.
He’s not sorry. He clearly says he is mortified if anyone thinks his tics are intentional.
Meaning – I didn’t intend to hurt anyone when I screamed a racial slur and my intention is all that matters. F their feelings, their embarrassment, their shock, their pain at being called a racial slur in front of their colleagues and friends. And the betrayal they felt by the British entertainment industry closing ranks against them, and apologizing IF they were offended.
My white ass was horrified. It’s a weaponized word – the pain and trauma in its use will never be something I can understand no matter how much I work to educate myself, dismantle the systemic racism in myself and my family and hold space for my black and brown friends as they are left reeling by racial assaults. I don’t have access to the generational trauma of that word because it’s not mine.
But holy heck. I can be horrified. I can condemn institutions and a society that’s immediate reaction is to call for understanding and compassion for the white man with the disability while actively failing and traumatizing an entire demographic of people, demanding understanding and forgiveness from them when no apology was even offered.
Beachler’s name isn’t mentioned because it would show that he said the n word to multiple people at different times throughout the night. Mentioning her name would mean that they can’t pretend as if they didn’t know what was said or who was offended directly. The omission of her name would make it easier for them to write this off as a disabled man deserving grace when it’s just two black men instead of three or four black people singled out and not respected or defended.
Im honestly missing where there’s an apology from Davidson in that statement. Theres no “sorry”, “apologize”, “regret” nothing. It’s just a statement defending himself. Like I get he has no control over this but I feel like if I saw the way someone’s face dropped the way Michael and Delroy’s did i would at least just say “Im sorry that my involuntary outburst hurt you and put a damper on what should’ve been a night of celebration for you”. How freaking hard is that?!
Davidson’s “apology” was just him wanting more compassion for himself and none for the people he abused. Disgusting.
Absolutely it’s a why are you all being mean to me not I’m sorry.
“But at least BAFTA’s president is bored by racism.”
Note the former long time CEO of BAFTA has been the CEO of W&K’s Royal Foundation for the last couple of years…
exactly this. Let us not forget how many Black people have devoted their lives to trying to raise awareness, improve relations and foster understanding and got assassinated, lynched, set on fire for it.
neither one of these non-apology “apologies” are enough. “to all offended.”? eff that. how about apologizing to EVERYONE, because it offended everyone.
What I”m getting from his statement is really a long winded non apology and is slanted to make people sympathetic to him and totally ignore the feelings of Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lind, Hannah Beachler and others who were understandably upset/disturbed by this. To me, it comes across as him, baftas and bbc that the people who were offended by what he just shouted should be ashamed of themselves. Like yes, he can’t control what comes out of his mouth but other people’s reactions to what he says are also valid despite what they are trying to insist otherwise.
Exactly this.
His statement – not an apology – seems to be shaming people. He’s mortified that people would attribute any intention to the racial slur he screamed at black people.
Obviously – only someone without compassion for a disabled individual would be so callous as to be offended or hurt on behalf of the individuals targeted and the audience – both at the event and world wide when it aired. He didn’t intend any harm so he only horrible people would be upset that he yelled a racial slur or by his active decision to stay put while he racially abused more people.
His intentions are clearly the only thing he cares about or intends to clarify.
It didn’t matter if you didn’t mean to hurt someone. You did. And that’s why you owe them a sincere apology, not a statement centering yourself and how amazing you are because you eventually moved away from the main event – after you racially abused even more people, among the other things being reported.
And why do I feel like he was moved before William came out on stage and not in deference to the individuals he assaulted.
If I had a sudden medical issue behind the wheel of a car and hit someone, I’d apologize. Why is the need to apologize so difficult to understand?
It doesn’t sound like those attending were told that slurs might be shouted rather than simply noises.
Who’s choice was it to leave the word in unedited? BAFTAs or the BBC? Both? Cuz the bbc hasn’t said a word. And the apology from the BAFTAs didn’t mention why they left it in. They had two hours to remove before airing. WTAF.
