Tourette’s Advocate David Johnson Endured 'Awful' Personal Agony Following BAFTAs Outburst

Things went from bad to worse for John Davidson following the 79th BAFTAs. 

The Tourette's campaigner's life was thrown into turmoil after he involuntarily said the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while onstage. 

Despite issuing an apology, Davidson has faced intense backlash. Adding to his troubles, he also suffered a personal setback upon returning home from the ceremony.

While dealing with the criticism following his outburst, Davidson returned to Scotland to discover his home had been burgled.

“I Swear” movie director Kirk Jones revealed that thieves broke into Davidson's shed and stole his bicycle, his main means of transportation since he does not drive. 

Speaking to The Telegraph, Jones recalled the series of events on that fateful award night, emphasizing the sudden shift in emotions Davidson endured. 

“One minute he's standing, receiving applause and appreciation and feeling like he's included and everything and welcomed. The next minute, he's having to leave the auditorium, and so many people are upset, and it's a social media storm,” Jones said. 

According to Jones, discovering the break-in only added to an already overwhelming situation, and he noted the unpredictability of the neurological ailment. “Any day in his life can turn out like that,” Jones shared. 

“It can be good bits, and then it can be awful bits, and aggressive bits, and upsetting bits. And that's just what Tourette's does. It's nasty.”

Davidson has since addressed the incident, revealing how he was deeply hurt by it while explaining that his condition was uncontrollable.

He detailed that the socially unacceptable words blurted out of him “like a gunshot,” and unlike others with coprolalia, he could do little to suppress his tics. 

He revisited that night, revealing the panic and shame that made him want “the floor to swallow” him after he discovered his remark had been heard clearly. In those moments, Davidson said his thoughts were consumed by fear of judgment. He further described the aftermath as deeply distressing. 

"I can't begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been as the impact from Sunday sinks in," he said, according to The Blast. 

Davidson also issued an apology over the incident while still emphasizing his condition.

As The Blast reported, the 54-year-old thanked organizers for acknowledging his tics during the ceremony and expressed gratitude to the audience for their understanding.

He maintained that his condition is not intentional and said he was “mortified” that anyone would assume otherwise. However, the statement did little to quiet critics.

Actor Jamie Foxx dismissed the explanation, calling the incident "unacceptable," arguing that there were other offensive words to say, but he specifically chose one with a racial undertone.

Online users slammed Davidson's statement for failing to directly mention Jordan and Lindo, the actors targeted by the slur.

Amid the backlash Davidson faced, the BBC, which aired the ceremony, acknowledged its failure to remove the controversial word from the broadcast.

Per The Blast, the network revealed it had edited out another offensive language but did not catch Davidson's comment. 

In an internal email to staff, Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips issued an apology. "I'm so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast. We understand how distressing this was," she wrote.

Phillips added that while attendees had been warned about the possibility of involuntary tics linked to Tourette syndrome, that context did not lessen the impact of the harm caused.

Meanwhile, Jordan, who was directly targeted by Davidson's remark, is said to be grappling with the emotional aftermath alongside his family.

According to The Blast, sources claim his parents were brought to tears by what unfolded onstage, describing the moment as one that reopened painful historical wounds tied to the Great Migration.

Insiders disclosed that the “Sinners” star was “disgusted and repulsed,” particularly as he recently relearned Black history for his role in the movie.