Backlash intensifies over BAFTA’s N-word incident; Jamie Foxx, Wendell Pierce speak out

The controversy surrounding Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson’s outbursts at the BAFTAs escalated on Monday, with high-profile actors expressing frustration at both the incident and the Academy’s response.

Davidson, whose life inspired the film ‘I Swear’, was attending the awards ceremony where his film was nominated. During the broadcast, he repeatedly shouted, including the N-word while actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan were presenting the first award of the night.

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Jamie Foxx condemned the outburst on social media, calling it “unacceptable,” while Wendell Pierce criticized the Academy’s tepid response. “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t a full-throated apology to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan,” Pierce wrote. “The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”

Journalist Jemele Hill also weighed in, highlighting the broader implications, “Black people are just supposed to be ok with being disrespected and dehumanised so that other people don’t feel bad.”

BAFTA host Alan Cumming attempted to contextualise Davidson’s behaviour during the ceremony, explaining, “Tourette syndrome is a disability, and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”

Critics were unconvinced. Production designer Hannah Beachler, who also experienced a racial slur during the evening, described the Academy’s statement as a “throwaway” apology. “It made the situation worse,” she wrote on social media, “because it felt like an afterthought rather than a recognition of harm caused.”

A BBC spokesperson said some viewers “may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA film awards 2026,” attributing it to Davidson’s involuntary tics and apologising for any offense. Davidson himself expressed regret for the distress caused, stating he had left the auditorium early to limit harm and reiterating his commitment to supporting the Tourette’s community.

Tourette syndrome is a motor disorder characterised by involuntary vocal and motor tics, with 10-20 per cent of sufferers experiencing coprolalia, the involuntary utterance of obscene words or slurs. Even so, critics argue that the Academy’s handling of the incident – from the delayed broadcast to the cursory apology – reflects a broader failure to acknowledge the real impact of public racist language, intentional or not.