John Davidson, Tourette Syndrome, and the BAFTA Controversy That Sparked a Global Conversation

The 79th BAFTA Film Awards on February 22, 2026, produced a moment no one at London's Royal Festival Hall — or watching on television — will soon forget. Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, whose life inspired the nominated film I Swear, had multiple involuntary outbursts during the ceremony, including a racial slur shouted while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting on stage. The incident, and the institutional failures that followed, dominated the awards season conversation for days.

Who Is John Davidson?

John Davidson was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at the age of 25. His symptoms, which first began when he was 12, include tics and uncontrollable outbursts, often involving cursing.

I Swear features The Rings of Power star Robert Aramayo as Davidson, following him at the age of 25 after his appearance in a seminal BBC documentary called John's Not Mad, which first introduced Tourette syndrome to a wider audience. Davidson also served as an executive producer on the film. I Swear has grossed $8 million at the UK box office and will be released in U.S. cinemas in April.

What Is Tourette Syndrome?

The involuntary outburst of obscene or socially inappropriate words connected to Tourette syndrome is referred to as coprolalia. Between 10 and 15 percent of people living with the disorder have vocal tics that may include disturbing, insulting, or inappropriate language, including swear words and slurs. Crucially, these tics are neurological and entirely involuntary — they carry no intentional meaning.

What Happened at the BAFTAs

Before the ceremony, the floor manager introduced Davidson to the audience and warned them they might hear involuntary noises or language during the show. Davidson received a round of applause from the crowd.

A timeline of Davidson's outbursts during the first 25 minutes of the show:

Davidson left the ceremony around 25 minutes into the proceedings of his own accord and was not asked to leave by BAFTA. The outbursts could not be heard in the second half of the ceremony.

John Davidson's Statement

Davidson said: "I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."

Davidson added: "I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette's community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing."

Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and the Fallout

Lindo told Vanity Fair after the event that he and Jordan "did what we had to do" while presenting and added he wished "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards."

Despite the ceremony airing on a two-hour tape delay, the racial slur was not edited out of the BBC broadcast, drawing widespread criticism. The BBC later removed the outburst from its iPlayer streaming version.

BAFTA issued a formal apology, acknowledging it takes "full responsibility" and apologized "unreservedly" to Jordan, Lindo, and "all those impacted," while thanking the Sinners stars "for their incredible dignity and professionalism."

Robert Aramayo Wins Best Actor for I Swear

In a major upset, Robert Aramayo won the BAFTA for best actor for his performance in I Swear — defeating Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, and Michael B. Jordan.

Accepting his EE Rising Star Award earlier in the evening, Aramayo said: "John Davidson is the most remarkable man I ever met. He's so forthcoming with education and he believes there should be still so much more we need to learn about Tourette's. For people living with Tourette's, it's us around them who help them define what their experience is. They need support and understanding."