Host Alan Cumming Finally Addresses BAFTAs Tourette’s Incident

Alan Cumming isn’t one to hold his tongue, but it’s been more than a week since an audience member with Tourette’s syndrome shouted a racial slur while Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were presenting at the BAFTA Awards. Cumming, who hosted the show, has been mum on the incident. Until now.

Tonight the Traitors host took to Instagram to apologize to Black people around the world, the Tourette’s community and (in a roundabout way) to the audience who expected “an evening celebrating creativity” who instead got “a trauma triggering sh*tshow.”

See his full comments below.

It’s now been 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 sh*tshow. 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 judgment 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. Congratulations to all the artists whose work was overshadowed by the night’s events.