BAFTA Awards, John Davidson Sparks Tourette’s Debate, Using N-Words, Shouting Slurs At Presenters

The 79th British Academy Film Awards, which are known as BAFTAs, were held on February 22, 2026, at the Royal Festival Hall within London’s Southbank Centre. While moments from the BAFTAs kept people in awe as the best national and foreign films of 2025 got the honour, a particular moment left everyone kind of shocked.

John Davidson sparks debate, hurling slurs at the BAFTA Awards

A global debate has been sparked at the BAFTAs, given to Tourette’s campaigner, John Davidson’s cursing throughout the entire show, which left the presenter, Alan Cumming to intervene twice in between the show. The incident has sparked a fierce debate online about disability, race and public accountability. So, let’s see what actually happened and why!

What exactly happened with John Davidson at the BAFTA Awards?

For the unversed, John Davidson is the inspiration behind the BAFTA-nominated movie, I Swear, and it was Robert Aramayo who nabbed the BAFTA award. For those who don’t know, John Davidson depicted the role of the Scotsman in the movie. Well, it was John Davidson who inspired Robert Aramayo for the role in the movie. Talking about what happened, it was John Davidson, whose involuntary outbursts at the award show ended up sparking a massive debate.

John Dacidson ourbrusted in the first 20 minutes of the ceremony. He was heard shouting ‘boring’ when the guests were taken through the housekeeping rules, even before the show began. After that, he screamed ‘bullshit’, as the guests were asked not to curse. BAFTA chair, Sara Putt made her introductory remark, and it was Davidson, who screamed, “shut the f*** up.” Not only this, but he left everyone gasping, pronouncing N-words as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting BAFTA for the Best Visual Effects of the movie, Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Why did John Davidson hurl slurs at the BAFTA Awards?

For the unversed, John Davidson’s outburst was involuntary. Before the ceremony, the BAFTA manager told everyone there might be some involuntary noises or movements, as John Davidson was being introduced.

On the other hand, as the language from John left everyone shocked, it was presenter, Alan Cumming, who twice mentioned that it was involuntary, while adding that it’s a part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up in some people. He further went on to explain that the person who has this syndrome, they have no control over their language. John Davidson left the show after 25 minutes into the proceedings, by his own accord. Alan Cumming said:

“Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”

For the unversed, John Davidson developed tics and uncontrolled vocalisation when he was 25 years old. Not only at BAFTA, John often talked about the tics being his embarrassment, which caused many unjust experiences in his life. Well, his outburst now divided the entire internet, with people saying that it’s understandable what happened, but it is still not justified for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo being called in that way in a room full of people. Thus, a public apology has been demanded. One user on X wrote, “Two things can be true at once. John Davidson having the outburst due to Tourette’s Syndrome is an unfortunate situation. However, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo being called that in a room full of their peers can’t feel great either. They deserve a public apology.”

What do you think about the global debate at the BAFTA caused by John Davidson’s involuntary outburst?

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