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

The BBC has said they didn't hear the word.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/23/bbc-new-apology-bafta-n-word-controversy-iplayer

Kemi Badenoch- that well known lefty SJW and virtue signaller over a word with" magical powers"- has also criticised the Beeb.

I was specifically referring to the BAFTAS situation.

The way mumsnet would react to the sight of a physically disabled person presenting a BAFTA award and someone from the audience shouting “spastic” at them while they were onstage.

Or an actress having someone shout degrading sexual things about her body, loudly enough for her and everyone to hear.

I suspect that if either of those things happened then there would be far more empathy on mumsnet for the person on the receiving end.

I live with a disability. I do not expect others to absorb the impact of some of the unintentional consequences of my disability.

I also don't have to feel how anyone says I should feel about how racism impacts me.

If you want to live that way, that is up to you.

So if context is relevant, ie, a black person taking back the word and using it between themselves... and its not filled with hate..

Then why wouldn't the same apply to a disabled person with Tourette's saying it?

There's a LOT of wilful misunderstanding of Tourettes here - it is involuntary - the more someone tries to suppress a tic, the worse the eventual tic will be, and many (not all, by any means, but those who don't experience this will get far less attention paid to them) people with Tourette's will find that their brain creates a tic from the worst possible word/phrase that could be used in a particular context.

I think its awful the BBC didn't edit it - it should have been pretty obvious in a situation like that, JD was likely to come out with some pretty offensive, upsetting tics!

Some amount of whataboutery on this thread.
John didn't shout a racial slur, his condition did.
You wouldn't expect a person with Alzheimer's to apologise for forgetting something (maybe some of you would...). This is no different.

I wonder how many posters showing their ignorance of the syndrome, are the first to complain when the extent of any other disabilities are dismissed. If it had been a black actor with Tourettes, who said the exact same word, nothing would have been said. This isn't about the unfortunate effect on the two black gentleman, at all

John did say it and wasn’t arrested. What more do you want?

For black people to congratulate him?

Ridiculous.

It’s as if you don’t understand history at all. Remarkable.

So black people are "more" offended than other races? So the black band NWA, the first word of the original band name is the one shouted out. So just how are they offended by the word?

What if it was a gay person called queer or a disabled person called cripple... would they be less offended than the black people?

I really feel sorry for this bloke and everyone concerned. He can't help it. He knows how bad the word it, but clearly the illness selects words to be offensive. Hence one earlier poster who taught a lad with it who shouted cunt. The host should have immediately said something to explain andthe BBC should be hauled over the coals for not removing it

I don’t know the band, but black people can say the word, you can’t. Get over it.

What kind of history do you think people with disabilities have experienced? Freaks shows, institutions, experiments.

Exactly. People are falling over themselves feeling sorry for John. No ounce of sympathy for the people in the spotlight having racial slurs thrown at them.

Two things can be correct at the same time - John couldn't help it and the people on stage suffered humiliation.

You only have to read comments on online news about it, and it's emboldened the racists even further to add salt to the wound.

Do some people really feel like they have the monopoly on offence? It’s astonishing.

Slavery was awful, it was. Every single race on this planet has been made slaves. It’s still happening now for gods sake.

What’s that got to do with black people?

That poster was making the same tired old comment that the N word can’t be offensive when white people say it because black people say it too. It’s boring now.

Not had a chance to RTFT but if this hasn't been posted already, some may find it a useful watch.

Take a look at this video, 'john's not mad' share.google/2feBSHjemarnn2ykx

People are "falling over themselves" because he's a disabled, working-class man who has had a really hard life, and overcome huge challenges to campaign for awareness, and he's just been pilloried on the global stage for literally having his disability. It's gross.

It's a reference to the not understanding history. There is a long history of oppression of black people. I was pointing out people with disabilities haven't exactly had easy treatment in the past

Yep - Barbary slave trade for one. But everything seems to be viewed through an American lens now.

Agreed.

You only have to read comments on online news about it, and it's emboldened the racists even further to add salt to the wound.

Yep, and the disingenuous bleating of ‘But it wasn’t INTENTIONAL’.

We know it wasn’t. You don’t need to bray it.

Bit much like you not knowing the history of tourettes then.

So everyone else is "bleating" and "braying", but you're... what?

If it wasn't intentional and you all get that, marvelous. We can all move on.

I’m what way?

Nomas, you have issues relating to race it seems. Plus some victim mentality.

Oh ok. White people were enslaved too. So swearing at the obscenely wealthy Queen is the same as using the N word to black men. Makes sense.

She didn't take offence or play the victim card, so they musn't.

No, not at all, where did I say that?

For people to understand that Tourette's does not mean he is choosing to say what he says, and that suggesting he stays in his house and doesn't go anywhere for fear of offending someone is unacceptable. I'd quite like that.