The BBC’s producers who left the N-word in claim that they “did not hear” it, according to a blurb in the Independent.
A new deadline article just dropped and apparently reps from Warner Brothers immediately complained to bafta the moment it happened and asked for the word to be removed before airing. So it wasn’t about not hearing it. And somehow it still wasn’t removed. BBC and Penny Lane productions are just not answering how this happened. At this point, it’s bc they can’t. They were good with leaving a racist slur up for 15 hours before finally removing it. They can all get f-cked for that. BAFTAs too.
This has really drawn a fine point under the Black experience for me in a way that I don’t think I have ever truly understood before. The only people expected to show ANY real grace in this situation are the very people who were harmed by it, and that is just abjectly terrible, on every level. This guy didn’t bother to apologize, got out of the way of William, and then the BAFTAs pretended like they DIDN’T HEAR IT?!?
I am sorry, were you looking at Mr. Lindo and Mr. Jordan’s faces? There was absolutely no ambiguity about what happened, and I will never forget their expressions. I am so sorry, to everyone who felt this hurt to their core.
This is on BAFTA. Davidson is an individual who may have needed some time to collect himself before apologizing publicly. BAFTA is a whole-ass organization with crisis management and spokespeople, should have thought this through and had a plan in place for a worst-case scenario, which clearly it did not.
Same to the BBC for letting it stay in the broadcast.
All those actors should have received immediate apologies for being called out of their names in such a horrible way.
I agree that he needed some time, but as a person who faced difficulties because of his involuntary tics, why he did not think to acknowledge how MBJ and Lindo felt?
Yes Amy T, David is an individual who may have needed time to collect himself before giving an apology, but what he gave was not an apology. He made his statement about kindness and compassion for himself and his movie and failed to acknowledge and apologize to the people his unintentional words were directed towards. He failed to show kindness and compassion for the people his unintentional words harmed. To be honest, true kindness, compassion, regret or empathy doesn’t require 24 hours or others telling you to apologize. Nowhere did he acknowledge how he regrets the use of the slur he directed at any of the black people he said it to or how he regrets the feelings he evoked in them when he said it. A real apology is acknowledging the hurt others felt from your actions and not an advertisement for a movie, no matter how informative that movie might be. It is almost dismissive of their humanity to not acknowledge those he hurt while only acknowledging himself. And I believe that BAFTA and BBC also failed to give adequate apologies or acknowledgement of what happened.
I will go back and reread Davidson’s statement. I thought he acknowledged the harm he caused, regardless of intent (read: a legitimate medical condition). If that’s not the case, I agree.
I agree that he may have needed time to understand the various things at play- the nuance of him deeply understanding his tics aren’t intentional while also understanding that regardless of intent, dehumanizing words are dehumanizing.
To perhaps even understand the impact of something he did even thought it was outside of his control.
Although that’s like living in society 101 so….
But bottom line. He didn’t apologize. He didn’t say he was so sorry and that while he has no control over his tics, he can control how he responds to the painful impact of them. And that he is truly sorry. He can’t imagine how they must have felt and a night of celebration for all turned into a nightmare of being racially assaulted and traumatized before their colleagues and peers and then before the whole world.
You apologize for harm caused. Intended or not. Him being unable or unwilling to grasp that is a massive red flag about who he really is.
They both should have apologized to people at the venue immediately even if it took them time to craft a PR friendly apology. That would have bought them grace because people could have complained about an apology, but if Delroy or Michael or Hannah would have said yeah they reached out to us directly after it happened that would have tempered some of the frustration.
It doesn’t sound like anyone has still actually spoken to them directly to apologize, which makes it seem like you’re doing this for public consumption( because you have too), and still haven’t really internalized that there were other people that were harmed on the other side of this entire cluster.
Mr. Davidsons entire apology is about how happy he was that his disability was accepted, not any harm that his disability may have still caused. Which if it took you 24 hours to apologize you should have been able to internalize some of the fair criticism that came your way.
