John Davidson, the Tourette syndrome (TS) activist who recently caused an uproar by uttering the n-word at two Black presenters during the February 22 British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards show, said he wanted the media to mention that his outburst at the ceremony was just one of several — he also shouted “pedophile” after a joke made by bisexual emcee Alan Cumming. Davidson attributed both outbursts to his TS, and TS experts back up his claim.

Davidson — who attended the awards ceremony as an executive producer for a biopic about his life with TS, I Swear, which was nominated for five BAFTA awards — recently told Variety that ceremony organizers assured him “that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast,” aired on a two-hour delay by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

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However, while the BBC edited out award-winning filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. saying “Free Palestine” in a speech, it didn’t censor audio of Davidson yelling the n-word during an awards presentation by Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Jordan and Lindo briefly paused during the outburst and then continued with their presentation. The BBC later apologized, saying it aired the racial slur “in error.”

Davidson told Variety that he felt “a wave of shame” over his utterance and voluntarily left the awards after his racist outburst. Davidson has used the incident to highlight TS, a neurological disorder that may cause sudden unwanted, uncontrolled movements and vocal sounds called “tics.” Davidson is among the estimated 15% of people with TS who experience coprolalia, the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate phrases.

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“Those who have seen I Swear will understand this. My tics have said and done things over the years that have caused huge pain and upset,” he told Variety. “Tourette’s can make my body or voice do things I don’t mean, and sometimes those tics land on the worst possible words. I want to be really clear that the intent behind them is zero.”

Dr. Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, co-chair of the medical advisory board for the Tourette Association of America, echoed Davidson’s explanation, telling The New York Times, “These are not phrases or words that are driven by particular beliefs… It really is not how they feel.”

To demonstrate this, Davidson told Variety that he did “appreciate reports of the event explaining that I ticced perhaps 10 different offensive words on the night of the awards.” One of these words was directed towards bisexual presenter Alan Cumming.

“On Sunday, Alan Cumming joked about his own sexuality and, when referencing Paddington Bear, said, ‘Maybe you would like to come home with me, Paddington. It wouldn’t be the first time I have taken a hairy Peruvian bear home with me.’ This resulted in homophobic tics from me and led to a shout of ‘paedophile’ that was likely triggered because Paddington Bear is a children’s character.”

“The N-word was one of these [outbursts at the BAFTA Awards],” Davidson said, “and I completely understand its significance in history and in the modern world, but most articles are giving the impression I shouted one single slur on Sunday.”

Davidson also said the BBC should’ve been aware of his tendency to shout offensive things, since he has made four documentaries about TS with the broadcaster in the past. He also noted that a microphone was located just in front of him at his table during the awards ceremony, making him wary about possibly amplifying any potential outburst.

During the ceremony, Cumming addressed Davidson’s outburst against Jordan and Lindo, telling viewers, “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.” 

Online commenters criticized Cumming’s apology for its “if you are offended” wording and Davidson for not initially apologizing to Jordan and Lindo in the incident’s aftermath. Davidson did tell Variety that he contacted the U.S. film studio Warner Bros to personally apologize to Jordan, Lindo, and a production designer whom he also shouted a slur at.

Lindo told Vanity Fair that no one from the BAFTAs or the BBC spoke to them afterwards about Davidson’s slur. Both groups have since released extensive apologies.

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