Actor Robert Aramayo has defended Tourette's activist John Davidson after he hurled a racial slur at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo during the BAFTA Awards in London over the weekend.
Aramayo, who scored this year's BAFTA for best actor for his portrayal of Davidson in the biopic "I Swear," explained that the slur Davidson threw at the "Sinners" co-stars was a "tic" and "not shouting obscenities."
"First of all, they are tics. He is ticking. We have to understand," he told a BBC reporter after the ceremony on Sunday, per the Daily Mail. "The way we perceive Tourette's is a joint responsibility. It's not shouting obscenities."
"It's not being abusive. It's Tourette's. They are tics," Aramayo, 33, added. "If it can lead to a deeper understanding of Tourette's, and movies are part of that conversation, then it's an incredible thing."
Aramayo's reps did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment.
Davidson hurled the N-word at Jordan, 39, and Lindo, 73, as the pair presented the award for best visual effects to "Avatar: Fire and Ash" on Sunday.
The awkward moment wasn't edited out of the BBC One broadcast, and reportedly remained on BBC iPlayer before being removed sometime Monday morning.
BAFTA Awards host Alan Cumming apologized to the audience shortly after Davidson's racist remark, and the BBC has since released two separate statements also apologizing for the incident.
"We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer," a spokesperson for the broadcaster said in a statement on Monday.
"Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards," the BBC said in another statement following backlash.
"This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional," the British broadcaster added.
As for Cumming, he acknowledged that the BAFTA audience "may have noticed some strong language in the background" and explained that "this can be part of how Tourette's syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience."
The "X-Men" actor later addressed the incident further, noting that "Tourette's syndrome is a disability" and that "the tics you've heard tonight are involuntary."
"We apologize if you are offended tonight," he said.
Other celebs who reacted to Davidson's use of the racial slur included "Sinners" production designer Hannah Beachler, "Django Unchained" star Jamie Foxx and "The Wire" alum Wendell Pierce.
"The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show," Beachler wrote on X after the ceremony.
"I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through," the 55-year-old added. "But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of 'if you were offended' at the end of the show. Of course we were offended."
Foxx, in the comments of a video shared by the Neighborhood Talk, wrote that Davidson "meant that s-t" and called it "unacceptable."
Pierce, meanwhile, took to X to call it "infuriating" that the "first reactions" from those involved weren't "complete and full throatted [sic] apologies" to Jordan and Lindo.
"The insult to them takes priority," the 62-year-old added. "It doesn't matter the reasoning for the racist slur."
But Davidson shouting the N-word at Jordan and Lindo wasn't the only moment his tics could be heard throughout the night, because the activist also reportedly told BAFTA chair Sara Putt to "shut the f-k up" during her introductory speech.
Then, later on in the ceremony, he could be heard shouting "f-k you" as the directors of "Boong" accepted the award for best children's and family film.
Davidson, meanwhile, was said to have voluntarily left the Royal Festival Hall during the second half of the awards ceremony.
