{"id":313801,"date":"2026-02-24T00:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/313801\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T00:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:05:08","slug":"john-davidson-deeply-mortified-by-involuntary-tics-during-bafta-film-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/313801\/","title":{"rendered":"John Davidson \u2018deeply mortified\u2019 by \u2018involuntary tics\u2019 during Bafta Film Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tourette\u2019s campaigner John Davidson has said he is \u201cdeeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning\u201d after he shouted a racial slur at the Bafta Film Awards on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

Mr Davidson could be heard shouting a racial slur as Sinners actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan presented the award for special visual effects during the awards ceremony at London\u2019s Royal Festival Hall.<\/p>\n

In a statement to the Press Association, Davidson said he chose to leave the auditorium early as he was \u201caware of the distress my tics were causing\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"EEMichael B Jordan was onstage when the slur was shouted (James Manning\/PA)<\/p>\n

Davidson said: \u201cI wanted to thank Bafta and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the broadcast, the awards ceremony\u2019s presenter Alan Cumming apologised for the language viewers may have heard.<\/p>\n

\"EEHost Alan Cumming issued an apology for the language viewers may have heard (Ian West\/PA)<\/p>\n

Referencing this, Davidson said: \u201cIn 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette\u2019s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the UK’s NHS, Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes people to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements, which in rare incidences can result in offensive language being used, that cannot be controlled.<\/p>\n

It says there is no cure but treatment can help to manage the tics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tourette\u2019s campaigner John Davidson has said he is \u201cdeeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[321,93,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-313801","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=313801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/313801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=313801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=313801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}