Two Sundays ago, John Davidson, a man with Tourette’s, attended the BAFTAs. He was seated forty rows back, but he was also seated close to some kind of microphone. He began ticcing during the awards show, but he had faith that BAFTA would take care of him and edit out all of his offensive shouts. They did not. Then Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo came on stage and Davidson ticced the n-word loud enough for everyone to hear, especially Lindo and Jordan. Even though they had a two-hour delay, the BBC only edited out all of Davidson’s tics except that one. At no point during the BAFTAs did anyone from BAFTA org speak to Lindo or Jordan, nor did they speak to Hannah Beachler, who was also called the n-word by Davidson. BAFTA and the BBC then took a full 24 hours to apologize, while still centering Davidson and not the Black artists who were racially abused. Well, more than a week later, Davidson has issued a statement with the sentence he refused to say this whole time: “I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create…” From his Facebook:
I’ve been waiting all week until the dust settles after the weekend at the BAFTAs in London.
I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown love, support and solidarity towards myself and the rest of the Tourette’s Community. Your kind words and support have got me through a very difficult week.
Whilst I will never apologies for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create.
This past week has been tough, and has reminded me that what I do raising awareness for such a misunderstood condition, there is still a long way to go and I will keep on keeping on until this is achieved.
Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou I love you all.❤️❤️❤️
Johnny D x
One of the common arguments of the people telling Lindo, Beachler and Jordan to “get over” being racially abused in front of their peers was that Davidson shouldn’t have to apologize “for having Tourette’s.” It was always a straw man argument, especially given that the film based on his life, I Swear, shows him apologizing for offending people often when he tics. You know why he does that? Because even though Tourette’s isn’t his fault, he knows that his involuntary tics still cause actual harm, even if that harm is now being widely derided, mocked and minimized by white supremacists who are using Davidson for their own purposes. It’s shocking to me that Davidson was seemingly incapable of simply saying, in essence, “I’m sorry for the pain my involuntary tics caused” for a full week. Yes, he said “f–k the queen” right in front of Queen Elizabeth II. You know what he did right after that? He apologized to her. Why did so many people insist for a full f–king week that Jordan, Beachler and Lindo did not deserve an apology from Davidson? Don’t tell me, I already know.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, screencap courtesy of ABC.
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- 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
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- 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**
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- 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**
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- 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: Cover Images
The people making excuses for John’s refusal to apologize was what made it worse for me personally. And now two weeks later he gives one to the Black people he verbally abused. TWO.
What a shame, but if they forgive him then I see support his victims. I will continue to side eye him.
3 including Hannah
Their heinous refusal to apologize could be legal posturing. They (Cumming, Davidson, BBC, BAFTA, et al.) admit no wrongdoing so as to avoid potential legal repercussions. Appalling lack of accountability.
https://slate.com/culture/2026/02/bafta-john-davidson-tourettes-michael-b-jordan-delroy-lindo-n-word.html
Thank you for sharing this link, such a valuable perspective… and one that more people need to familiarize themselves with, given the way the discourse continues to go.
yes, @lys, thank you for posting this. for those curious, the link is an interview with johnelle bean, a black disability advocate with tourettes. it’s a very nuanced take that i really appreciated. it’s well worth a read, if you have time, and it’s not behind a paywall.
Wendy and Mblates, I’m glad you liked it! I thought it was an important and nuanced reading too. Should’ve added more context around the link to the article though, hah!
Apparently it IS now behind a pay wall, requiring you to sign in.
That was a non apology. All about his Tourette’s and the pain it causes him. Sure, BAFTA and BBC made this worse, but he still doesn’t acknowledge how cruel that word is.
Exactly! He apologizes for any pain and misunderstanding it MAY create? That’s not an apology for what has already happened. He didn’t actually apologize for the pain it DID create, to the people who were harmed.
And yes, as you said, it’s 99% about him and his disorder anyway.
And it’s not personal to the three people he harmed! This shouldn’t be so difficult. Absolutely no one was asking him to apologize for having Tourette’s. This is all so tiresome.
Exactly this! He clearly has no problem apologising to other people, but it appears to offend his sensibilities that he should be expected to apologise to “people like that”. As though it would be a deep humiliation. He does not think there was anything wrong with what he said, and does not think that people should be making such a “fuss” about “those (people)” – and not him.
A day late and a dollar short, if you ask me. This is only after relentless backlash and people–correctly–stating that while he should absolutely not apologize for his disability, he should absolutely apologize for the harm resulting from it. That is not an easy word to hear under any circumstances, much less at a celebratory event and in front of one’s peers. He is a grown man. He knows all of this.
It’s wild that it took an entire week for him and Alan Cumming to “apologize”, and I honestly believe if the studio and the acting community didn’t have their back so much they never would have.
But after two award shows with two wins and two standing ovations, I think that they’re more worried about their perception in those spaces than any real sense of remorse.
This movie is still eligible for the 2027 Oscars, and they clearly want it to be considered. And doing this and refusing to apologize for so long to a guy that’s generally well liked by his peers, doesn’t do much for your voting chances. Call me cynical, but that’s what I think.
