Piers Morgan has hit out at Jamie Foxx for claiming John Davidson’s involuntary racial slur at the BAFTAs was “unacceptable,” telling the Oscar winner he should have watched the film I Swear before making “shockingly ill-informed comments.”
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Morgan 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!”
The BBC has admitted Davidson’s racial slur should have been “edited out prior to broadcast” despite there being a two-hour time delay on the coverage. The awards ceremony has disappeared from iPlayer while the Corporation removes the N-word outburst that was aired to millions tuning in on BBC One on Sunday night.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused the BBC of making a “horrible mistake” and called for the Corporation to explain why the slur was not initially “bleeped out.” The controversy intensified after 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.
Django Unchained star Foxx had fumed 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.” His comments sparked backlash from those familiar with Davidson’s condition and the film documenting his life.
Davidson was heard yelling the N-word on Sunday night while black actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the first prize at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Michael and Delroy did not react on stage, though host Alan Cumming later said “we apologise if it has caused offence.”
Davidson made the decision to leave the ceremony halfway through after several incendiary outbursts. He 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.
Charity Tourette’s Action stated 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.
Jordan’s former co-star on The Wire, Wendell Pierce, reacted furiously, stating: “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.”
A Sinners production designer alleged she was subjected to Davidson’s involuntary racial slurs, adding the situation was made worse by “the throwaway apology” of “if you were offended.”
During the broadcast, Cumming apologized for the language viewers may have heard, stating: “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 confirmed: “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.”
