John Davidson shouting the N word during the BAFTAS

[Crawse]

John Davidson has Tourettes and is a campaigner for the condition. Whist Michale B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting he shouted out the racial slur. It’s extremely uncomfortable to watch. I feel terrible for the two presenters. I’m really conflicted on this one.

What are your thoughts?

No one should be subjected to abuse. That is my bottom line. Maybe the fact I was called P*** (I’m half Indian) growing up has influenced my views. I obviously recognise Tourette’s is involuntary.

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/22/entertainment/baftas-2026-tourettes-racist-slur

I'd imagine most people know the N word and know it would be awful to shout at someone black. You included I imagine?

Are you suggesting that knowing the N word and knowing it's wrong to use is racist in and of itself?

Look back at this thread a considerable number of posters have argued the word should not cause offence as the black actors should understand there was no abusive intent behind the word.

You obviously have understood NOTHING about Tourette’s. What you’re suggesting is tantamount to asking a person with epilepsy to please mind out and sit down carefully before they have a seizure.

But everything can be a trigger point for people with tourettes. Unless he avoids people in general, he will never avoid causing offence at points.

So I guess we need two checks here

a) are words as hurtful as physical violence

b) if the disability meant the person can be involuntarily violent to others, would they be allowed to attend (and then think about measures to prevent hurting others if attending, in the respective scenarios)

To be honest, I actually wouldn't want to be around someone who verbally abuses me, so while I wouldn't expect him to curtail his life, I would avoid him. Equally, I wouldn't want to be around someone who had a compulsion to hit people, or (as someone said above) a compulsion to masturbate or take off their clothes in public.

Just because someone has an illness that means they can't help their actions, that doesn't mean that you have to suffer through their upsetting behaviour.

Surely the point is that you can’t exclude him from any particular bit, because whatever bit he attends is likely to trigger a tic. The tic might be different but it will be the most unpleasant thing it is possible to say at that moment. That’s how the condition works.

But it demonstrates they had the ability to edit it out for the sake of all involved. His other tics were removed from the live broadcast so why not this one? Cynically i suppose it has boosted the exposure of the BAFTAs, how many people commenting would even know the awards happened otherwise?

Some people really would be happy to see madhouses reintroduced, wouldn't they.

I have no idea what kind if time he was having or if he regrets going.

This man has lived with this condition his whole life.

He doesn't have a moment without it, unlike an alcoholic who can and will be sober, or wouldn't be able to drink if there was no alcohol at the event or can choose to go to rehab to get help.

There is no break or choice around tourettes.

So you think he needs to stay away from any situation where he might encounter a black or brown person. How do you envision that working exactly? Should he never leave his house, wear a blindfold, require black and brown people to announce where they are at all times so he can avoid them?

So everyone else must just sit there and be verbally abused? How is that fair?

Don't you think encouraging him to go has caused far more stress in his life? He left early because it was impossible for him. The whole thing was a huge mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life.

Thankfully you don't have to suffer around him.

Should you happen to interact with someone in public who has tourettes I hope you would have a modicum of understanding that the 10 second impact on your life if being called a slur is not compatible to living with this condition in any way.

Someone upthread asked where the racist comments were. Maybe not completely racist but yeah, disturbing to me.
They are:
Saying the N word is fine because some black people use it.
Saying MBJ and DL use it towards each other ( how do you know that?)

Saying older people should get used to the N word because they are not 6- year-olds.
Calling PoC who object to this " professionally offended"
Saying the two actors are handsome and wealthy so it's fine.

Of course, plenty of ableism too.
Maybe we can agree the BBC shouldn't have aired it?

I think people should educate themselves and understand that nobody chooses to have a disability, and that as a society we should be as welcoming and understanding of all people, regardless of whatever label you want to give them.

He wasn't abusing anyone. A link explaining his condition has been posted multiple times. Maybe read it.

I guess it’s their opportunity to demonstrate they are allies to the disabled community. I mean, it sucks, I get that. But it’s as clear an example as any I’ve seen about competing rights.

In a different situation, he is likely to shout a different slur. If he’s stopped from going anywhere where he could inadvertently offend then he has to stay home.

He is as like to shout the R word, the C word, there are many awful slurs and an awful lot of people to be deeply hurt by any of those slurs.

Which is why my ire is aimed mainly at the BBC's editorial decision as we can clearly see they were able to wield it to cut other things they feared may have caused offence to some viewers.

Whereas his tourettes that he lives with every minute of every day is just a walk in the park and doesn't haunt him at all.

It's fine though, as long as the public aren't inconvenienced by it it's all good.

Lock the disabled up again.

I never get the 'they're wealthy' comment about why people need to put up with abuse.

It's like Gervais 'joke' at a previous awards ceremony mocking Jennifer Lawrence for protesting unequal pay for actors because she was 'rich'. Like, so?

And what is the wealth level where suddenly you become an robot with zero feelings.

Being called a racial slur is not a “10 second impact” on one’s life

But surely you can understand that he doesn’t mean it! If I was acquainted with someone with Tourette’s then I’d know to just ignore all outbursts, I would not consider it to be personal abuse. I have to admit that I think it would probably just make me laugh and I hope that would not upset the person.
(please note that I’m talking about myself here I do not claim to speak for anyone else)
Maybe be we need to reframe it like that.

That's what the expert on the other thread says it is.
In any case, he caused harm, albeit involuntarily. And in the same week where I've seen another young black man crying due racial abuse, and the world and its donkey making excuses for the racist; I'm not about to exhaust myself going back and forth on this.

But the thing is - that’s your interpretation of his tik / you know it’s not meant as a slur but you chose to be offended .

Yes, well certainly the two hateful posters from earlier in the thread would.

I hope they've been banned now.

It will be used by the rest of the world as a slur and professionally define you.

No one who has not been racially abused will understand.