About

The John Davidson Tourette Syndrome Controversy and If I Had Tourette's refers to online discourse surrounding an incident where Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson used a racial slur during the 2026 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) after Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo got on stage to present an award. The show's host apologized for Davidson's use of the word that night.

The awards show took place on February 22nd, 2026 and a video of Davidson shouting the slur went viral that night. The video inspired backlash from some online, who accused Davidson of being racist despite his condition. Others defended Davidson, saying he is not able to control his tics because he has Tourette's and sharing the belief that those criticizing Davidson are being "too woke." Some wondered why the slur wasn't edited out of the event, which was not a live broadcast.

The discourse surrounding Davidson also inspired ironic memes using the phrasal template, "If I had Tourette's X," in which participants follow-up the claim with a list of positive things they would yell if they had tics, rather than negative things like slurs. The memes criticize the idea of being able to control your Tourette's tics.

Background

On February 22nd, 2026, the 2026 BAFTAs took place. During the show, actors Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan got up on stage together to announced the winner of the best visual effects award. There is a silence in their speech, followed by a voice yelling the n-word from the crowd. Purportedly, this is the voice of John Davidson, a famous campaigner for Tourette Syndrome and the inspiration for the movie I Swear, which won two awards that night.

A video of the incident was uploaded by X^[1] user @BuzzingPop that day, garnering over 2.1 million views and 9,600 likes in a day.

That night, during the awards show, host apologized for the outburst by Davidson, saying, "Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you were offended." The BBC reportedly claimed that they would edit the slur out of the event, and apologized for not doing so in the first place.^[2]

Developments

John Davidson's Response

On February 23rd, 2026, John Davidson released a statement about his use of the word during the ceremony.^[3] The statement apologizes to those who were offended and attempts to educate those who misunderstood, explaining that he cannot control his tics and outbursts. The statement reads:

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 appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me. In addition to the announcement, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.

I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I SWEAR, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. 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.

Online Reactions

Backlash / Accusations of Racism

As the clip of Davidson's outburst went viral, some people online began accusing him of being racist despite his Tourette's.

For example, on February 22nd, 2026, X^[4] user @queenie4rmnola posted, "Calling Black men the n-word is racism. If John has coprolalia and can’t control the slurs he says, he should watch from a separate area, not in the main audience where Black people are exposed to slurs," garnering over 3,800 likes and 1,200 reposts in a day.

Later that night, X^[5] user @nosyone4 posted, "so they are saying he has a condition that causes him have outbursts, the worst he was saying was 'fuck you' until two black actors took the stage and he started screaming racial slurs…and we are supposed to accept this or get called ableist? LMFAO fuck outta here nice try," gaining about 150 likes in a day.

Later that night, X^[6] user @TSDmemes posted an edit of Davidson wearing a Burger King crown, a reference to the viral JetBlue Burger King racist video, garnering over 1,500 likes in a day.

The claims that Davidson's outburst was rooted in racism were highly pushed back against by others. For example, on February 22nd, TikToker^[7] @sh4ysgrwm, a Black woman with Tourette syndrome, posted a video giving her take and ultimately defending Davidson, garnering over 500,000 views in a day.

On February 23rd, X^[8] user @ansamenow posted, "Actually cannot believe people are calling for a man to be institutionalised and separated from society because he has Tourette’s. I’m so sick of you weird bitches. I really hope these people don’t have people with disabilities in their lives," garnering over 3,000 likes in under a day.

"If I Had Tourette's" Memes

As Davidson's outburst went viral, X users started posting memes about the tics they would use if they had Tourette's. The meme jokes about the idea of being able to control your tics.

On February 23rd, 2026, X^[9] user @feraljokes posted a version of the meme reading, "If I had tourrettes it would only cause me to yell productive things that help the community like information about local mutual aid organizations," garnering over 28,000 likes in under a day.

Later that day, X^[10] user @quirked_up_anzu posted a version of the meme that gained over 18,000 likes and 1,100 reposts in under a day.

Search Interest

External References