Exactly this. Sounds like they’ve brought in crisis managers and PR advisers and are ultimately looking at their bottom line. Someone somewhere told them that this is NOT a good look, that they look blatantly racist, that the original statements certainly did not read like apologies, that they actually set the work on inclusiveness for people with disabilities well back, etc., and as a result they are putting out “right-sounding words” to stem the tide.
He spoke to Variety a week ago about this?
https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/john-davidson-tourettes-tics-bafta-n-word-interview-1236671850/
Thank you Kate for pointing out this article that states he tried to reach out to the two actor/presenters to apologise to them personally.
I wonder if he succeeded in doing so?
Interesting that neither Alan Cumming nor Davidson mentioned Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, or Hannah Bechsler by name. It’s just a generic apology from both of them.
He said “may offend” which implies to me that he doesn’t think saying that word is offensive. This is a non apology.
I agree Elizabeth K. Mahon and Cathy. It’s all very generic. They aren’t referring to Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, or Hannah Bechsler by name because they don’t want to acknowledge them. It’s another form of dehumanisation, pretending that they do not exist. And to dismiss the harm caused with the word “may”, as though they’ve not heard and seen acres of coverage explaining exactly how hurtful and harmful the word was, is beyond the pale.
Sorry, *Beachler*, not Bechsler.
The British press is most upset about the reactions to this incident at the NAACP Image awards. They think that these “rich” people shouldn’t take offense because the slur was involuntary. The UK press still has a lot to learn about the harm they cause others on a daily basis. But I’m glad that John Davidson has finally apologized. Perhaps if he done it sooner people would have been more understanding.
The British press is upset because they like to pretend that they’re above those ghastly Americans in all things. To be upset that their peers and the general public is upset on their behalf, provides you a lot of insight into their mindset.
They aren’t racist, and how dare you call them racist, and if a racist incident happens, that incident wasn’t actually racist because of reasons. We’ve watched this for years and years and years with Meghan.
Being frustrated at the response of fellow actors, and calling people cry baby bullies in articles, because they deserve an apology, and basically being puzzled as to why someone doesn’t want to be called a racial slur at work says a lot. It also reinforces to me what a lot of people may consider ” welcoming” someone.
I feel sure that there are fine, upstanding members of the British press who aren’t racist…somewhere. But more easily found, and very easily heard are the jackasses who insist that they are above the fray while actually supporting a racist agenda that only if an individual is 100% white are they valued or admired. And they have the nerve to call themselves journalists.
There was a clip from the news agents and Lewis Goodall was really going off on how Americans have a hierarchy and that race is at the top of grievances and that we’re crass for now hurting the disabilities community by putting the race offense at the top. I just felt like the plot was missed somewhere. People can be mad about that word being left in by the BAFTAs and the bbc. It’s clear Davidson wasn’t protected and was exploited as well. But getting upset about the handling of the that word being uttered isn’t crass. They so badly don’t want their institutions to be seen as racist but they make it look even more racist in their denials. The BAFTAS and the bbc were crass. End of. But sure turn it around on the black people who have money. What are they even doing at this point?
I don’t believe that I would accept this apology of who he MAY HAVE OFFENDED. Tourette’s or not you as an adult should know that the n word WILL OFFEND. You can blame Tourette’s for the tic but that is all. Nobody asked for him to apologize for the disease just for the word that DEFINITELY OFFENDED PEOPLE!!
But, did he actually apologize? “Davidson has issued a statement with the sentence he refused to say this whole time: “I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create…” .
Ok, when?
I laughed at the number of Brits saying “Americans just don’t understand” when a Black BAFTA judge literally resigned and MP’s have been complaining over this.
This whole thing is slightly reminding me of an early Simpsons episode where Bart is making faces at Lisa who then complains, and Bart says “It’s a nervous twitch, and I’m a little sensitive about it if you don’t mind!”
Respectfully, one thing to consider when assigning blame is: who had the power in this situation, and who was harmed? Neither the actors nor John Davidson had power, and both were harmed. They were forced to publicly endure racial slurs, and he was exposed and is being pilloried for a disability he cannot control. This is what power does. It takes groups of people who should be allies and turns them against each other, for their own agenda. Jayme Dawson said it perfectly — she knows precisely who had agency, and who chose harm. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/jayme-lawson-naacp-bafta-bbc-1236518590/
Exactly. I wish people would pay attention to what she and Wunmi Mosaku said about this, and aim their rage where it belongs.
Right. I’m sure the Tories who control the BBC and clearly did not anticipate the level of blowback are thrilled to have a scapegoat. Are any of them being individually named?
I’m glad he finally apologized. No one is blaming him for having Tourette’s, but say you have a spastic twitch and you knock someone over; you apologize for knocking them over and help them back up to their feet. It’s his response that left a bad taste in my mouth. There were children in the audience and that’s a word that should never be uttered, especially unedited on primetime television.
And this is how I came to my conclusion about this man, Tourette’s or no: he did not have a problem apologising to the queen or other people he had hurt as a result of his outburts, but for some reason, he dug his heels in and flat out REFUSED to even acknowledge the pain and hurt and humiliation he had caused to the people he said that word to in person, or to people who would have been hurt, and yes, harmed, even triggered, by hearing that word on the broadcast.