John did not apologize. There wasn’t a single “I’m sorry” or “my apologies” anywhere in his statement so I don’t understand why people keep referring to it as an apology
Exactly. Davidson issued a self-serving statement, nothing more.
People had it right when they said he “broke his silence” on the incident, because an apology was not it.
Does anyone have a link to the transcript of the “warning” the audience and presenters were given? I also want to know when the warning went out and if everyone was given enough time to choose whether or not they wanted to in place where they might be subjected to violence.
As for the apologies: f them both.
To me the warning is just them saving face and is irrelevant to what happened and the reaction to what happened. Knowing that there is the possibility that someone might scream a slur doesn’t take away the pain and dehumanizing feelings that happened at the time or after. The warning doesn’t make the non apologize okay or make the failures to remove it from airing and being heard globally. The warning is irrelevant and just their way of making a non apology statement longer.
I disagree. The wording and timing are very relevant. Offensive language and violent racist abuse are not the same thing. Making sure people knew what they were going to be subjected to and given the time to make a decision is very relevant to how they handled the situation.
Outburst, sounds and movement – one doesn’t naturally go to being screamed at on stage as you present. The BAFTAS look appallingly ill prepared to support an attendee with a disability.
And their attempt at explaining possible tics seemed to be – suck it up butter cup. He doesn’t mean what he says, so don’t get offended. The end.
It’s been reported it was a warming about vocalisations and tics but not that slurs would be shouted . Totally not enough by miles
To be expected from BAFTA.
As for Davidson: Not an apology. Needs to say “I’m sorry for the hurt I caused even though it was involuntary.” Nothing less.
The fact that they have very carefully written their way around those words doesn’t escape my notice. There is no reason for Davidson to apologize for his existence but everyone including him has taken that to mean there is no reason for him to apologize ever, which is just wrong.
It has been interesting to see the number of people who also suffer his conditions online (who do not have the luxury of being protected by news networks and film organizations and mental health groups they are spokespeople of, when their tics kick in), and what they do to maintain accountability and care for themselves. It has been fascinating to read how they navigate it.
Nothing is more ableist than the idea that his disability makes him worthy of compassion as a person also contributing to society, but also that that same disability absolves him of any responsibility at all when he does harm.
(Also the number of people online who are basically saying that not being able to scream out racial slurs with no consequences is the same as being imprisoned in some 19th century asylum is nothing short of hilarious)
This is exactly what I said yesterday. There’s nothing more ableist than pretending that this man cannot proactively plan for how he manages his disability, and having a plan in place when those proactive measures fail. How he prepares himself for stressful situations, and how he reacts to any potential offense caused by his involuntary reactions is what is the most important part of this piece.
BAFTA should have did a better job before, during, and after, and he absolutely could have responded differently than he has. I’m not going to presume about his own racial feelings, but for all the people that were giving him grace yesterday for how mortified he had to be, does that ” apology” sound like it?
He has a condition. He is not his condition.
He can apologize for involuntary things that his condition causes him to say or do – without apologizing for who he is, for attending an event or for existing.
He is not his Tourette’s. The impact of his Tourette’s may at times be vastly different than he intended. But he can and should apologize for the pain his words cause, because you apologize for the way you make people feel. Regardless of your intentions.
This shit is so basic. wtf.
The Baftas not acknowledging the allegations from Hannah Beachler that she was also racially abused as was another Black woman is so f*cked up. They’re a disgrace.
I mean …. Recollections may vary.
There’s a video circulating on X of him explaining his use of the N Word in the past and how he knows he is not racist. So that would explain why he will not go any further with his statement. I also think this whole thing speaks to how the UK handles these race issues in general. We all have a handle on it from seeing the Meghan Markle saga play out, but most people continually get shocked by how dismissive the media structure and populace is to these issues.
