‘I Swear’ star Robert Aramayo calls for “more education” on Tourette’s after racial slur incident at Baftas
I Swear star Robert Aramayo has called for “a lot more education” on Tourette’s after the Baftas.
Aramayo beat the likes of Ethan Hawke, Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio to the Bafta for ‘Best Actor’ thanks to his portrayal of Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson in I Swear.
During the ceremony, Davidson, who has also been the subject of a series of celebrated documentaries, was in attendance and involuntarily shouted the N-word at Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan while they presented the Bafta for ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Earlier in the ceremony, Davidson also shouted “shut the fuck up” and “boring” when Bafta chair Sarah Putt delivered a speech prior.
The 54-year-old chose to leave the ceremony while it was still ongoing on his own accord, per Variety.
Davidson suffers from Tourette’s with Coprolalia, which only affects a small percent of people with Tourette’s, and according to the charity Tourette’s Action is “the clinical term for tics that produce socially unacceptable words”.
After his victory for portraying Davidson in I Swear, Aramayo, who also won the ‘Rising Star’ award, called for people to educate themselves on Tourette’s in light of the events that occurred at the ceremony.
The Hull actor told the press room (per Metro), “I’m just really happy that I Swear has shone a spotlight on something that is really, really misunderstood. I think that there’s still a lot more education needed around Tourette’s and what it actually is and how we all, as a society, can help
Aramayo went on to say that Tourette’s is “complicated and complex and it requires us to have grace”. He elaborated, “There’s lots of tics that people don’t see. There’s people who live with Tourette syndrome who you don’t know that they are because you think tics are a certain thing, but they’re not always like that.”
During the ceremony, host Alan Cumming acknowledged Davidson’s condition, explaining, “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
He also said later on, “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”
A BBC spokesperson has since apologised for the incident, sharing in an official statement: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
Davidson is yet to issue a statement.
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