A reality TV personality who lives with Tourette’s has spoken out in defence of John Davidson after he drew criticism for shouting a racist slur during the BAFTAs.
Baylen Dupree, who stars in TLC’s Baylen Out Loud, was diagnosed with Tourette’s at 17 and has previously described living with the condition as “terrifying”.
Tourette’s is a neurological disorder that can cause sudden, repeated vocal sounds and physical tics. Some people experience coprolalia, where they involuntarily blurt out obscene or socially inappropriate words.
At Sunday night’s (February 22) ceremony, Davidson — attending due to his BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, which focuses on his life with Tourette’s — was heard shouting the N word while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the Special Visual Effects Award.
The presenters appeared to pause momentarily after the outburst, before continuing.
Host Alan Cummings apologised on air after the slur was picked up by cameras.
Even so, the moment prompted significant backlash online, and the BAFTA Film Awards were later removed from BBC iPlayer.
Dupree addressed the controversy on Instagram, sharing a long statement that began: “I need to speak on this as someone who lives with Tourette’s.
“When you live with this disorder, you lose control of your own voice sometimes. And that is a terrifying thing.”
She stressed that the words that come out during tics are not a reflection of someone’s inner beliefs.
“They are involuntary neurological impulses – like a sneeze or a hiccup, except sometimes they attach themselves to words that carry weight, history and pain.
“Can you imagine how heartbreaking it is to say something that you don’t mean?”
Dupree went on to describe the distress of hearing yourself say something you don’t agree with.
She said: “To hear a word come out of your own mouth and feel immediate shame? To want to crawl out of your own body because your brain betrayed you?
“People think if a slur comes out, it must reflect what’s in your heart. But Tourette’s doesn’t pull from hatred – it often pulls from anxiety, from fear, from the very thing you’re most scared of saying.”
She added that the brain can latch onto whatever feels most “taboo” or emotionally loaded, while acknowledging that this doesn’t erase the harm such words carry.
“Words matter. History matters. Pain matters. But so does neurological reality,” she said. “There is a difference between intent and impulse.”
Wrapping up, the 23-year-old described the constant worry many people with Tourette’s live with.
She concluded: “Living with Tourette’s means constantly apologizing for something you didn’t choose.
“It means living with the fear that one moment could define you forever. It means knowing that no matter how kind you are, no matter what you believe, one tic could make the world decide who you are. And that’s devastating.”
Following the reaction, Davidson has reportedly contacted Jordan and Lindo to apologise directly, according to Variety.
The Scottish campaigner also noted that the slur was not the only involuntary outburst he experienced during the event.
“I am often triggered by what I see and/or what I hear, and this part of the condition is called echolalia.
“For example, when the chair of BAFTA started speaking on Sunday, I shouted, ‘Boring.’
“On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, ‘Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington. It wouldn’t be the first time I have taken a hairy Peruvian bear home with me.’
“This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of ‘pedophile’ that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character.”
He said the condition can feel like it targets the worst possible thing to say in any given moment.
Explaining even further about his condition, Davidson said: “Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me.
“What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe.”
“The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette’s,” he added.