I’m sorry, but there is no reason why he couldn’t have said “I’m sorry for the hurt I caused Jordan, Delroy and Beachler with my uncontrollable use of a word that is unequivocally offensive and wrong. That is not who I am as a person and I would never intentionally say such a hateful word because it goes against what I believe in. Again, I apologize and I am extremely sorry for any hurt I caused you and others.”. Instead he made his statement about himself and his condition and didn’t acknowledge the hurt his words caused others or even the people he hurt.
Davidson didn’t apologize. It’s not even a non-apology apology. He’s not mortified that he embarrassed and demeaned two Black men and a Black woman. He’s mortified that people think he’s a racist. If I had this condition, what would mortify me is the constant infliction of pain on random Black people because I cannot control my words. But that’s not him. He wants all the grace to go to him because he can’t help it. Sorry. He’s not beating the allegations that he is racist. At least not with me.
John Davidson did not apologize. He issued a statement. Also the wording
“I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
makes it sounds like he is mortified if anyone considers that(making them the problem), not that he is mortified by the harm caused
These apologies are not very meaningful. And Davidson issued a non-apology.
I also am cynical about the decision to leave the n-word in the broadcast. I believe that it was intentional gaslighting, and it has everyone focused on this controversy , taking some attention away from the “royal” family’s Epstein ties.
The BAFTA and especially the BBC messed up completly.
But does Mr. Davidson has to apologise for something he has no control over?
Do we expect people with other disabilities to make in apology for their disabilities?
An apology usually includes someting like “I made a mistake, I understand this mistake, I’m sorry, and will not do it again.”
What kind of apology should Mr Davidson make “I’m sorry I hurt people, and I’m sorry I’will do it again”
A friend of mine has a son who is severly mentally disabled an not able to function in society in an acceptable way and I’m sorry to see, how people with non physical disabilities are shunned and have to be kept out of society the moment their disability leads to behaviour that is considered emotionaly harmfull to other people.
The problem is, the sample apology that you made centers the person. “I made a mistake. I understand this mistake.” He didn’t mispronounce someone’s name. He used a very powerful slur that has dehumanized a whole population for centuries. The apology is about recognizing how that landed on the people- that it was directed to and the people who heard it. So yes, he should apologize. And no, it’s not about making a mistake that he’ll make again. It’s about acknowledging that he hurt someone very deeply. People are getting hung up on the sorry/ the intent and not enough on the impact and the acknowledgment.
He does have to apologize for the impact of his tics, yes, if they hurt others. If I trip on a cracked sidewalk and bump into you and you fall and break your leg, it is still a result of my actions, even if it’s not, technically, my “fault”. His “tic” was a hurtful, history-laden word directed at two Black men. It was hurtful. Full stop. He needed to apologize for the pain his words caused, not necessarily for his disability (which he cannot help).
I don’t know why yesterday and today people still don’t get this. Yes he needs to apologize for the impact. He may have had no ill intent, it doesn’t mean that it had no impact. It’s driving me up the wall that everyone is like he said bygones and that they need to get over it. He also said the word three other times according to Hannah Beecher so honestly at that point I would have been done with him and the BAFTAs. Not one of their statements explained that one of his tics is saying racial slurs. And everyone should have been told so they could have decided if they wanted to be present. I would have hard passed the whole thing myself.
@ChillinginDC they do not get this because they do not care. They care about the comfortability of this white man versus the trauma of racism. None of this is difficult to understand. None of this should take over 48 hours of consistent dialogue to explain.
This was an easy layup for all involved and they keep failing. Just say you are sorry full stop.
The short answer is yes. Yes, he should apologize for the hurt he unintentionally caused others because regardless of him having Tourette’s he had the ability to put out a lengthy statement centered around himself and never acknowledging those he directed his words toward or the others who were there and offended. No one is asking for him to apologize for his disability but when you hurt people and have the capacity to express regret for how you made someone feel and still refuse to do it, that is the problem. If a handicap person in a wheelchair roles over someone’s foot and has the ability to express regret verbally or physically, they do it because it’s the right thing to do. This is no different.
