DONKEY: Charlamagne Gives BAFTA Awards, Alan Cumming & John Davidson Donkey of The Day

Summary

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The Breakfast Club – Donkey of the Day: Charlamagne Gives BAFTA Awards, Alan Cumming & John Davidson Donkey of The Day

Date: February 23, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Network: The Black Effect Podcast Network & iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Theme:

"Should Inclusion Go So Far That It Excuses Disrespect?"
Charlamagne Tha God delivers his signature "Donkey of the Day" segment, focusing on the BAFTA Film Awards, its host Alan Cumming, and everyone responsible for including John Davidson—an individual with Tourette syndrome—at the event, after Davidson was heard shouting racial slurs and obscenities during the live broadcast. The discussion critiques the line between inclusion, respectful representation, and the responsibility of media when handling sensitive disorders and potentially offensive content.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What Happened at the BAFTA Awards?

• John Davidson's Outbursts:
  At the BAFTA Film Awards, John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome (and particularly coprolalia—the involuntary utterance of obscene or taboo words), shouted a series of profanities and racial slurs during multiple segments of the ceremony ([03:45–05:55]).

  • Examples include yelling "shut the F up" during a speech, shouting "F you" at children's film winners, and using the N-word during the presentation of best visual effects by Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan.

• Media Reaction and Handling:
  Good Morning America and other media covered the controversy. The BBC issued an apology, noting the broadcast's two-hour delay should have allowed for editing. Yet, the explicit outbursts were not cut, though other content (such as a "Free Palestine" statement) was ([09:43]).

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2. Understanding Coprolalia and Tourette Syndrome

• Educational Moment:
  Charlamagne and co-hosts clarify coprolalia is involuntary and affects only a small minority with Tourette's ([03:46]).
  • Quote:
    "Coprolalia—an involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate, obscene, or taboo words or phrases… People are not choosing to say these things and they usually do not reflect the person’s beliefs, feelings or intentions." – Charlamagne Tha God ([04:30])
  • A recorded medical explanation adds context to public misconceptions ([03:57]).

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3. Questioning the Responsibility of Organizers and the Nature of Outbursts

• Should Davidson Have Been Invited?
  Charlamagne sharply questions the judgment of the BAFTA organizers for inviting Davidson, knowing his condition could lead to offensive interruptions on live TV ([06:07], [07:06]):

  • Quote:
    "Why would you give him the opportunity to sit in this audience and offend and insult people? … There are people that networks wouldn't think about putting on TV, especially live TV, because they have no idea what they might say. Example: Kanye West." – Charlamagne Tha God ([06:47])

• Skepticism about Involuntariness:
  Charlamagne voices suspicion about whether the racial slurs are truly non-reflective of beliefs, especially since offensive outbursts seemed to be targeted, not random ([07:08]):

  • Quote:
    "He didn’t yell out 'black people.' He yelled 'niggas.' That says a lot… If this is accurate, he’s 84 now, so it’s possible racism is his default setting. … It’s just convenient that he saved his most effective, offensive outbursts for black people." - Charlamagne Tha God ([07:20])

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4. Double Standards in Editing and Inclusion

• Editing Decisions by BAFTA/BBC:
  The crew highlights BAFTA/BBC edited a "Free Palestine" message but left in Davidson's racial outburst ([10:07], [12:34]):

  • Quote:
    "You mean to tell me that you edited out 'Free Palestine' and other things but you let [the slur] stay in, okay? ... That leaving that in was a choice." – Charlamagne Tha God ([10:07], [12:34])

• Broader Question of Inclusivity:
  Should inclusion of people with disabilities override the need to protect others from harm?

  • Quote:
    "I'm all for being inclusive, but not if that inclusiveness is going to hurt and offend other people." – Charlamagne Tha God ([10:45])

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5. Audience Engagement and Moral Debate

• Call-In Segment:
  The hosts open up phone lines to debate: "Does having a disorder justify disrespect? Should we tolerate it?" ([12:34])

  • Hosts in Agreement:
    All are united in believing that having a disorder might explain behavior, but does not excuse it, nor mean others should be subjected to harm.

