John Davidson made headlines when his Tourette’s syndrome led him to shout a racial slur during the BAFTAs.
On Sunday (March 1), the Tourette’s advocate took to Facebook to issue a statement regarding the moment. While he apologized for any “pain, upset, and misunderstanding” his syndrome created, he didn’t apologize for having Tourette’s.
“I’ve been waiting all week until the dust settles after the weekend at the BAFTAs in London,” Davidson wrote on Facebook. “I would like to thank each and every one of you who have shown love, support, and solidarity towards myself and the rest of the Tourette’s Community. Your kind words and support have got me through a very difficult week.”
“Whilst I will never apologies for having Tourette syndrome, I will apologise for any pain, upset and misunderstanding that it may create,” he added. “This past week has been tough, and has reminded me that what I do raising awareness for such a misunderstood condition, there is still a long way to go, and I will keep on keeping on until this is achieved.”
On Feb. 22, the night of the awards show, Davidson experienced several tics while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were co-presenting an award. Davidson, who’s the subject of the biopic I Swear, loudly shouted the n-word during a pause in Jordan and Lindo’s presentation.
The BAFTAs and BBC faced backlash for how they handled the ordeal, with many criticizing them for failing to censor the slur from the broadcast, which was delayed. The BBC issued an apology and said its Executive Complaints Unit is currently investigating the incident, per LAD Bible.
The BAFTAs also released a statement. “We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation, and we apologise to all. 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.”
On Feb. 28, Lindo addressed the controversy at the NAACP Image Awards while presenting the award for Outstanding Actress.
“It's a classic case of something that could have been very negative becoming very positive. Thank you so much for the support,” the star said as the crowd gave him a standing ovation.