Tourette’s activist John Davidson breaks silence on BAFTAs N-word fallout
· The South African
John Davidson has broken his silence on the fallout from his Tourette’s Syndrome tics which overshadowed the 2026 BAFTAs.
In an interview with Variety, Davidson says he has felt “shame and embarrassment” when “my tics ramped up” at the BAFTAs.
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The 54-year-old Scottish man has lived with Tourette’s syndrome, a nervous system condition, for almost 40 years and was the inspiration for the film I Swear, a film he produced, that follows the story of his diagnosis.
According to Variety, Davidson says he has since reached out to apologise to Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Sinners’ production designer Hannah Beachler.
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show,” wrote Beachler on X.
I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can't find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.
— HannahBeachler (@HannahEBeachler) February 23, 2026
Davidson also called out the BBC for failing to prevent his verbal tics from ending up in the broadcast, which was aired on a two-hour delay, reports Variety.
One of his symptoms is coprolalia, which causes him to involuntarily say socially inappropriate words. The racially offensive tic was not the only one he experienced that night. Davidson shouted “f%$#” multiple times during speeches, including “shut the f%$# up” during BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s introduction to the ceremony, says Variety.
“Tourette’s can make my body or voice do things I don’t mean, and sometimes those tics land on the worst possible words,” Davidson wrote. “I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero. What you’re hearing is a symptom — not my character, not my thought, not my belief.”