Vocal tic at BAFTA leaves Black Tourette syndrome community with mixed feelings

For Black people living with Tourette syndrome, the BAFTA moment this week—when a vocal tic surfaced as a racial slur during the awards ceremony—has triggered a complex mix of reactions, advocates said. They described anger at the impact of racism and ableism, frustration that Tourette syndrome is still misunderstood, and criticism of how the incident was handled after it aired. They also said the episode has pushed some people to speak out publicly and press for more support that reflects their race and their disability.

Chloe Winston, 24, who experiences coprolalia, said she felt “such a clash between both sides.” Winston told AP that “It’s been pretty difficult because I feel like there’s such a clash between both sides,” and added that “A tic is not intentional, but it still causes harm. And I think that does require accountability.” John Davidson, a BAFTA nominee and Tourette syndrome advocate, shouted the slur as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the first award of the night, an AP report said.

Winston’s view captured a tension that has emerged across social media: some people with Tourette syndrome and allies said they understand that the tic itself is involuntary, while others emphasized that the harm to Black listeners can still be real. In addition to outrage directed at the actors and other Black attendees, the disability community also criticized what it described as a lack of understanding about Tourette syndrome. The broadcaster BBC faced further backlash, AP reported, for choosing to air the racial slur uncensored two hours after the live event.

AP also reported that the BAFTA and BBC apologies were criticized as insufficient. The BBC has said it plans to edit the slur out of its iPlayer streaming service, according to AP. For some advocates, that follow-up did not resolve the central concern that the incident was broadcast in a way that could reinforce stereotypes about tic disorders and about who should be treated with respect.

Advocates said the BAFTA moment reignited conversations about ableism as well as racism. Jhónelle Bean, an American Sign Language interpreter who is Black and has Tourette syndrome, took to TikTok after what she described as “all-or-nothing” online discourse. Bean said “Two things can be true at the same time,” adding that the fact that someone tics “does not mean it was intentional,” while “still caused hurt or harm for people that heard it.” She said she was “mad at the BAFTAs and the BBC for keeping it in the broadcast in the first place because they had the power to take it out.”

Bean also said the incident brought discrimination toward people with Tourette syndrome, including comments suggesting John Davidson “should have been locked away” and “should’ve had a muzzle.” At the same time, Bean disagreed with some of the online reactions that told people who took offense over the N-word to “get over it,” AP reported. She argued that dismissing harm to Black people because a tic is involuntary ignores the lived effects of racism and the responsibilities of institutions.

Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, who is Black and has Tourette syndrome, said it can be “painful both physically and mentally” to suppress a tic. Williams, who said he copes with coprolalia too, told AP he gave Davidson credit for removing himself from the situation, though he added “maybe he could have moved a little sooner.” Williams said he focused on “practicing care,” saying, “For me, it was all about making sure we’re practicing care. And I don’t think that happened for the two actors that were there or the Black folks who were there or people who didn’t want to hear the word.”

The incident also prompted discussion about what Tourette syndrome is and how coprolalia works. Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by sudden, involuntary movements and/or sounds called tics, according to the Tourette Association of America. These can be motor and vocal tics, and can range from mild to severe and disabling in some cases. Dr. Jeremiah Scharf, a tic disorder specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said “We know that there’s this sort of sensory and motor loop happening,” and that vocalizations often begin with sounds such as “coughing, sniffing, or other just non-specific sounds.”

Scharf said symptoms typically emerge during elementary school age and peak between ages 10 and 14, and he cited CDC estimates that about 1.4 million people in the U.S. live with Tourette syndrome or a persistent tic disorder. On coprolalia specifically, AP reported that the Tourette Association of America estimates that 10%-15% of people with Tourette syndrome live with coprolalia, and that the organization defines it as “the involuntary utterance of obscene and socially unacceptable words and phrases.” Scharf said these vocal outbursts can be triggered by stress, including not enough sleep or being upset, and compared stopping them to how “almost like a sneeze” is hard to control.

Some advocates said the BAFTA incident has shown why support networks tailored to Black people with Tourette syndrome are needed. Reice Griffin, 20, a Tourette Association of America rising leader and ambassador, told AP that people can make assumptions when they see her tics, including that she uses drugs or is “typically belligerent.” She said interactions with law enforcement can be stressful and that “Law enforcement is not well equipped to deal with Tourette syndrome,” AP reported, adding that as a Black person she generally does not want to be around police.

Griffin said the association provides printable “I Have TS” cards and is trying to expand support for people of color. She told AP that she attended a virtual support group meeting for Black young adults and has been speaking at schools and to groups to help herself and others feel more comfortable and less alone. She said, “I thought that because I had Tourette syndrome that, like, public speaking was out the window,” and described a goal of helping other young Black girls feel less isolated and get diagnosed, calling it “the dream.”

AP reported that Williams agreed there is not enough support for Black people with Tourette syndrome and said speaking about his own life has brought messages from New Yorkers. He described emotional encounters when someone introduces his family member at events, saying “Sometimes in the street or an event people will bring their family member up which is always a pretty emotional space for me because when I see the kid, I know what they’re going through.” The controversy, advocates said, has increased the urgency of building networks that can offer care, guidance, and accurate information at the intersection of race and disability.

Tang reported from Phoenix.