„Ich schwöre“-Thema John Davidson sagt, Tourettes Ticks seien „unfreiwillig“, nachdem er bei BAFTAs ein N-Wort gerufen hat: „Zutiefst beschämt, wenn irgendjemand denkt, es sei „absichtlich“ gewesen
https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/i-swear-john-davidson-deeply-mortified-shouting-n-word-baftas-1236670082/
48 Kommentare
Davidson:
> I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.
> In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning
> I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.
> ‘I Swear’ more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome.
Am I crazy or did he not even mention MBJ or Delroy in his statement?
I’m black and suffer from tics due to my autism and ADHD. Fun day to be reading Twitter and Reddit. I want to crawl into a hole and die
If he knows he’s going to shout the n-word at a black person giving a speech, isn’t it irresponsible of him to attend an event where he knows its likely going to happen?
Yes, I am aware that this is not completely fair to him. Them’s the breaks.
“I’ve got a golden tickettttt”
An apology to Michael and Delroy would have made this statement perfect. Disappointed that there isn’t.
[removed]
I think we should stop talking about this. The guy is properly embarrassed. Stoo
The way which we have fumbled this conversation is precisely why people stay away from these sociopolitical topics.
The reaction of rage before understanding is all you need to see.
Disappointing.
This guy has a legitimate disease, there’s literally nothing to see here.
Isn’t this stuff recorded with a delay? If so, I blame the editor/producer/director.
Sorry my man. The Internet has decided you are cancelled.
This feels like Cartman when he learns about Tourette’s.
As if he has to explain tourettes in 2026, people are so uneducated still.
He added later, „‚Fuck salt!‘ and ‚go count your dick!'“
The backlash from this is living proof that nobody watched the fucking movie that it’s about
This happened in my college class a long time ago. The guy couldn’t stop his ticks and he randomly shouted the N word. Then kept kind of saying it in pieces, like he was fighting with it. One of the students was unconvinced he couldn’t control it and was really pissed about it. Horrible all around. The guy with Tourette’s later spoke to the entire class to apologize and explain. Poor dude.
You know how hard the news is looking for a Black guy with Tourette’s right now?
The only real issue is nobody from the production speaking to Delroy or Michael
Why don’t they prerecord or censor it on tape delay? Probably nicest way to deal with it as he still gets invited and people at home don’t hear his outbursts.
Why is all of Reddit saying they too have tics? Autism is so hot right now
He should have brought his crying baby also.
Apparently he said it three times throughout the night.
“John is weaned off his medication and told by Dottie to never apologise for his tics when around people who know his behaviour is uncontrollable.”
I took 1 minute to go look up the NOMINATED FILM, and read about it. No spoilers but here we go.
Guys… do we need a lesson on Tourette’s?
So everyone should announce their “ condition” before going out into public for fear of being misunderstood. Maybe just carry a sign or wear a T-shirt describing your affliction. We need to get over our manufactured outrage and be thankful that we don’t suffer from the same fate.
This is mortifying and I was feeling really bad for him, but this is such a non apology.
A friend of mine has a tic. It isn’t verbal like his, but he has to tense a part of his muscles every few seconds. I asked him what happens when he doesn’t do it, and he said his heart starts pounding like crazy to the point where he just has to do it. He can’t control it.
The people who are going nuts and saying he shouldn’t be allowed in public (like MANY people in this very comment thread are saying) should be thinking a bit more on the downstream effects of that.
A lot of disabled people with tourettes don’t have the option of just sitting at home all day every day, even if that wasn’t an absolutely horrific thing to demand someone do. They go outside and when they do they occassionally have very bad tics.
Tics like shouting „I have a bomb“ or „I have a gun“. In fact this very guy have had shouted „I have a bomb“ in airports before.
Black people with tourettes have specifically spoken out about how much they worry that they’ll have a tic like that at the wrong time and end up getting shot by police for it.
The simple fact of the matter is that it is completely unreasonable to demand everyone with tourettes sit at home all day every day.
And as much as it can be uncomfortable when someone has these tics, they’re not actually harming anyone, and learning to understand and tolerate something that you will probably only encounter a few times in your entire life is a very small ask.
I feel so badly for all three involved. Shame on the BBC and BAFTA for airing this and turning it into a publicity stunt.
More than anything, at least to me, it seems BBC/BAFTA set him up and used it to drum up views/clicks/drama. Truly atrocious on their part. I don’t condone what he said though his disability certainly minimizes his fault almost entirely (though he should still apologize) but man how could people respect either BBC/BAFTA after that baffles me.
So why did it happen to happen when two brothers are on stage and at no other point during the broadcast.
And why is that *specific* word the tic?
I just have one question that’s been bugging me since I first saw this story:
Was he dropping the n-bomb when there WEREN’T black people on stage?
I feel like that one answer would answer several other questions I have.
What I’m getting from these comments is that if you unintentionally/involuntarily/accidentally etc harm or offend someone, you shouldn’t apologize to them.
Is it really unreasonable or weird to apologize for the negative impact you may have had on someone even though it wasn’t your intention?
No one thinks it was intentional- apologies are necessary regardless of intentionality.
If this is something that happens every time he sees a black person, without fail, then yeah, there’s no level of control to it.
However if part of living with this disease involves recognizing triggers and developing strategies to mitigate the effects then there’s seemingly an intentional lack of use of those strategies in this case.
Regardless, both require apologies.
These comments are something else. Peak Reddit action. I’ve never seen ableism this bad before.
Then he should have been intentional with a loud and public apology to the men and entire race of people that were offended by the hate pouring out of his mouth.
When you cause harm whether it’s intentional or not you need to be accountable for it. Telling people the equivalent of „I’m sorry you thought I was trying to be offensive“, is not accountability. That tells me everything I need to know.
but the fact that it was in one’s head…..since what??? birth?
Why was he invited?
Why go? Like if you think there is a chance of this happening you couldn’t pay me enough (well you could-but it’s doubtful you would) to go to this.
If there was the slightest possibility that I’ll shout the N word at the top of my lungs in public television, I would excuse myself and tell the organizers that due to my condition I would be unable to attend, but that’s just me.
Deeply mortified, we are
Just so I understand does Tourette’s make you yell out anything or yell out thoughts that cross your mind? Is it like a Freudian slip on blast or could it be anything and this was just a horrible coincidence?
Who really should be embarrassed by this situation is the BBC, which aired the BAFTA Awards on a two hour delay and still chose, for whatever reason (and I think we all know why), to include this moment in the broadcast. In doing so, they not only exposed the presenters to harassment but also put someone already living with Tourette’s into the spotlight during a deeply uncomfortable and humiliating situation that he has no control over.
No apology huh? His tics aren’t his fault, but it is his responsibility. And a part of taking responsibility is apologizing for upsetting others even if you did it unintentionally
I wish people would go and watch the movie I SWEAR, it’s honestly a great education and insight into the disability. It even goes over how he has racist outbursts, I feel so sorry for everyone involved but John must feel so bad.
Why that particular word, at that moment, to those people, and not to another presenter who was not black?
Conversations like this make it apparent on why the right can just trample all over in America.
It’s a disease and he can’t help it, but people are too busy looking for an apology they’re not owed instead of the context behind it. Stop clutching your pearls and focus on what’s important. It’s a word and there was no hateful intent behind it. (And yes im black not that it matters this is just a matter of using critical thought instead of reacting on your own emotion and world view)
It’s unacceptable that the host of the evening did not mention this Tourette’s fellow was in the room until an HOUR after he yelled the N-word at Michael and Delroy