The 2026 BAFTA Awards were supposed to celebrate the brilliance of cinema, but Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson became the center of controversy after shouting the N-word during a live broadcast.
The incident occurred while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Davidson’s involuntary outbursts, linked to Tourette syndrome and coprolalia, shocked the public and quickly sparked an online storm.
Social media platforms erupted with calls for accountability.
One X user wrote: “Tourettes or not, the onus is still on black people to be the bigger person. Michael and Delroy deserve an apology from BAFTA and John Davidson.”
Another added: “Two things may be true: Davidson’s condition is unfortunate, but being treated like this in front of his peers is unacceptable. They deserve a public apology.”
Others echoed the sentiment, insisting that Davidson’s apology should be “as loud as his interruption.”
BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed the audience, clarifying that Davidson’s tics were involuntary and part of Tourette’s syndrome.
While acknowledging the medical context, many viewers argued that the insult’s impact on Jordan and Lindo could not be discounted.
As the BAFTA buzz continues, the question remains: will John Davidson deliver the apology people are demanding, or will silence deepen the controversy?
