At the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday, presenter Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their understanding and apologized for any offense they may have caused after a Tourette syndrome advocate interrupted the ceremony with profanity and name-calling.

According to Variety, John Davidson, the star of the BAFTA-winning biopic “I Swear,” experienced several uncontrollable outbursts during the show. He was heard shouting “shut the fuck up” during a speech by BAFTA president Sara Putt, and also shouted “fuck you” as the directors of the animated film “Arco” accepted the award for best children and family film. Later, Davidson shouted the n-word as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the award for best visual effects for “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”

Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson, here with actor Robert Aramayo, star of his biographical film
Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson, here with actor Robert Aramayo, star of his biopic “I Swear,” on Saturday, disrupted the BAFTA Film Awards with several involuntary outbursts on Sunday.

Karwai Tang via Getty Images

Cumming acknowledged the interruptions at two separate times during the ceremony.

“This may be part of how Tourette syndrome manifests in some people as the film explores that experience,” he explained. “Thank you for your understanding and helping to create a respectful space for everyone.”

Later in the show, after several more outbursts, Cumming apologized again.

“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you heard tonight are involuntary, meaning that the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you feel offended tonight.”

The interruptions stopped during the second half of the event after Davidson left the venue. BAFTA organizers did not ask him to leave, Variety reported.

Tourette Syndrome Advocate Experiences Uncontrollable Outbursts During BAFTAs
“I Swear” star Robert Aramayo called Davidson “the most extraordinary man” he has ever met while accepting an award for playing the Tourette syndrome advocate at Sunday’s event.

Variety via Getty Images

Davidson began experiencing tics when he was 12, but was not diagnosed with Tourette syndrome until he was 25. It served as inspiration for the film “I Swear,” which competed in five categories on Sunday.

Actor Robert Aramayo, who played Davidson in the film, was the winner of the night’s best leading actor award, beating Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet for the honor. Aramayo also won the BAFTA Rising Star Award and paid tribute to Davidson during his acceptance speech, calling him “the most extraordinary man I have ever met.”

“I just want to say to people living with Tourette’s that it’s the rumor around you that helped define what your experience is, so, to quote the movie, ‘You need support and understanding.’”