BAFTAs Guest With Tourette’s Who Shouted Racial Slur Breaks Silence on Tics That Left Him ‘Mortified’

John Davidson, who lives with Tourette syndrome, is opening up after he shouted the N-word while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo (who are Black) presented the Best Special Visual Effects category at the 79th British Academy Film Awards.

The 54-year-old, whose life inspired the film I Swear, eventually left the BAFTAs before they came to a close, and the evening’s host Alan Cumming apologized to anyone in the audience who was offended but pointed out that Tourette’s is something that can’t always be controlled.

“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,” the activist said in a statement on Monday, February 23, per Variety.

“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,” he continued. “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,” he said.

Davidson added that the film I Swear, about a man living with severe Tourette’s, “more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome.”

“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,” he concluded. “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”

Tourette’s, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is a “neurological disorder that may cause sudden unwanted and uncontrolled rapid and repeated movements or vocal sounds called tics.”

The BBC — who aired the ceremony on BBC One — apologized Monday for not editing out the tic-related outbursts before the ceremony was aired. A spokesperson said, “We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

Robert Aramayo, who won the best actor award for playing Davidson in I Swear, told BBC News that Davidson was “ticking” during the ceremony, adding: “We have to understand that the way we perceive Tourette’s is a joint responsibility.”