Absolutely, yes. People (disabled or not) apologize for what they’ve done involuntarily, all the time, when they’ve hurt another person.
John Davidson’s apology would have been acceptable had this event been a night solely about honoring him. it was not. It was a night about honoring film achievements of the film community as a whole. For him not to recognize the impact of his words, intentional or not, on other attendees, is wrong. He’s behaving as if the BAFTAs were an event to honor his film and his alone. That’s where his apology went wrong. It wasn’t just his night. If he coan’t even acknowledge other people had a right to be there, and that their presence had nothing to do was his, then maybe he should have stayed in a green room. He ended up making the entire event about him. That’s not what disability accomodation is supposed to do. Accomodation means inclusion, not hijacking an event. Intentionally or not, that’s what he did, and his apology suggests that he was fine with making the whole night about himself.
Yes thank you. One of my advocate friends was like….this is not it and that the fact that he seemed to think that his presence was most important and since he’s not racist, and it’s not his fault, this was somehow okay. The whole thing is making me grab my hair in frustration.
And this is why I side-eyed anyone yesterday yapping about how “we don’t know that he’s racist” or pulling out “we can’t assume”. No where in his statement does he even acknowledge the harm to those abused. No where did he mention measures to control it from happening again and how sorry he was. It’s “listen and learn” or “I’m an ally” until real work against personal biases must be done
🎯
According to a Variety post, WB contacted bafta immediately about the incident, and asked for it to be edited out, bafta assured them the BBC were told of the request.
What does it say about you that you have less racial consciousness than effing Warner Bros?
Having a disability doesn’t mean you get to avoid accountability. Simply apologizing to the people who were affected would have been sufficient. I had to block a woman on Threads. She would pick fights and make disparaging remarks. When people would rightfully call her out, she would say “hey I’m neurodivergent, how dare you!” It’s people like him and the response is part of the reason I don’t openly share the micro aggressions I deal with on a daily basis. I get tired of the gaslighting.
Elon Musk and his mother have tried this crap about him. It’s gross no matter who does it.
100 percent . He has a disability and he harmed multiple people both are true and he is responsible for both . To say oh he’s disabled we can’t expect him to consider others is ablest and patronising
The fault lies for this debacle lies with BAFTA and the BBC. We need an explanation from BBC why the slur wasn’t edited out.
I said yesterday that Davidson did not give an apology and I am glad that most people here see what he wrote was not that.
BAFTA can kick rocks. The whole thing was messy from beginning to end and as others said, BAFTA had a duty to warn everyone that one of the people present has tics that make them say racial slurs. Calling someone boring, or saying a swear word is not the same as a racial slur birthed in hatred. Being inclusive means inclusive for all and not only for those with visibility and invisible disabilities. It just baffles me that anyone saying this wasn’t right got hit with you are an ableist stick yesterday.
And the lack of compassion for Delroy, MBJ, and Hannah has been disheartening.
I have so many feelings about this because it’s a messy and nuanced situation. John should apologize, but at the same time he’s also gotten a lot of backlash from disability rights folks to not apologize, and horrifying hate online that likely has contributed to his statement. That does not negate the harm caused by any means, but I cannot imagine being in his situation right now. I think he is reacting from a place of fear and maybe once he can settle he will be able to apologize.
Sorry maybe, but I don’t see how a person can apologize for something he has no control on. The real culprits in this is Bafta who should have apologize right away to the artists. And BBC who had ample time to censure the act. This been said, it’s really sad that Black people were subjected to this. I haven’t see the awards and have been wondering if this was the only slurs of the evening.
We’re not asking John to apologize for his disability. We’re asking for acknowledgement of the harm caused by his outburst. We’re asking for an apology for the impact of his outburst
This is an excellent explanation of the distinction to be made here.
He DOES NOT need to apologize for his disability. He needs to apologize for the word that caused harm to others. That’s it. That’s not a controversial statement to make.