That suggests to me that he did not think that Jordan, Beachler and Lindo were deserving of an apology, unlike others to whom he had readily apologised without prompting. Even now, he seems to have a real problem acknowledging them, their humanity, their pain. It’s as though he were uttering those words through gritted teeth. And in generalities. And with qualifiers before and after the “chosen words”. In true, throwaway fashion.
As Maya Angelou said: “When people reveal themselves for what they are, believe them the first time.” His actions spoke more loudly than his words, and the belated actions even more so. It’s still all about him.
He should have apologized much sooner, and the apology should have named the people who were harmed. I agree that apologizing for harm caused does not mean you are apologizing for your disability.
However. I am very dubious whenever I see claims that “no one” is trying to hold people accountable for having a disability alone, or that “no one” is arguing that people with disabilities should be banned from public life. That’s beyond disingenuous. Since this happened, I’ve seen people equate folks with Tourette’s having any type of tic in public that could theoretically cause anyone any level of discomfort with this egregious example of an internationally broadcast racial slur. Example: complaints that someone on public transportation tics out “shut up!” or moves in a way that’s distracting. Why should the other people on the bus have to deal with that? Sure, the disability isn’t the person’s fault, but that person should still account for the discomfort they might cause to others whenever they do anything outside of their homes, right? Never mind that a person with a debilitating disability on public transit is almost certainly in distressed circumstances and very likely homeless. It’s still ultimately their responsibility, right?
I don’t have tidy answers for a “solution” but I emphatically do not buy claims that people in power or the majority of people in general care about disability accommodations that inconvenience others. Least of all the racists who’ve co-opted this incident to pretend they care about ableism.
I’m not sure why you think that someone with a disability on public transport is necessarily distressed or homeless. I live in a city with excellent public transport and people with various disabilities who are quite affluent use it regularly.
Well, our perceptions probably depend on the region we live in. I live in a city in the southeastern United States where resources are abysmal and public transportation is a joke. And I work in a public library where I interact daily with people who require services that are difficult if not impossible for them to access and medication that they too often cannot afford. I am genuinely glad for you if all this sounds completely foreign to you.
SNL cleverly mocked specific celebrities and demonstrated how incredibly insensitive a person looks not only dodging accountability, but also justifying their right to offended others.
Imagine, instead of MBJ & DL on stage, two women were about to present. JD 40 rows back, micced up and shouts “Filthy B-words!” Then every time a woman walked on stage, JD shouts “Filthy B-word!” The social response would be not be as divided as it is now.
JD is championing himself, not his community. His actions are not building bridges to other marginalized communities. I’ll bet there’s some folks with Tourette’s that think he could’ve apologized.
BBC & BAFTA just want ratings. Very disappointed in Alan Cummings. Had much respect for him because he gave back his OBE back in the day.
ITA @Bluberri. They are all exploiting this issue for all its worth. And feigning innocence is not working. This is deliberate. They know exactly what they’re doing!
The UK people defending this guy on x with veiled or specific racist remarks was sad but not surprising. All he had to do is say “I’m apologize to both actors was my using a racist slur while they were in stage. It wasn’t done on purpose but that does mitigate its impact.
Oh how I long for the days when I had never heard of this guy. He said his piece and did his bit for Tourette’s. Now can he kindly retreat back into his life and STFU?
The way HE choose to handle this…is deplorable…plain & simple.
Yeah, he just always sounded so put out and petulant, and puffed-up about it. Like, he was just incredulous that anyone expected him to take responsibility for the effect his actions have on other people. I mean. My analogy is, you’re in a wheelchair, you roll over someone’s foot. Do you stop and say, I’m sorry? Or do you just laugh it off and keep going? It is possible to be disabled, and, a jackass. As this man has gone some way to prove.
This whole debacle has been very harmful for people with Tourette’s, IMO. I have a family member with Tourette’s. He has involuntary grunts and whistles, and sometimes physical movements, so he can seem odd or a little bit alarming to people who don’t know him, but that’s all. Never once has he ever shouted anything mean or racist to anyone.
The BAFTA situation has made me start to doubt whether some people who claim to have this condition really have it at all, or are just cynically using it as an excuse to be appallingly rude and demeaning to other human beings. Wouldn’t be the first time that someone faked having an illness to serve their own designs.
No, verbal tics are real, and coprolalia is real, even though the majority of people with Tourette’s don’t have their symptoms manifest that way. For those who do, it’s hell to live with. I agree that bad actors will use any opportunity to express hatred and bigotry, but I do not believe the answer is for the community to disavow people who suffer from the most socially debilitating form of this disorder. I can also agree that John Davidson did not handle the aftermath of this situation with the empathy it warranted while still acknowledging that his coprolalia is authentic and extensively documented throughout his life (including being physically attacked over his tics).
I find all the explanations and apologies unsatisfactory because they all seem performative. Let’s all apologize so that we won’t seem racist is my feeling. Delayed responses, taking two stabs at an apology, please, everyone is showing their actual colours. And the president of BAFTA? He is not a serious person.