Disgusted at the shaming of John Davidson

[Lionlion1]

I am absolutely stunned at people choosing to criticise John Davidson - people on this site, celebrities and that the BBC are reporting neutrally on this as if there are 2 sides to the story. The guy has Tourettes! He absolutely cannot help what happened. I have had a family member with a different but related illness and life is such a struggle for people with such conditions. Absolute misery. In these enlightened times of disability awareness, people pearl clutching and casting aspersions at a Tourettes sufferer shouting an obscenity really need to grow up. As they say, there but for the grace of God, go I.

He shouted words, not as a racist slur but because his brain is aware this as the worst possible thing he could say and he can't control it coming out. Words. He is a real human being suffering this every single day of his life. He hasn't actually hurt anyone. It is a word and if people so chose, they could shrug it off as an involuntary tic and show nothing but compassion. The outrage is just disgusting. I genuinely cannot believe that in 2026, in an age so many people are entitled to and demand adjustments due to their own personal struggles, that anyone can dare publicly criticise a person with Tourettes for involuntary tics. The ignorance is just astounding. I know I am NBU. Just feel so angry at the idiots daring to speak out against what happened.

It wasn't predictable, because tourettes isn't predictable.

You said he shouldn't have been sitting in the audience.

Well he could say anything at any time and anywhere, so who do we keep him away from? Just award shows? Places with lots of people? How far does him being segregated from society go exactly?

I really wouldn't be suggesting anybody else educates themselves!!

Oh stop. Of course the outcome was predictable. He was put in a deliberately stressful situation, which the producers would know makes the condition worse. Everyone is now taking about the award show, which won't hurt ratings. He is the one really suffering as a result, which is a shame.

I now find the sanctimonious rather outdated shriek of “educate yourself!!” So boring! It’s a lazy lazy form of self righteous shaming

He is a huge advocate for rising awareness about tourettes.

He was there because the film about his life was nominated.

He wasn't there for shits and giggles, he was there because he's worked damned hard and earned a place there to witness his achievements.

And I don't disagree, I think he was set up and all injures parties could have been better protected. The backlash can't be fun.

“… he should not have been sitting in the audience”

This is a film about HIS life but you think he shouldn’t be there because of his disability?

What a disgraceful attitude to have.

Please search for some articles on tourettes and coprolalia

If you read credible reporting about the incident no one is critisizing him. They are critisizing the bbc for not bleeping out his accidental tic, and for not offering any context for why it happened. People were offended, but not by JD, they were offended by how it was handled.

Had the producers/organisers handled it correctly it would be a complete non-issue.

There is a lot of criticism of him online. Maybe not in the press, but Twitter is full of uneducated fools claiming he meant it and he’s obviously racist, some quite high profile as well.

What really bothers me about it, and I'm happy to be corrected, is that he obviously has no control over what he is saying at times so will shout /say very inoffensive or inappropriate words. That's the syndrome he has. But why is that word even in anyone's vocabulary now? From him it is an involuntary word that is offensive. I'm sure he wouldn't say that in normal conversation. But he has heard it from somewhere. Why is that word even spoken anywhere anymore. I think that's what we should be talking about. That it is still so commonplace despite being so offensive he said it. It's not like saying fuck or another swear word in an inappropriate setting.

Well you obviously know the word as well.

Why do you know it?

It's not in his vocabulary, it's an involuntary tic ffs. He can't help it coming out of his mouth any more than you can stop mind thinking.

You are conflating two completely different things. None of the actors were upset with JD, if you listen to what they say, they were initially shocked bc they had no idea who said it and why, and when they came off stage the organisers did not explain the circumstances of what happened. Tbh they handled the situation extremely well and did not engage or react, despite not knowing why it happened. It's a different thing to when you are expecting offensive dialogue in music or films - even if you don't agree with it. Hearing an unexpected slur directed at you without warning would be considered a threat by most people when they don't know what's going on.

Others were offended that JD's accidental exclamation wasn't bleeped-out, as you would expect in the circumstances. Although it wasn't intended to offend anyone, if you hear someone shout a word like that with no context and no warning, it can be very alarming. Again, that's very different to offensive dialogue being used in a film clip, even if you don't like it.

All it needed was more sensitive handling, and explaining to the people involved. It's really not about JD or the particular word he used.

Ugh, it's the usual FB and X bollox. Shit posts, trolls and political stirrers. Please tell me we're not taking any of that stuff seriously?

Sadly, many people do take that stuff seriously.

I'm Scots. I don't think I've known something to unite people in anger like this debacle has, it's been a topic in every conversation I've had today, with every person I've spoken to incredibly angry on John's behalf.

The BBC and BAFTA have thrown John to the wolves. Newsnight read out a disgusting tweet from someone accusing John of using Tourette's as an excuse, and then asked their guest (with Tourette's) to respond to that tweet. To see the BBC sink as low as that, ie to platform voluntary prejudice as acceptable, is just breathtaking. It's been a shameful race to the bottom, on all media platforms, today. Shame on the BBC for normalising the notion that people need to apologise for their existence.

You literally introduced the question of whose rights trump whose.

Doesn't MGK has a mixed race daughter?

I don’t know who this is, but my son has Tourette’s and he had a specific tic for about 2 weeks that involved the n word. He was devastated and refused to leave the house. He wouldn’t go to school, shop, or even the back garden. It was actually the point he refused to go to school for 2.5 years.

Anyone who doesn’t understand the condition should educate themselves. If he could have had some self control and cover his mouth instead , I think he would have.

In defence.

As a campaigner raising awareness of Tourettes, he might not be entirely disappointed at the attention this broadcast has received either...

Terrible for both parties. No one is right or wrong. It’s an unfortunate and unusual and cruel situation but it’s done now so what’s the point in rehashing it to death?

That said, I think that word has been given far too much power.