Julie, it might help if you put yourself in this position. Imagine if you were presenting an award for your work in front of your peers at a prestigious award show. The award show is being televised. Someone screams WHORE at you in front of the entire room. You pause. Shocked. You’re standing at the podium. Did you hear that right? You here some nervous giggles. Your mouth goes dry. You can’t swallow. You can hardly breathe. You have to get through your lines and present your award but that word is ringing through your head. Your big moment in front of your peers is tainted.
“It’s really sad that black people were subject to this.”
What if it had been you?
And even if you learned later that the person who shouted at you had Tourettes, would that negate everything you had felt in that moment? And if that person said “I have a disability and I didn’t mean it” but didn’t offer you an apology, didn’t acknowledge what you must have felt in the moment, hearing that? You don’t think an apology is warranted? Are we only accountable for our intentions and not the outcomes of our actions? Does disability inclusion mean that disabled people don’t need accountability?
Brilliant deconstruction.
I understand the many replies to my comment and I understand that people were offended and hurt and more importantly, apologies should have been be issued right away. As explained by the Tourette Syndrome Association : people with Tourette syndrome do not choose the words they shout. These vocal outbursts, known as coprolalia (involuntary swearing) or, more generally, as vocal tics, are involuntary, uncontrollable, and not chosen, even if they may sometimes appear intentional to an observer.
BAFTA host, BAFTA representatives and BBC were the instances who had control on the situation.
MBJ says his parents were in tears.
Mr Davidson can’t control his tics but he still has to take accountability for their impact. that’s what inclusion means. Inclusion means that your needs will be accomodated, but not at the expense of other people. Your needs will be accomodated so that you can participate in public life as fully as you’re able. Other people cannot be acceptable collateral damage in order for a person to be included. If he’s going to be included in public spaces, then his inclusion must be done in away that others will not come to harm because of it. Our society has to stop asking POC and women to accept harm to themselves to accomodate others
People realise that it is involuntary. Yet his words still caused harm. And then he issued a statement not an apology.
He choose to be and stay in the room while shouting slurs . He harmed multiple people and should acknowledge that
Julie as so many have tried to explain here and elsewhere, this isn’t about expectations for him to apologize for having Tourette’s because that is something that he cannot control, just as he is incapable of controlling what comes out of his mouth, but he is more than capable of apologizing and acknowledging what was said by him unintentionally and how it impacted and made others feel. As parents our young children might sometimes say or do something that is out of their control but we teach them to apologize by either telling them to apologize or we do it on their behalf. Them apologizing or us doing it on their behalf isn’t us apologizing because they are kids but because of how it made others feel or because of the hurt it might have caused others. I don’t understand why him and his disability is expected to be given grace while the same grace isn’t being given to the people harmed by his unintentional word? Why is it too much to ask that when you harm someone, even unintentionally, you simply say I’m sorry or that you regret how you made someone feel? I watched someone who is living with Tourette’s describe how uncontrollable it is and even with not having any control over what he says to his mother, who he clearly loved and respected, he always made a point of apologizing for the involuntary offensive things he said to her. That is what we are talking about. Not apologizing for having Tourette’s but acknowledging that even though it’s something you can’t control you still have the capacity to show grace by respectfully apologizing to those you may have hurt with words you had no control over saying.
If I accidentally spill my drink on someone’s head, I will sincerely apologize and be sorry that my actions hurt the person. Even if I didn’t mean to trip and spill my drink on their head. These people all suck if they think that this is an acceptable response.
This! Apologizing if you’ve hurt someone, regardless of intent, is something you learn as a child. I can’t believe this is even up for debate. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone!
If Davidson was black, imagine the reaction and the lack of understanding. Just imagine.
The unprofessionalism of the BAFTAs and the producers is mind-boggling. And frankly, this entire thing was predictable. Someone knew that this would likely happen, like exactly this, and they just sailed forward. The BAFTAs are clearly incompetent AND racist. To not delete the slur was deliberate. They really thought they were going to giggle behind their fans and watch the clicks go up.
