BAFTAs host Alan Cumming thanked attendees for their “understanding” after Tourette’s syndrome activist John Davidson called Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindon the n-word, an involuntary outburst that was picked up by microphones in the room, multiple outlets reported.
Davidson, whose symptoms also include tics he cannot control, was also captured shouting that BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s opening comments were “boring” before he told her to “f–k off.”
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background there, this can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming told the crowd. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
The 2025 Scottish film “I Swear” explores Davidson’s life with the condition. Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome when he was 25, was also featured in the 1989 documentary “John’s Not Mad.”
“Sometimes the way a Tourette’s mind works is our mind works so quick so constantly the whole time we’re in a place, we’re scanning round the place looking for information, looking about,” Davidson explained an interview with the BBC last year. “We notice things that we shouldn’t really need to notice, so it’s like everyone, everything is overloaded, sensory overload.”
Davidson also explained that documentaries and activism help him communicate what living with Tourette’s is like to others.
“It’s taking me to a world stage and talking to so many more people about the condition. It’s not just going to raise awareness I believe; I believe it’s going to become a movement, it’s going to become a catalyst for other people with Tourette’s to join on the campaign and get awareness out there and get more understanding out there and get people talking about Tourette’s,” he said.
