The 2026 BAFTA Awards were meant to celebrate cinematic brilliance, but Tourette’s activist John Davidson became the center of controversy after shouting the N-word during a live broadcast.
The incident took place when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for Best Visual Effects to Avatar: Fire and Ashes.
Davidson’s involuntary outburst, linked to Tourette syndrome and coprolalia, shocked audiences and quickly ignited a firestorm online.
Social media platforms erupted with calls for accountability.
One user on X wrote: “Tourettes or not, it always falls to black people to be the bigger person. Michael & Delroy deserve an apology from the BAFTAs and John Davidson.”
Another added: “Two things may be true: Davidson’s condition is unfortunate, but being called that in front of peers is unacceptable. They deserve a public apology.”
Others echoed the sentiment, insisting that Davidson’s apology should be “as loud as his suspension.”
BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed the audience and clarified that Davidson’s tics were involuntary and part of Tourette’s syndrome.
While acknowledging the medical context, many viewers argued that the impact of the slumber on Jordan and Lindo cannot be dismissed.
As BAFTA’s buzz continues, the question remains: will John Davidson issue the apology that netizens are demanding, or will silence deepen the controversy?
