For the Tourette Syndrome Community, the BAFTAs Brought on a Familiar Dread-Like Feeling

The John Davidson moment cast a light on what advocates say is a condition too little understood — and on the people who don’t understand. Robert Aramayo and John Davidson backstage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on Feb. 22, 2026, in London, England. Carlo Paloni/BAFTA via Getty Images Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment When the advocate Jess Thom heard about a person with Tourette’s “ticcing” the BAFTAs, she had a familiar feeling: dread.Thom has Tourette Syndrome and when she got word of what happened with John Davidson, it brought to the surface many of the misunderstandings and confused reactions she has spent her life trying to fight.“There are a lot of myths and oversimplifications about Tourette Syndrome, and a global frenzy is not the best place to have a conversation about them,” the U.K.-based Thom, 45, said by Zoom from her home Monday evening as she reflected on the events. “And it’s all happening in a climate with increased hostility to disabled people, with threats to Medicaid and the ADA.” Related Stories Movies Tourette's Campaigner John Davidson Says He Is "Deeply Mortified" if Anyone Considers "Involuntary Tics to Be Intentional" After BAFTA Backlash Movies BAFTA Apologizes "Unreservedly" to Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo After Tourette's Outburst: "We Want to Acknowledge the Harm This Has Caused" Davidson at the ceremony engaged in “ticcing,” the term for when people who have Tourette Syndrome, or TS, involuntarily say or do something that can have the effect of making others uncomfortable. In this case, the executive producer and inspiration for the Tourette’s-focused winner, I Swear, called out a series of curses and insults, as well as a racial slur when Black presenters Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were on stage. The moment blew up after the BBC kept it in the tape-delayed broadcast two hours later and even for a time on a streaming replay. (It has since been edited out of the latter; the BBC apologized for “strong and offensive language.”)Thom and others in the community say the award-show kerfuffle raises the lack of understanding they feel has beset the Tourette’s community for years. Among the biggest misconceptions is over “oppositional ticcing,” which essentially involves saying the worst possible thing one can say in the room (the involuntary urge to yell “bomb” in an airport, for instance).“People don’t understand that it’s contextual, and that part of the ticcing is saying that exact damaging thing,” Thom said. Instead, people assume it’s being said because someone “secretly” believes it or is mindfully trying to hurt somebody. Thom founded the advocacy group Tourettes Hero, which, among other things, seeks to help people understand the background and also fights for disability benefits on behalf of people with TS. The U.K. TS charity Tourette’s Action sought to clarify this with their own statement on Monday as they also expressed disappointment with how the story was playing out. “[I]t is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions, or character,” the organization said. People with Tourette’s can say words or phrases they do not mean, do not endorse and feel great distress about afterwards. These symptoms are neurological, not intentional, and they are something John, like many others with Tourette’s, lives with every single day.“The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding,” the org continued. “What should have been a night of celebration for him became overwhelming, and he made the difficult decision to leave the ceremony halfway through. This moment reflects exactly what I Swear shows so openly: the isolation, misunderstanding and emotional weight that so often accompany this condition. People with Tourette’s manage their physical and social environments and symptoms on a constant basis. The price of being misunderstood is increased isolation, risk of anxiety and depression and death by suicide.”Another misconception is around what the medical community terms “coprolalia,” which involves the use of obscenities or other inappropriate words and gestures, which Davidson also engaged in. Though there is a firm neurobiological basis, people can react to it, advocates say, in a way that does not fully take that into account and believe there is some intent to shock.The New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams posted on social media Monday that his own experience with TS made him want to correct misperceptions. “As the