Piers Morgan has weighed in on the BAFTAs controvery surrounding Tourette’s sufferer John Davidson – hitting out at critic Jamie Foxx.
On Sunday night, John, whose life story inspired the film I Swear, was heard yelling the N-word while black actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first prize of the night at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
BAFTA bosses have come under fire for failing to edit out the slur while there has been divide on social media over who to criticise – with Oscar winner Jamie insisting John was involutary tic was ‘unacceptable’.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Piers shared an image of the I Swear poster and wrote: ‘I watched this movie last night. Incredibly powerful and inspiring…
‘Might have been wise for all those gobbing off about the BAFTA N-word saga to have watched it too before making so many shockingly ill-informed comments. I’m looking at the likes of you, Jamie Foxx!’
On Sunday, following the slur, Michael and Delroy did not react on stage, however host Alan Cumming later said ‘we apologise if it has caused offence’ and John made the decision to leave the ceremony halfway after several incendiary outbursts.
John has suffered from a severe form of Tourette’s since the age of 12, with the condition characterised by involuntary movements or sounds known as tics.
One of his biggest symptoms is coprolalia, which makes him involuntarily say socially inappropriate words or phrases, including when he famously shouted ‘f*** the Queen’ at Elizabeth II when he was awarded his MBE in 2019.
Despite there being a two-hour time delay on the BBC’s coverage, his BAFTAs slur was aired to millions tuning in on BBC One and could still be heard on iPlayer on Monday morning.
The BBC initially apologised for ‘any offence caused’ but has now admitted the slur should have been ‘edited out prior to broadcast’. The awards ceremony has disappeared from iPlayer while the BBC removes the N-word outburst.
John’s outburst has divided opinion, with Django Unchained star Jamie fuming on social media: ‘Out of all the words you could’ve said Tourette’s makes you say that. Nah he meant that s**t. Unacceptable.’
Charity Tourette’s Action said it ‘deeply understands that these words can cause hurt’ but insisted they are ‘not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character’.
High-profile celebrities, including Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi and US star Billie Eilish, have publicly spoken about living with Tourette’s.
A Sinners production designer also alleged she was subjected to Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs, adding that the situation was made worse by ‘the throwaway apology’ of ‘if you were offended’.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the BBC of making a ‘horrible mistake’ and called for the Corporation to explain why the slur was not initially ‘bleeped out’.
Jordan’s former co-star on The Wire, Wendell Pierce, also reacted furiously, saying: ‘It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throated [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.’
During the broadcast, Cumming apologized for the language viewers may have heard.
He said: ‘You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. If you have seen the film I Swear, you will know that film is about the experience of a person with Tourette’s syndrome.
‘Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you were offended.’
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional.
‘We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.’
In contrast, the BBC edited out ‘Free Palestine’ from an acceptance speech made by filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr after My Father’s Shadow won the BAFTA for outstanding British debut.