Davidson gave an interview to CNN before the ceremony, saying that the number of people at the event could trigger his tics. So yes, they knew. And went ahead anyway.
I got to say that this whole thing is some mess and showing why Black people run away from allies.
That’s just irresponsible, imo.
Say I’m in a wheelchair. Or on crutches. Whatever. Skiing accident. I roll over someone’s foot. Or plant a crutch on someone’s foot. They wince, hobble off. Do I just laugh it off and go, not my fault, can’t you see I’m disabled? Why should I apologise? I can’t feel sensation through the wheels. Can’t always see where the wheels are grinding. It’s not my fault. …on a larger scale, this strikes me as insipidly typical British false equivalence. No, we’re not being ableist by calling the man out. We’re asking him to take some distance from his own disability and acknowledge how his disability-themed behaviour affected other people. If I was sick to my stomach and puked on your shoes, would I apologise? Yes, I would. Say I got food poisoning from a restaurant. Still would I owe you an apology? Yes. I would. Here’s a real-life example. My son was very small when another child pushed him face-first into a piece of playground equipment. He was hurt, he was upset, he was shocked, he was sobbing. The pushing child had no idea what he had done. He just sailed on his merry way. Because to him this was normal. My son wasn’t a human. He was an obstacle. I confronted the pushing boy’s father, who shrugged, ambled on, as if importuned by an awkward and pushy American, observing, as if to himself, “He’s autistic,” as if it were my fault for not noticing, as if I were the one in the wrong somehow, and my son’s distress were just negligible. Bad move. I started shouting at him on the playground at full voice in front of a couple of dozen mums who were silent, aghast and shocked. “THAT’S NO EXCUSE FOR PUSHING PEOPLE. IF YOUR SON PUSHES SOMEONE, YOU APOLOGIZE.” And FWIW — if he’s going to learn not to push people, you’re going to have to teach him. It’s not my son’s job to stay out of his way. I read him the riot act. And after this set-to broke up, the man backed away, crestfallen, really befuddled, and half the mums clustered around him offering sympathies. Half the mums came over to me to ask if I was ok. And no one spoke to the pushing child to tell him — duh, don’t push people. It’s not ableism to ask people with different abilities to take some accountability for how they treat other people. Period. That’s my view.
Far too little too late.
Both apologies are also pathetic . I’m super pro access but not at the cost of people being expected to be subject to racist abuse.
And the oh well he left eventually like it’s some wonderful sacrifice .
“IF anyone was offended”????
IMO, EVERYONE should be offended. And the fact that they aren’t is very telling. Additionally, miss me with this noise about how the involuntary tics aren’t reflective of Davidson’s mindset. Anyone else notice that he didn’t call any white folks the n-word?
Why hasn’t William released a statement yet? He must be at home watching the “long list” of movies he & Kate need to catch up on. She decided, the night before the awards, to finally watch one of the nominated films, so they would have something to say when asked. Bet they’re real glad they decided to attend this one lol.
I mean… if I couldn’t be around a black person without yelling the n word then maybe I would just sit my ass at home. Sorry
Exactly. Or do a prerecorded speech.
Yeah, and can we talk about how he and the BAFTAs didn’t plan for this? They KNEW there was a likelihood he could say something highly offensive like this. They could’ve planned for it. They could’ve warned Black attendees so they could be prepared or choose not to attend. Frankly, I have a huge problem with the fact that they expected everyone to just deal with it and made no plans to apologize, etc.
I would like an explanaion as to why he only yelled out the n word when there were people of color present and center stage. If it is truly involuntary, why wouldn’t the slur have been uttered when there were white people on stage?
This smacks of racism and no diagnosis or apology is going to erase that.
Are you serious? Where is the public apology from them to the black artists? I did not see anything directed towards them. That man knew what he said and was doing. Sorry but that’s my opinion and I have no sympathy
I don’t understand why he didn’t just do a prerecorded speech? He knows he has this condition, and that way it would avoid any inappropriate things from being blurted out. It’s his responsibility as well.
