BAFTAs host Alan Cumming was forced to issue an apology after Sunday’s ceremony was interrupted after a Tourette’s activist yelled out a racial slur while Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.
John Davidson was at the BAFTAs after the film I Swear picked up five nominations, after telling the story of Davidson’s life with Tourette’s.
The disorder causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements (tics). While there is no cure for the condition, symptoms can be managed through treatment.
Eric Dane on Famous Last Words
Those with Tourette’s can also experience the symptom known as ‘coprolalia’, which is found in between 10 and 30 percent of those with the syndrome.
The symptom involves the involuntary yelling of strong language, which can include racial slurs.
Jordan and Lindo were on stage presenting an award when Davidson shouted the N word, while he could also be heard yelling ‘f*ck you’ and ‘shut the f*ck up’ during other intervals.The acting pair visibly paused after hearing the slur before continuing with presenting the award for Best Special Visual Effects, which was the first accolade of the evening.
Cummings, who hosted the BAFTAs at London’s Royal Festival Hall, issued an apology during the show after the slurs were picked up on camera.
The Traitors US host said: « 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.
« 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 apologize if you are offended tonight. »
The BBC, which broadcast the BAFTAs, later issued an apology for the ‘strong and offensive language’ in a statement provided to Tyla. »Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026, » a BBC spokesperson said. « This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard. »
Variety reports Davidson attended the BAFTAs with some of his cast and crew, while the floor manager is said to have issued a warning to guests prior to the show that they ‘might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony’.
The outlet also claimed the campaigner left the BAFTAs audience during the second half of the show on his own accord.Coprolalia affects one in 10 people with Tourette’s syndrome, and it means they will involuntarily blurt out obscene language.
The Tourette Association of America writes: « Particularly embarrassing for some individuals with coprolalia are involuntary outbursts within social contexts, such as racial or ethnic slurs in the company of the very people who would be most offended by such remarks.
« A minority of people with coprolalia have this particular problem. It is crucial to understand that these words or complex phrases do not necessarily reflect the thoughts, beliefs or opinions of the person with coprolalia. »
The CDC emphasises that people with Tourette’s cannot control their tics, saying many people compare it to ‘having an itch or having to sneeze’.
The website explains: « You may try to stop the feeling, but eventually you will probably scratch or sneeze and you will feel a little better until the urge comes back.
« When people try to hold back their tics, it can cause stress, and the tic may become worse. »
Who is John Davidson?
Davidson was the subject of 1989 BBC documentary John’s Not Mad, which followed him as a 16-year-old schoolboy diagnosed with severe Tourette’s syndrome.
He appeared in several follow-up documentaries as he grew up, and his story has been adapted into the film I Swear.
Robert Aramayo stars as Davidson and won Best Actor at the BAFTAs last night, beating out Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Michael B Jordan.
Davidson went on to be honoured with an MBE in 2019, and due to his nerves exacerbating his tics, he swore in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
He told the BBC: « I began ticcing and shouting and I was absolutely mortified.
« But then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was one of the Royal Archers, the Queen’s bodyguards while she’s in Holyrood, and a voice said ‘Don’t stress, she knows all about your condition’.
« That to me was huge because I’ve struggled so much with everyday life, with people misunderstanding, and if the Queen of the United Kingdom can understand and ignore the tics and the swear words then why can’t the rest of society? »
The 83rd annual Golden Globes was full of drama, including many borderline jokes made by host Glaser.
The 41-year-old comedian took aim at Leonardo DiCaprio and his history of dating younger women, as well as making a shocking joke about Jeffrey Epstein.
Glaser also turned her attention to Jordan during her opening monologue, where she discussed the actor playing twin characters Smoke and Stack in last year’s horror, Sinners.
The host jokingly said: « I can’t believe it, we got two Michael B. Jordans. When I saw that, I was like, Nikki B. Jerkin’, because that was awesome. »
Many in the room saw the funny side to the gaffe, but it appeared as though Jordan’s mother, Donna Jordan, did not find it amusing.Instead, when the camera panned to her, she could be seen awkwardly taking a sip of her drink as her son chuckled.
Glaser immediately acknowledged the inappropriateness of her joke when she realized Donna was in attendance.
« I’m so sorry. That should’ve been a DM, » she said.
The clip quickly went viral and the joke will surely go down as one of the most outrageous ever said at the Golden Globes.
Many fans took to X to share their thoughts on the moment, with one writing: « Somebody check on michael b jordan’s mom. »
Another pointed out: « Her face. »
Someone else said: « THIS IS THE FUNNIEST S**T IVE EVER HEARD. »
Donna spoke with Entertainment Weekly on the red carpet prior to the event and expressed her love for her son.
