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

Ok, so not only is racial abuse fine if it comes via a Tourette’s tic but if you object to this then you’re deserving of further abuse on top.

Lovely.

How many times - the remarks from tics of Tourette’s sufferers are not intentional, they are not meant and not offensive. Therefore there is no offence needed

That POC doesn’t get a “always right” pass just because they’re black. Like anyone else the best thing to do is explain the other child has Tourette’s and can’t help it, and isn’t that sad. Rather than participate in some sort of oppression olympics that helps no one

BTW the way you describe what happened on here is incorrect

Racial abuse is never fine. This was not racial abuse though. Refusal to see that is ableism.

Thank you. A very sensible post!

If you’re ableist (which you have been) you deserve to be called out for it

He can’t change his disability any more than someone of colour can change their skin.

Of course he used a racist word, but it is part of his disability and he can’t control it. Part of his disability also means he told the Queen to Fuck off.

People really need to educate themselves about his disability. He is getting so much abuse and all he has ever tried to do is highlight the disability and educate people around the symptoms and difficulties that people have. He has been hospitalised by people who beat him up because of something he said that is totally out of his control. He was suicidal at one point and now he is having people bully him yet again because of his disability.

Anyone having a go at him or what he said should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

Language that comes from a Tourette’s tic is never abuse.

You clearly don’t understand the distinction, but that’s a you problem.

Most people get it.

Can you please stop this pile on @Forgetnotyet ?

She KNOWS it was unintentional.

You don't need to keep bleating on about it.

She doesn't know it's unintentional if she's calling it racist abuse.
And there you are with the "bleating" again.

She has not been ableist, she has consistently said she knows the swearing was unintentional. She has simply made the point that for the person hearing the slur, it's racial abuse. You can see this from the way Jordan and Lindo's faces fall when they hear the word.

This pile on by the 94% is unseemly.

Perhaps @Forgetnotyet should stop bleating on about “racial abuse”, when there has been no racial abuse.

It would stop the so called pile on.

Actually what happened was when a poster said her DD, who has Tourette’s, would likely say an insult in public, someone (who has never once said they’re black BTW) came on to say “I don’t care if she has Tourette’s id be offended”. I ask them if they weren’t embarrassed to be so think skinned.

No idea where you got the above from

You seem to operate from an incredibly fixed and hierarchical oppression stack, and probably consider yourself to be an empathetic person, but your empathy looks more rote than organic, and your oppression stack is incredibly fixed with no grey areas or room for nuance.
When people are like that and also set themselves up as some sort of progressive moral arbiter, their inflexibility can seem just as prejudiced as they accuse and insinuate of others.
I don’t care what reply you write, and I doubt you’ll reflect on what I say anyway, too ego bruising. Probably just accuse me of something or another like a latter day Mathew Hopkins waving his copy of the Malleus Maleficarum, but it’ll be a waste of pixels as I won’t read it.

Yep I read it, the poster said she wouldn't care if the child said she couldn't help it.

Even Jamie Foxx has said it's heard as racist abuse even though it's unintentional.

That doesn't mean people don't understand that it was unintentional.

People are allowed to feel hurt and know it wasn't intentional.

It makes me sad that the wonderful film about his life has lead to this unfortunate incident. Also makes me sad that a previously suicidal man is getting bombarded with hate and ignorance online. Hope he has support.

The fact you don't think white slavery is currently a massive issue for one

It’s not abuse.

You can't stop someone feeling offended. It doesn't mean they're going to charge you with a crime.

It is an interesting and important question. I think the N word is actually worse than other insults. It is so tied up in history with slavery and appalling brutality and lynchings in the US. Even now, many black
people are targets for systemic inequality and institutional racism. I am Asian and hate being called the P word. But for me it does not have quite the same historic connotations as the N word. That’s just my take on it, I don’t expect everyone to agree.

Anyway, it probably merits a discussion on its own. But I don’t think it would go well on this site so best avoided.

She clearly doesn’t as she keeps saying JD was abusive

And no, I always call out ableism

You think bringing up white slavery is relevant to this thread? I disagree.

Jamie Foxx said “nah he meant that shit”.

He clearly doesn’t understand that it was unintentional.

Just like the poster on this thread who keeps calling it “racial abuse”.

I have been on Mumsnet for nearly 20 yrs and I've never been so disgusted by a comment as I am by some on this thread.

Utterly awful, and totally ignorant to suggest that someone with this disability should be in an institution, or never leave their house. If you really want to know why people with tourettes can just train themselves to say something neutral, go and do some fucking research.

I am furious with the BBC that they didn't edit this out, they are the only ones who have anything to be ask of here. How dare they bring this kind of unnecessary and cruel attention to this amazing man who already has so much to struggle with.

John Davidson has released a statement saying he’s deeply mortified.
Poor man, what he does for Tourette’s sufferers is extraordinary, he has done 100x more wonderful things than the bigots on this thread, and ableist dummies STILL call him abusive and racist.

He shouldn’t have to apologise