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

Have you see the movie OP? JD has suffered terribly because of his condition & clearly can’t help it. Have a bit of compassion.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that the two actors involved could not give a flying fuck.

you have no right to speak for them

He can't help it. In the same way autistic people stim. He is disabled.

I bet you would complain if he claims disability and has no job as well

Not it isn't if there's no racist intent, and it's due to a disability.

If a person with tourettes shouted offensive words around my severely learning disabled son I would accept that person couldn't help it.

Because they showed a disability?

Please tell us what else you think JD should do other than staying at home and not appearing on tv

Do you have a disability, as it doesn't seem possible that so many people are explaining to you why involuntary noises and words from a disability can't be helped - but you are repeatedly not understanding. So just checking if there is a reason you fail over and over again with this matter?

Nu-uh.

Yes it was a racist slur but it didn't come from a bad place. He has tourettes 😔

There’s a few.

No I really cannot. You can educate people on a topic without having to expose them to racial slurs. You sound like the people who argue that rape scenes in films are necessary to show people that abuse of women exists.

And if you cannot see why it's weird to choose to edit out one term out of a desire not to cause offence but leaving in another despite that causing offence (and one could argue a far more offensive term) then I won't be able to explain it to you. I have a feeling you would still be defending the Beeb's editorial decision even if he said it completely intentionally.

I was once at work when one of my colleagues walked in (it was her day off) with a bunch of her friends

One of them stood with the group while blinking her eyes,clicking her fingers and shouting 'n-r!' (Im white) 'cunt!' (Im female) and 'you big ginger pube!' (Dunno about this one!) at me

I wandered over (as you do) and she immediately apologised to me saying she has tourettes and these where some of her tics

Im ashamed to say id never heard of it and she explained

Shes been bullied her whole life because of it-something she cannot help,its a disability

She (thankfully) has a tight knit group of friends who dont judge or bully her,they know her for the amazing girl she is and accept her disability as part of who she is

She comes in sometimes and we laugh about how im a 'big ginger pube!' (I've been called far worse!)

I've never heard of this bloke but he won't have meant it anymore than this young lady did

The BBC should have edited it out-if some random but non tourettes person had shouted out 'n-r!' then that would have been racist but a tic isnt and im sure hes horrified

I do feel for anyone who suffers

[Edited by MNHQ to remove a racial slur. Please don’t spell it out in full on Talk]

If a disabled person was disabled in your presence you would assault them?

Not surprising given your posts on this thread.

Neither do you!!!

Please stop embarrassing yourself.

Fucking hell. Any othe disability advocates you'd like to insult today on the basis of their actual disability? Maybe a wheelchair user you'd like to call a lazy fuck?

Yes, it's the worst thing he could have said, hence saying it. That's tourettes.

Actually. It’s not. Racism is a belief. Not a sound bite.

from the Oxford Dictionary:

racism
noun

/ˈreɪsɪzəm/

/ˈreɪsɪzəm/
[uncountable]

3. the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race; violent behaviour towards them

If you could control that fist then that would be utterly unacceptable and shows your complete lack of understanding of what involuntary means

the BBC was showing the event after it had occurred I believe - they could have edited that out. Punch the bbc

I'd expect them, as grown, successful, influential men, to have been shocked until they knew the context, then to have got over it. Affording them excess sympathy and assuming they can't understand the context in this situation is to remove their power and agency, which is pretty patronising.

I think John has also told police he has a bomb - the very worst thing you can say in that moment it what he tics. It must be horrendous. John comes from a small Scottish town and was notorious from a young age because of his disability. What he has achieved in awareness and education is astonishing. But nonetheless, he is an ordinary Scots bloke - he is not rich, good looking or powerful, he has no power or authority over wealthy, handsome Hollywood actors. In end his disability is far far worse for him than for anyone on the receiving end, who can walk away while he has to live with it every day without a break.

What exactly did you hope for, hundreds of comments saying ‘oh no, that’s terrible?’ yes it was a really uncomfortable situation which was handled well by the parties involved. What else is there to say? You have very disturbing disability discrimination happening on your thread which has derailed it, by the way.

I certainly don't blame John Davidson but it is quite unreasonable to expect black people to just accept being called the N word because they are 'grown men'