Tourette's activist John Davidson says he felt 'wave of shame' over tic during BAFTAs

Tourette's activist John Davidson says he felt 'wave of shame' over tic during BAFTAs amid fallout over racial slur

Tourette’s activist John Davidson said he has reached out to the studio behind “Sinners” to apologize to the film’s stars, Michael B. Jordan and Delray Lindo, after his involuntary tics at the British Academy Film Awards prompted widespread outrage.

Davidson is the inspiration for the BAFTA-nominated “I Swear,” which he also worked on as an executive producer. The film follows his journey after he was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at age 25, and the title is a nod to his uncontrollable swearing — a symptom of the syndrome.

During Sunday’s awards show, one of Davidson’s tics included a racial slur that he yelled while Jordan and Lindo were onstage. The actors, who are Black, appeared to pause for a beat after a racial slur was yelled before they continued their presentation of the first award of the night at the London show.

“I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe. It’s an involuntary neurological misfire,” Davidson told Variety in an interview published Tuesday. “My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.”

The incident has sparked widespread outrage from the film community, A-list stars and others online.