For three decades I have lived and worked with Tourette syndrome, and the debate reignited after a BAFTA ceremony last weekend where John Davidson, who has coprolalia, shouted an explicit racial slur while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan presented an award. The incident, captured on the broadcast and left unedited, has focused public anger on the event organisers and the BBC, but it has also reopened difficult questions about how societies should accommodate neurological differences. My own experience — avoiding in-person appearances and fearing that visible tics overshadow my reporting — illustrates the personal cost of those questions. The BAFTAs episode exposed the practical and moral tensions between protecting people from harm and including those whose involuntary symptoms can cause that harm.
Key takeaways
- At the BAFTAs on the weekend of 21–23 February 2026, John Davidson, who has coprolalia, emitted a racial slur while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were presenting; the clip aired and was not edited out.
- Coprolalia affects roughly 10% of people with Tourette syndrome; most people with TS do not involuntarily swear.
- The controversy has focused on organisers and the BBC for broadcast choices, and on reports that a performer’s political reference was removed while the slur remained.
- Public reaction has been divided: some call for accountability and exclusion from high-profile stages, others emphasize compassion and the involuntary nature of the condition.
- People with visible tics regularly limit public engagement; the author reports avoiding in-person interviews and public panels to limit embarrassment and disruption.
- Tourette symptoms commonly begin around age seven and often peak in severity between ages 10 and 12, making adolescence a particularly vulnerable time.
- The BAFTAs case highlights a wider tension: how to reconcile disability inclusion with the imperative to protect audiences from harm and discrimination.
Background
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by motor and vocal tics. The clinical onset usually occurs in childhood, around age seven, and many people experience the most pronounced tics in early adolescence; some symptoms improve in adulthood. Public understanding of TS has long been skewed toward the dramatic minority symptom of coprolalia — involuntary swearing — even though that manifestation affects about 10% of those diagnosed.
Historically, TS has been stigmatized and misunderstood. Early descriptions, including those by Georges Gilles de la Tourette in the 19th century, mistakenly framed tics as moral failings or behavioral problems. Contemporary advocacy and research have reframed the disorder as neurological, but social attitudes lag behind clinical knowledge. That gap shapes how workplaces, schools, and public events decide whether and how to accommodate people with visible or disruptive symptoms.
Main event
At the BAFTA awards ceremony held the weekend before 26 February 2026, John Davidson, a public figure known for campaigning about TS, appeared on stage and emitted a racist slur while actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan presented a prize. The audio reached viewers and attendees, and the broadcast retained the moment. Organisers later apologised for the disruption but faced criticism for not addressing the targeted performers directly.
After the broadcast, the backlash split across several fronts. Critics attacked the decision to air the slur and questioned editorial choices; reports also surfaced that a separate reference — described as a “Free Palestine” remark by one presenter — had been removed from the televised edit while the slur stayed in. That apparent inconsistency intensified demands for clearer accountability from producers and the BBC.
Some commentators and public figures reacted by doubting the involuntary nature of the remark. Oscar winner Jamie Foxx was quoted expressing scepticism of Davidson’s claim that the words were involuntary. Others — including people who themselves have coprolalia — urged empathy and underscored that the condition can force unacceptable words from the body without intent.
Within disability and anti-racism communities, the incident prompted a fraught exchange: Black attendees and viewers emphasized the harm caused by the slur and the need for direct apologies and reparative action, while disability advocates warned against using neurological disorder as a shield for racist language. The result was an intense and public debate about responsibility, inclusion, and safety in shared spaces.
Analysis & implications
The BAFTAs episode forces a collision between two legitimate social objectives: reducing stigma for people with disabilities and protecting historically marginalised groups from hate and harm. Inclusion policies that aim to bring disabled people into public life will sometimes encounter scenarios where involuntary behaviours inflict harm on others. There is no simple policy solution that protects everyone in every circumstance.
One approach some organisations consider is pre-emptive risk assessment: evaluating whether a person’s presence plus their likely symptoms could cause harm in a specific setting, and then planning accommodations or limits. Applied without care, such assessments can easily become exclusionary: they risk pushing people with visible symptoms out of public life to avoid discomfort rather than addressing systemic attitudes or creating supports.
Conversely, insisting that all involuntary acts be excused on medical grounds ignores the real cost to individuals who are targeted by slurs or other offensive statements. For Black artists at the BAFTAs, the impact of the slur was immediate and deeply personal; their demand for a direct apology and institutional accountability reflects long-standing patterns of racial harm that cannot be subordinated to an expanded definition of inclusion without consequence.
Practically, event organisers must develop clearer protocols: pre-screening and briefing, on-site mediation plans, rapid-response editorial decisions for broadcasts, and support for affected attendees. Legal and ethical frameworks may need updating to reconcile disability rights, anti-discrimination obligations, and public-safety concerns in high-profile cultural events.
Comparison & data
| Metric | Typical value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coprolalia prevalence among TS | ~10% | Estimates vary; coprolalia is uncommon but highly visible |
| Usual age of onset | ~7 years | Symptoms often peak in early adolescence (10–12 years) |
| Adult course | Many see reduction | Severity often declines for many people by adulthood |
The table summarises established clinical figures used in public health literature and clinical summaries. While coprolalia attracts the most attention, it is a minority presentation; the more typical TS experience involves motor tics and non-obscene vocalisations. Policy responses that focus only on the most visible cases risk misunderstanding the condition’s diversity.
Reactions & quotes
The immediate public response mixed outrage, calls for accountability, and appeals for compassion toward people with TS. Opinions fell along lines shaped by personal experience of racism and disability.
“Nah he meant that shit.”
Jamie Foxx (actor)
Foxx’s blunt remark exemplified a view shared by many who believed the slur carried intent rather than being purely involuntary. That reaction heightened calls for direct apologies to the targeted individuals rather than generic statements to audiences.
“Davidson shouldn’t be invited to these spaces because he’s had these outbursts before and it puts everyone in an awkward position.”
Jemele Hill (journalist)
Journalist Jemele Hill’s comment, widely circulated on social media, captured frustration that inclusion decisions can sometimes prioritise one person’s presence over the comfort and dignity of others — especially when there is a history of similar incidents.
Supporters of Davidson emphasised the involuntary nature of coprolalia and urged compassion rather than condemnation.
Disability advocates / people with coprolalia
These responses reminded observers that people with coprolalia can themselves be targets of stigma and may face exclusion or public humiliation for symptoms beyond their control.
Unconfirmed
- Reports that producers intentionally cut a “Free Palestine” reference while retaining the racial slur have circulated; the motive and editorial process remain unclear and unverified publicly.
- Whether John Davidson intended the slur in any way is contested; intent has not been established and remains a matter of interpretation and dispute.
- Claims that the broadcast decision reflected institutional bias have been asserted in commentary but lack direct, independently verified evidence of deliberate editorial preference.
Bottom line
The BAFTAs incident exposed a painful dilemma at the intersection of disability accommodation and protecting people from hate. Inclusion is a vital social aim, but inclusion that ignores the emotional and safety needs of groups repeatedly targeted by racist language risks reproducing harm. Decisions about who is invited, how events are managed, and what appears on broadcast must consider a wide range of harms and the lived realities of all participants.
Moving forward requires transparent editorial policies, pre-event risk assessment that avoids blanket exclusion, and stronger on-site supports and apologies directed to harmed individuals when incidents occur. That combination can help balance compassion for people with neurological differences and accountability when public speech inflicts tangible harm.