Alan Cumming Apologizes for a 'Trauma Triggering' BAFTAs

"It's now a week since I hosted the BAFTAs. What should have been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering shitshow. 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."

"The only possible good that could come of this is a reminder that words matter, that rushing to judgement about things of which we are not fully cognisant is folly, that all trauma must be recognised and honoured. We were all let down by decisions made to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech."

"Tourette's syndrome is a disability, and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette's syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you were offended."

During the BAFTA Awards, John Davidson, a Tourette's advocate and inspiration for the film I Swear, involuntarily shouted a racial slur at presenters Michael B. Jordan and Delory Lindo due to his Tourette's syndrome tics. Host Alan Cumming provided an on-air explanation of the condition and apologized. The BBC later acknowledged the broadcast as a serious mistake. In a second statement, Cumming apologized to both the Black community and Tourette's community for the trauma caused, emphasizing that words matter and that all trauma must be recognized. The incident sparked further controversy, including a judge's departure, a sketch deemed unacceptable by activists, and criticism from actress Jayme Lawson regarding organizational practices.

Read at Vulture