• Rhetorical Challenge:
  The show pushes listeners to ask if this tolerance would extend to other communities, e.g., "If it was any other group, would they have edited it out?" ([12:48]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On involuntary language:
  "People are not choosing to say these things and they usually do not reflect the person’s beliefs… See, that's what I don't believe." – Charlamagne Tha God ([04:30])

• On inclusion vs. harm:
  "Some things can be excluded, all right? In fact, if you're gonna have someone like John there, which you shouldn't have, his outburst should be expected." – Charlamagne Tha God ([10:51])

• On double standards:
  "If you're more mad at me for saying they shouldn't have had Jon in the room, than you are about John screaming [racial slur] ... then you’re part of the problem." – Charlamagne Tha God ([11:28])

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Key Timestamps

• Coprolalia Explained: [03:45–04:30]
• Davidson’s Outbursts at BAFTA: [05:00–06:07]
• Discussion of BAFTA’s Responsibility: [06:47–07:20]
• BBC/BAFTA Editing Controversy: [09:43–10:07]
• Charlamagne’s Inclusion Stance / Call to Listeners: [10:45–12:34]

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Tone

Candid, irreverent, sharply critical, with characteristic humor and social critique by Charlamagne Tha God. The approach is both skeptical and confrontational, especially regarding issues of race, responsibility, and the line between compassion and enabling harm.

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Summary Takeaway

This incendiary segment from The Breakfast Club calls out the BAFTA Awards, media gatekeepers, and questions the true meaning of inclusion. The hosts argue that inclusion cannot come at the expense of respect and safety for marginalized communities, and that excusing hateful or harmful speech—however involuntary—reflects deeper systemic failings. The show’s closing invites listeners to consider: Does understanding a disorder mean we must accept all its consequences, or are there lines that cannot be crossed even in the name of inclusion?

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Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Podcast Host]

Damn Charlemagne.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Some donkey today is just seldom settled.

[Co-host/Commentator]

It Was you. What accountability? Are you taking me off guard?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm not making people do anything. I made dunk you today on the Breakfast Club. That being said, I want to start off with this donkey right here. Yes. Donkey of the day for Monday, February 23 goes to the BTA Film Awards. The host of the BAFTA Film Awards, Alan Cumming and all the handlers of John Davidson as well as John Davidson. Okay, there are a lot of people who are sharing in this donkey today because if you haven't heard, John Davidson has Tourette syndrome. Now, what is Tourette syndrome? For those who don't know, Tourette's is a disability, a neurological condition that causes a person to have involuntary movements and sounds known as tics. Now, one thing I learned about yesterday is there is something called coprola. Play it. Play it. Right. What is it? Say it again. Coprolalia. Coprolalier. Okay. Which is not common. It affects only a small minority of people. In fact, 10 to 15% of people with Tourette's experience coprolia. Did I say it right?

[Co-host/Commentator]

Coprolalier.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes. Yes. And it's one of the most misunderstood aspects of Tourette's. And I need to let this doctor tell you more about it because that is what John Davidson suffers from. Let's listen.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Coprolalia as strictly defined, really means the uttering of swear words. But in Tourette Syndrome, people who have coprolalia oftentimes have swear words, racial epithets, sexual epithets, or other kinds of slang or words that really are socially inappropriate and shocking to the person who might hear them or experience being with a person with Tourette's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Corporate.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Corporately.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Corporately, yeah. An involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate, obscene. Are taboo words or phrases, often sexual, profane or insulting. Keyword. Involuntary. People are not choosing to say these things and they usually do not reflect the person's beliefs, feelings or intentions. See, that's what I don't believe. Okay, and we're going to talk about that in a minute. But this weekend at the BAFTA Film Awards, John Davidson had a number of outbursts. See, John Davidson is the inspiration for the BAFTA nominated movie. I swear. Never heard of it. And he had quite a few outbursts throughout the ceremony, including screaming shut the F up. During an introductory speech from Baptist chair Sarah Put. He screamed out F you. When the directors of Boom 1 for Best Children's and Family Film never heard of Boog either. But he saved his best outburst and most offensive for Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan when they were presenting the award for best Visual effects for Avatar, Fire and ash. Let's listen and don't bleep it. Delroy and I are delighted to be presenting the first BAFTA of the night for a vital part of movie making. That's not funny. But it's funny. Play. Play it one more time. Red. I gotta hear it one more time. Please

[Co-host/Commentator]

be presenting the first BAFTA of

[Charlamagne Tha God]

the night for a vital part of movie making. See, my reaction would have been cracker. Just because. I just don't know why. I just. I just know I would have been, like, cracker.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That's fire with fire.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I just can't help it. Maybe I got Copa Lahia, too. I don't know. Okay, now, the reason I'm giving the BAFTA Film Awards, okay, the host, Alan Cumming, and all the handlers of John Davidson Donkey, is because the reality is he shouldn't have been in the room. If a person has a condition that makes him scream out inappropriate, obscene, or taboo words, why risk having him in the room? There are people that networks wouldn't think about putting on tv, especially live tv, because they have no idea what they might say. Example, Kanye West. And Kanye's not diagnosed with Tourette's or. What's that thing called?

