John Davidson spoke out about 'awful' Tourette's condition months before BAFTAs remark
Topics: Baftas, Michael B. Jordan, Film and TV, UK News, Celebrity, Hollywood
Ellie Kemp
Featured Image Credit: Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images
Topics: Baftas, Michael B. Jordan, Film and TV, UK News, Celebrity, Hollywood
John Davidson, a Tourette's activist who made a racial slur at the BAFTAs, previously spoke out about living with the 'awful' condition.
During Sunday night's (February 22) awards ceremony, Davidson shouted the N word while Sinners actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the Special Visual Effects Award on stage.
The actors paused briefly after the remark was heard, before continuing with their presentation, seemingly unflapped.
BAFTAs host Alan Cummings issued an apology during the show after the slurs were picked up on camera, explaining: "This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience.
Advert
"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."
But the incident still sparked backlash online and prompted the BAFTA Film Awards to be removed from BBC iPlayer.
Lindo has since spoken out about the moment, telling Vanity Fair that he and co-host Jordan 'did what we had to.'
Davidson was at the BAFTAs after his movie I Swear, which tells the story of his life with Tourrette's, picked up five nominations.
In an interview with the BBC ahead of the release of I Swear last year, Davidson - who began ticcing and swearing around the age of 12 - opened up about life with the condition.
"Tourette's is such an awful condition that most of the time I don't want to be the centre of attention," he said. "I want to be able to walk down the street and not be noticed because I'm shouting or swearing."
He went on to recall feeling 'absolutely mortified' when he began ticcing and swearing at Holyrood Palace to receive an MBE for his campaigning work in 2019.
Noting that his nerves made him more likely to tic, Davidson added: "Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the Royal Archers, the Queen's bodyguards while she's in Holyrood, and a voice said 'Don't stress, she knows all about your condition'.
"That to me was huge because I've struggled so much with everyday life, with people misunderstanding, and if the Queen of the United Kingdom can understand and ignore the tics and the swear words then why can't the rest of society?"
Davidson starred in 1989 BBC documentary John's Not Mad, which followed him as a 16-year-old schoolboy diagnosed with severe Tourette's syndrome.
Last night, Robert Aramayo, who stars as Davidson, won the BAFTA for Best Actor in the movie, beating Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B Jordan.