Alan Cumming Apologises for ‘Trauma Triggering Shitshow’ at BAFTA Awards
"We all felt let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech," he wrote on Instagram
By Emily Zemler
Alan Cumming has apologised for how John Davidson’s Tourette’s outburst at the BAFTA Awards was handled.
“What should’ve been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering shitshow,” BAFTAs host Cumming wrote on Instagram. “I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed around the world. I’m so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.”
Davidson is an activist and longtime educator on Tourette’s syndrome, whose life story was turned into the BAFTA-nominated biopic I Swear. During the ceremony, Davidson shouted the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while they were on stage presenting the award for Best Special Visual Effects. Davidson’s Tourette’s causes involuntary tics, and he was heard cursing throughout the show, however the BBC failed to censor the N-word during its broadcast, causing further harm.
Cumming continued, “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.”
The host added that “we all felt let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech.” Notably, the BBC edited out Akinola Davies Jr. concluding his acceptance speech for Outstanding British Debut for My Father’s Shadow by calling to “free Palestine.”
Cumming concluded his post by congratulating “all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events.”
Davidson has since addressed the incident and said he privately apologised to Jordan and Lindo. On Saturday, Lindo responded to the situation for the first time publicly at the NAACP Image Awards. “We appreciate all the support and the love that we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend,” Lindo said. “It means a lot to us.”
In a statement following the awards, a BBC spokesperson said, “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
Cumming addressed the situation twice during the awards ceremony on Feb. 22. The first time, he acknowledged the “strong language in the background,” adding, “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
The second time, Cumming said, “the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended.”