I am not an ableist … especially as I have long standing mental illness that is rife in my family but if I always found the MOST offensive language for my ‘tic’ I wouldn’t go to awards shows etc.
Exactly. I commented on a similar post yesterday that while it is important to accommodate persons with disability, it should not be done to the point where harm could be expected to other people.
This guy is an adult, he should have self-censored. He should have never been sitting in the audience at a public, televised, when he knew that he very likely could shout the N word. Just because he does not intend to do it, does not make it right or okay. And I do not get how many do not seem to understand that that word causes harm to people.
Hey, we all censor ourselves at certain times: Well, maybe I shouldn’t go to that party because I’m in a foul mood and I might tell so and so what I really think of them! Reasonable adults try to understand their limitations, disabilities or not, and account for them when deciding what they should and shouldn’t do.
This guy needs to grow up and understand that what he does can cause harm to others and he needs to avoid certain situations.
I wonder how many times Davidson has been told that he doesn’t have to apologize for the way he was born. I’m not making ANY statement about the quality of his apology/non-apology. I just can’t help but think if, for decades, he’s been assured by those who love him that there’s nothing wrong with him and that he doesn’t need to be sorry for who he is.
That’s a common message given to those with disabilities of some sort in the name of inclusion. Is this possibly why it seems so hard for him to say sorry?
And eff the BAFTAs for having a two-hour delay and STILL inexplicably airing the slur! WTF????
BAFTA edited out political comments about Palestine from an award recipient during their acceptance speech but not the N word? And BAFTA claims they didn’t catch it ? It makes no sense.
Knowing that he has this disability and that this is an awards show that is broadcast to millions of people … and watched, later, by millions more on … streaming services ? … maybe he should have watched the show from a private room in the auditorium ? Could there have been better ways to accommodate both his disability and other people from what he might inadvertently say ?
“Could there have been better ways to accommodate both his disability and other people from what he might inadvertently say ?”
Yes, he could have watched the proceedings from, say, backstage in a screening room with friends and family that would not be upset by his outbursts. Which, is apparently what he did about midway through the show.
I think a lot of the issues stem from people just not understanding how offensive and hurtful certain words are to some people. They just don’t care.
Nah, he doesn’t have to be in a room,
Here’s the weird thing. You think a guy who has a disability of blurting out hurtful and vile stuff (unintentionally of course) would be an expert at apologies for (unintentionally) hurting others by now.
But nope. Looks like he hasn’t figured out how to apologize at all.
And the whole fiasco is now the memorable highlight of his life.
Since BBC and BAFTA accommodate the N word usage before the public pushback, with their defenders claiming wokism, ableism , and censorship, the N word is here to stay.
This was weak tea, especially, since the scope of the problem is wider than just the Black BAFTA nominees. *Everyone* in the audience, regardless of race, both live and broadcast, had the right to not hear a racial slur, when expecting a dignified awards ceremony. Everyone’s rights were trampled on. I am acutely aware of the importance of disability rights, but here I think is a situation where the right of one person should not be allowed to trample on the rights of the many. Imagine if the man with Tourette’s had been Black and he were flinging racial slurs at White people? Would he have been given such latitude to do so?
Davidson has set his cause back, IMO.
💯
Intent doesn’t equal impact. I work with special needs children who need some extra practice with social skills. When we talk about apologies, it’s to acknowledge, apologize and make amends. This fell far short.
Why hasn’t f-cking Willy apologized to the actors and had the Baftas not re-play the racist slur for 15 hours? This is his royalty with a small r. What it means is he will not be accountable to anyone for anything. He will do fuck-all except to slurp up all the luxuries, honors, money, privilege, vacations, etc., bleeding the people dry. He has no moral compass and doesn’t care what happens to others. Harry would have immediately done all the right things and we all know it. England, you got the dud prince.