Additional Coverage:
- BAFTAs host Alan Cumming says ‘we were all let down’ after slur was yelled at Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan (nbcnews.com)
BAFTA Host Alan Cumming Slams Awards as “Trauma Triggering S—show” After Racial Slur Incident
London, UK – The glitz and glamour of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) were overshadowed last month by a deeply unsettling incident, prompting host Alan Cumming to label the ceremony a “trauma triggering s—show.” The controversy arose when Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson hurled a racial slur at presenters Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan, who are Black, during the live broadcast on February 22.
Cumming took to Instagram on Monday to express his profound regret and offer apologies to those affected. “I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world,” he wrote, also extending his apologies to the Tourette’s community for the renewed “lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.”
The incident occurred as Lindo and Jordan, co-stars of “Sinners,” paused briefly before presenting the award for best visual effects. Davidson, an executive producer for the film “I Swear,” which chronicles his journey with Tourette syndrome, has a form of the condition called coprolalia, characterized by the involuntary use of offensive language.
Cumming emphasized that the “only possible good that could come of this is a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgement about things of which we are not fully cognisant is folly, that all trauma must be recognised and honoured.” He added, “We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech,” and extended congratulations to “all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events.”
Davidson himself addressed the incident, telling Variety in an emailed statement that coprolalia is “one of the hardest tics to manage and can be very distressing for those living with it.” He stated that BAFTA had assured him prior to the ceremony that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast. Davidson described his tics as “aggressive” and unpredictable, admitting he “felt a wave of shame and embarrassment” after the incident.
He stressed that his tics “have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe,” describing them as an “involuntary neurological misfire.” Davidson clarified, “My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.” He also disclosed that he “ticked about 10 different offensive words” during the ceremony, including yelling “pedophile” while Cumming was discussing his sexuality.
BAFTA, in a statement on Instagram, confirmed that measures were taken to inform guests about Davidson’s tics and offered apologies to Lindo and Jordan. “We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy,” the statement concluded.