Alan Cumming speaks out on the Tourette's controversy at the 2026 BAFTA Awards.
'International Scandal': Alan Cumming Slams BAFTA Leadership Over Tourette’s Fiasco
Actor Alan Cumming has recently said that he is unwilling to work with BAFTA again as he was not warned in advance that attendee John Davidson, who has Tourette's syndrome, was likely to shout involuntary slurs during the February 23 ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Cumming, who hosted the ceremony, said he was given no preparation before reading an on-air apology and only understood the gravity of what had occurred after rewatching the broadcast.
He mentioned that had he been warned about the same, he would have added more seriousness to his apology to emphasize the severity of the incurable syndrome.
Alan Cumming Shares His View on the John Davidson Controversy at the BAFTAs
Alan Cumming issued an apology for John Davidson's involuntary tics during the 2026 BAFTA Awards.
Cumming spoke about the incident during a recent interview with The Times magazine.
"It was an international scandal. Then poor John gave this interview, saying, 'I'm not a racist. I called Alan Cumming a p********e too,'" Cumming said.
Upon hearing Davidson's statement, Cumming remarked, “Oh great! He’s equal opportunities and my name and ‘p********e’ were in the same sentences all over the world.”
Cumming said he was unaware during the ceremony of exactly what Davidson had shouted. "I had a thing in my ear and you can't hear very specifically what's happening," the actor said.
He added that neither presenter Delroy Lindo nor Michael B. Jordan would have clearly heard the slur either. "They were probably just, like, 'Well, there's someone shouting in the audience,'" Cumming said.
The actor stated that he was only told to read an apology from the teleprompter and was not informed of the nature of what Davidson had said.
"I didn't do it with the gravitas and tone I would have used had I known. That p***ed me off," he said. "It was bad, bad, bad, bad leadership," he added.
'You Could Say They Didn't Know, But They Clearly Did'
Cumming said neither he nor the audience was warned beforehand about Davidson's condition. He added BAFTA leadership told him only that "there'll be noise." The actor mentioned that he was not satisfied with that explanation.
"You could say they didn't know, but they clearly did, because apparently John had said the n-word at a party the day before. They were thinking of shouting at me during the dress rehearsal to see what I'd do, but they didn't," Cumming said.
Tourette’s syndrome activist John Davidson shouted a racial slur at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo during the 2026 BAFTA Awards.
During the ceremony, when Jordan and Lindo were presenting the award for Best Visual Effects, Davidson shouted a racial slur at them. Both presenters appeared shaken but continued with the ceremony.
Following this, Cumming addressed the incident from the stage, telling the audience that the "strong language" they could hear was from a person with Tourette's syndrome, and that the biographical film I Swear explores the experiences of someone living with the condition.
Davidson had several tics during the ceremony, which included shouting curses during the introductory speech by BAFTA Chair Sara Putt.