« Just his commitment and his dedication and his persistence to his craft, » she said of Jordan. « And the messages that he tries to share with everyone with the choices that he makes and the work that he does. I’m very proud of that. »
Jordan was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the Ryan Coogler-directed film, however, he lost out on the award to The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura.
However, Sinners picked up two of the seven awards it was nominated for – Cinematic and Box Office Achievement and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson.
Most outrageous Golden Globes jokes ever
An awards show isn’t complete without a bit of drama and part of that comes from the jokes told by the hosts – here are some of the most controversial gags from the Golden Globes over the years…
Jeffrey Epstein ‘didn’t kill himself’
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Ricky Gervais – who has hosted the Golden Globes five times – brutally told the star-studded audience in 2020: “You could binge-watch the entire first season of After Life instead of watching this show.
“That’s a show about a man who wants to kill himself cause his wife dies of cancer and it’s still more fun than this.
“Spoiler alert, season two is on the way so, in the end, he obviously didn’t kill himself. Just like Jeffrey Epstein. Shut up. I know he’s your friend but I don’t care.”
James Cameron’s marriage
While hosting the 2013 ceremony, Amy Poehler took aim at the filmmaker’s marriage to his third wife, Kathryn Bigelow, who was nominated for Zero Dark Thirty.
Referencing the movie’s controversial depiction of torture, Poehler said: “When it comes to torture, I trust the lady who spent three years married to James Cameron.”
Cameron recently addressed the ‘ignorant dig’ in an interview with The New York Times.
Judi Dench’s ‘m*nge’
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Unsurprisingly, Gervais makes the list once again, this time with his quip about James Corden and Judi Dench for their roles in Cats.
In 2020, he said: “The world got to see James Corden as a fat p*ssy. He was also in the movie Cats.
“No one saw that movie. And the reviews, shocking. I saw one that said, ‘This is the worst thing to happen to cats since dogs’.
“But Dame Judi Dench defended the film, saying it was the film she was born to play because she loves nothing better than plonking herself down on the carpet, lifting her leg and licking her own m*nge. [Coughs] Furball. She’s old-school.”
‘Diddy’s credit card’
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2025 host Nikki Glaser made a controversial joke about disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, before he was sentenced to 50 months in prison on prostitution-related crimes.
While addressing Zendaya, Glaser said: “Challengers, girl? Oh my God! That movie was more sexually charged than Diddy’s credit card, I mean, seriously. I’m sorry, I’m upset too. The afterparty is not going to be as good this year, but we have to move on.
“I know a Stanley Tucci freak-off doesn’t have the same ring to it. No baby oil this year, just lots of olive oil.”
Barbenheimer bomb
During his 2024 opening monologue, comedian Jo Koy was accused of making a ‘sexist’ joke about one of the biggest films of the year.
“Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies,” he said in a true tumbleweed moment.
Barbie director Greta Gerwig later reacted to the divisive remark, saying: “Well, he’s not wrong.”It’s only fitting to end the list with another outrageous jibe from Gervais.
While speaking about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’s famously long runtime, he poked fun at Leonardo DiCaprio’s reputation for dating younger women.
“Leonardo DiCaprio attended the premiere and by the end, his date was too old for him,” the comedian said in 2020 (he clearly took no prisoners that year), before adding: « Even Prince Andrew is like, ‘Come on Leo, mate. You’re nearly 50′. »
Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson went into full method acting mode to prepare for Creed III.
Both actors returned for the new Creed film as Adonis ‘Donnie’ Creed and Bianca Taylor and to prepare for their third stint as on-screen lovers, Thompson said they attended couple’s therapy together.
In the new film, which was directed by Jordan himself, Bianca urges Creed to go to therapy.
During a new interview promoting Creed III, Thompson explained therapy is a big topic in the film.
“I think the moral of Creed III is that all people should go to therapy because it’s something that I think really has helped Bianca, for example,” she told Refinery29.
Thompson revealed: “And finally, Mike and I actually went to therapy together. We did couples therapy.
« The line sometimes between character and us get blurred because we bring so much of what we’re exploring personally to the characters in general.
« So funnily, it was the first time… I’m probably saying too much.
« I’ll say it was an early experience in couples therapy for us both [personally]. But it was as these characters, which is very weird.”
Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson attended couple’s therapy together.
The Thor star said the experience reminded them both that attending therapy is a good thing for couples to do even if the relationship is ‘good’.
The colleagues also had time to reflect on their own ‘romantic things’ during the therapy sessions despite being in character.
“We were also reflecting on our own relationships,” Thompson explained.
“Since we’ve been making these movies for eight, nine years, we’ve seen each other through various stages in our own romantic things.
« So we know stuff about each other’s lives. We shared and talked about it. So therapy ended up starting at work and getting more personal.”
