Alan Cumming Issues Apology After BAFTAs Racial Slur Incident: ‘We Were All Let Down’
Alan Cumming weighed in on the BAFTAs racial slur incident, apologizing to both the Black community and the Tourettes community for how the controversy has impacted them.
“It’s now a week since I hosted the BAFTAs,” the actor wrote in a statement shared on Instagram Monday evening. “What should have been an evening celebrating creativity, as well as diversity and inclusion, turned into a trauma triggering s–t show.”
He added: “I’m so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed round the world. I’m so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition.”
As Cumming went on, he called out the “only possible good that could come of this,” adding it was “a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgement about things of which we are not fully cognizant is folly, that all trauma must be recognized and honored.”
“We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech,” he continued. “Congratulations to all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events.”
Cumming’s apology comes a week after “I Swear” subject and Tourette’s syndrome activist John Davidson’s involuntary use of the N-word was picked up by microphones at the 2026 BAFTAs, sparking international controversy.
At the time, Cumming, the BAFTAs host, thanked attendees for their “understanding” after Davidson called Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindon the racial slur, an involuntary outburst caused by his Tourette’s.
Davidson, whose symptoms also include tics he cannot control, was also captured shouting that BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s opening comments were “boring” before he told her to “f–k off.”
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background there, this can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming told the crowd. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Davidson later apologized for the incident, noting he was “deeply mortified” that anyone might have interpreted his Tourette’s tics at the BAFTAs as “intentional or to carry any meaning.”
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