Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson has broken his silence following the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, during which he could be heard shouting several times, including using a racial slur while Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting the first award of the night.
John was attending the ceremony on behalf of the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, which tells the true story of his life living with Tourette syndrome and on which he served as executive producer.
© BAFTA via Getty ImagesAfter releasing a statement in which he said he felt "deeply mortified" that anyone would believe his involuntary tics carried meaning, John has now spoken in detail about the realities of his condition and the distress caused by the fallout from Sunday night.
He also revealed that he has contacted the executives of Sinners in order to apologise to actors Michael and Delroy and production designer Hannah Beachler.
What has John Davidson said?
In an interview with Variety, John explained that his condition, which he was diagnosed with at the age of 15, causes socially unacceptable words to emerge as involuntary tics.
"The guilt and shame on the part of the person with the condition is often unbearable and causes enormous distress," he explained. "I can't begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been as the impact from Sunday sinks in."
While some people with Tourette's are able to suppress their tics, John explained that his are particularly severe, leaving him with little to no control over when or how they occur.
"The guilt and shame on the part of the person with the condition is often unbearable and causes enormous distress."
"I have almost no ability to suppress, and when the situation is stressful, I have absolutely no choice but to tic – it simply bursts out of me like a gunshot," he explained.
John said he experienced around ten separate tics over the course of Sunday night's BAFTAs, before ultimately deciding to leave the auditorium and watch the remainder of the ceremony on a screen elsewhere. He also stressed that his tics "have absolutely nothing to do" with his thoughts or beliefs and are, in fact, the opposite of his values.
This is also something that is depicted in I Swear, and John recalled one incident in which he involuntarily punched his second mother, Dottie, in the face.
© Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesJohn's response to the BBC
John added that, having previously worked with the BBC on four occasions, including the documentary Tourettes: I Swear I Can't Help It, he had expected greater preparation around his attendance.
"[I] feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette's and worked harder to prevent anything that I said – which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage – from being included in the broadcast."
© Getty ImagesJohn's shouting was not omitted from the delayed broadcast, which aired around two hours later, and could also be heard on BBC iPlayer on Monday morning, according to the BBC.
An insider at the ceremony told Best Quality Designer Handbag : "Ahead of the broadcast, guests had been warned that John – a Tourette's syndrome campaigner – was in the room and that strong language might be heard."
John added that the reaction to Sunday night underlined the importance of people seeing I Swear, which aims to raise awareness and understanding of what he described as an "incredibly complex neurological" condition.
I Swear lands on Netflix in the UK on 10 March. A US release date is yet to be announced.