It seems all the hard work has paid off, with Creed III reeling in rave reviews and is scoring knockouts at the box office.
The sequel earned $100.4 million during its opening weekend, with $58.7 million earned in the US. This set a franchise record, with the film has scoring the best opening for the Creed series and the best opening for a sports movie of all time.
Michael B. Jordan also directed the third film.
Warner Bros. Pictures
The film begins in 2002 where a young Creed and his best friend Damian ‘Diamond Dame’ Anderson (Jonathan Majors) watching an underground match before Damian impulsively attacks a man.
Now retired to focus on his family, Creed reconnects with Damian once he’s released from prison and the latter shares his desires to relaunch his boxing career.
Machine Gun Kelly says he turned down an audition for Sinners over a derogatory word in the script.
The ‘Bloody Valentine’ hitmaker, 35, has many strings to his bow; rapper, singer and, more recently, actor.
From portraying Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee in The Dirt to appearing in Netflix’s Birdbox, you’re bound to have seen him on your screen at some point or another – whether you realize it or not.
Well, the star recently revealed he turned down an audition for Michael B. Jordan blockbuster Sinners, which, having released in July, grossed $365.9 million worldwide.
Set in 1932, the horror follows identical twins Elijah ‘Smoke’ and Elias ‘Stack’ Moore, who return to Clarksdale, Mississippi after years spent working for the Chicago mafia.
They plan to invest their mob‑earned cash in building a juke joint – a music venue meant to uplift their local Black community under oppressive segregation laws.Despite their best intentions, the brothers soon learn of a greater evil lurking in the shadows.
Turns out, Machine Gun Kelly – real name Colson Baker – was offered an audition for the movie, but ultimately turned it down.
He appeared on Thursday’s edition of The Pat McAfee Show (July 31), where he explained that he was would’ve needed to recite a racial slur as part of the screen test.
“Like ‘Sinners,’ I was supposed to be in that,” he said. “The vampire, they had me set up to do the audition – it’s the one that’s in the house, so he’s the second vampire, the one that the guy comes and eats the family. »
Baker is likely referring to the character Bert, a KKK member who is turned by Remmick, the vampire portrayed by Jack O’Connell.In the final version of Sinners, the role is played by Peter Dreimanis.
But Colson divulges that in the audition, he had to say the ‘n-word’ and ‘I wouldn’t do it,’ he adds.
“I have a lot of aspirations to be in movies, it just hasn’t panned out that way,” he continued, adding: “It’ll align. The angels will put something in the works.”
While Baker and Megan Fox welcomed daughter Saga earlier this year, Baker is also proud father to 16-year-old Casie Colson Baker, who he shares with ex Emma Cannon. Casie was born when Colson was just 18 years old.
In previous interviews, he vocally condemned rapper V-Nasty’s use the racial slur.
In a 2011 chat with XXL magazine, he explained how he could never use the slur, adding: « My daughter’s Black. My whole team, with the exception of one of my managers, is Black. It’s a subject you just kinda grow up and respect. »
An I Am Legend sequel is officially in the works, with Will Smith set to star and produce alongside Michael B. Jordan.
Smith teased the shock announcement with a post on Instagram, in which he shared a captionless image of a deserted New York street.
The as-yet untitled sequel is currently thin on the ground in terms of plot details, with a director yet to be confirmed. However Deadline reports that the film is set to see the return of the screenwriter for the 2007 original, Akiva Goldsman.
The film will see Smith and the Black Panther star – two of Hollywood’s biggest box office icons – united on screen for the first time.
I Am Legend remains one of Smith’s most iconic films to date, starring the Oscar-nominated actor as a army virologist Robert Neville, who finds himself in a deserted post-apocalyptic New York City as he works to develop a cure to a virus that wiped out most of mankind.
The film took $256.4 million at the US box office, and raked in $585.4 million worldwide, further cementing Smith’s position as one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
Since then a sequel has been floated a number of times, with the Hollywood Reporter writing that plans for a follow-up movie have been discussed since as far back as 2012.
Smith has previously spoken about I Am Legend as one of the highlights in his storied career, saying in 2015: ‘I’m obsessed with trying to put small character dramas into the middle of blockbuster packages… The most successful I’ve ever been with that concept is I Am Legend.’News of the sequel has been met with excitement by fans, but also a fair bit of confusion. If you’ve seen the movie you’ll probably understand why: Smith’s character was famously killed off at the end of the original I Am Legend, so there are understandable questions as to how they’re planning on bringing him back for a sequel.
One plausible answer to that comes in the form of an alternative ending released as part of a 2008 directors cut, in which Smith’s character survives to the end of the movie.
It’s possible that the film will follow on from the events of that director’s cut, rather than the original release, but with no date for the sequel’s release, it looks like we’re just going to have to wait and see.