[Co-host/Commentator]

Corporal Alia.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes. Or anything like that. So you have this man, John Davidson, who has a condition that he apparently can't control. So why would you give him the opportunity to sit in this audience and offend and insult people? Okay? And listen, I don't like the fact that when it comes to Corporal.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Corporal.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We say the words they speak are involuntary. Okay? We say people are not choosing to say these things, and they usually do not reflect the person's beliefs, feelings, or intentions. How the hell we know? Okay? That's hard for me to believe. All right? Somebody somewhere taught him the language. He was around people that he learned this behavior in this language from. So don't tell me they don't reflect the person's beliefs. I don't know if they reflect the person's beliefs or not. He didn't yell out black people. He yelled at niggas. Okay? That says a lot. Now, his symptoms, from what I read, first began at 12, and he was diagnosed at age 25. If. If this is accurate, he's 84 now, so it's possible racism is his default setting. Okay? What I don't understand is how come people with this condition don't yell out fun stuff like titties, okay? According to the condition, you know, he. They often yell out. I've seen sexual phrases, too. I Didn't hear one throughout the whole ceremony. If you have those, where are they? Okay. All those women that hit the stage, not once did he yell out, I'm horny. Okay. Not once did he yell out cheeks. Okay? Not once did he yell out, pop that P thing. All right, where was. Put it in your mouth. Okay. If John Davidson would have sounded like Uncle Luke in the 90s, then I might buy the he has a condition thing. It's just convenient that he saved his most effective offensive outbursts for black people. Okay, okay. I can be respectful of the condition, but I don't respect none of y' all that allowed him to be there with the condition. And then this morning, Good Morning America ran a story saying BAFTA had ample time to edit it out. Let's listen.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That's great.

[News Reporter]

The BBC apologizing to BAFTA viewers after several obscene outbursts from Tourette's activist John Davidson were heard on a broadcast. Davidson is the inspiration for the movie I Swear, which was nominated for six awards and took home the leading actor bafta. He was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome at the age of 12. One outburst heard on the broadcast was while sinisters Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Delroy and I are delighted to be

[Co-host/Commentator]

presenting the first BAFTA of the night

[Charlamagne Tha God]

for a vital part of movie making.

[News Reporter]

A racial slur could be heard while the men presented the award for best visual effects. Jordan and Lindo looked startled, but continued on host Alan Cumming later asking the audience for their understanding. You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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

[News Reporter]

So the big question this morning, why did these outbursts remain on the broadcast when other parts of the event were cut like the words of one award winner who said Free Palestine? Especially when you think that there was a two hour delay on this broadcast. The BBC has this morning issued a statement apologizing that Davidson's comments were not edited out ahead of the broadcast. And they say they will now be cut from the online version and on streaming.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Suck my D. Suck my D. Suck my D. Suck my D. And I don't suffer from no condition, okay? These words I'm telling you right now are voluntary, okay? You mean to tell me that you edited out Free Palestine and edited out other things, but you let the stay in, okay? Come on, man. Come on, man. Come on, man. That's not what we mean when we say we want to be inclusive, okay? Some things can be excluded, all right? In fact, if you're gonna have someone like John there, which you shouldn't have, his outburst should be expected. And I should expect you to edit them, okay? I should expect you to edit them out. But bafta, you chose to not only have him in the building, you chose to leave his offensive words in. Suck my D. Suck my D. Suck my D. Bafta, okay, everybody. Everybody involved in the whole situation, okay, listen, I'm all for being inclusive, but not if that inclusiveness is going to hurt and offend other people. Once again, there are people that BAFTA wouldn't even think to have in the room because their offensive words have. Have hurt others, okay? Doesn't matter to me if those words were spoken voluntarily or involuntarily voluntarily. If it's a chance those words can be spoken and people can be hurt, then don't have them in the room, okay? And the fact that you edited out certain things but left that in tells me everything that I need to know. And if you're more mad at me for saying they shouldn't have had Jon in the room, then you are about John screaming nigga. And BAFTA not editing it out, even though they could have while two great black men were on stage, then you are part of the problem. Just because you have a disability doesn't mean we will tolerate the disrespect, okay? Please let Chelsea Handler give the BAFTA Fillmore Awards, the host, Alan Cumming, and the handlers of John Davidson the biggest Hee haw. Hee haw. Hee haw. That is way too much.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Dan Mayonnaise.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Kathy Griffin, you want in on this?

[Podcast Host]

Please give this giant jar of mayo

[Charlamagne Tha God]

the biggest Hee haw. You know, Chris Rock got corporal corporate, you know, cracker ass cracker. Y' all didn't know that my girl that work at the. My girl that work at the restaurant got corporate, too. I'm telling you, they. That. That they. Those are involuntary outbursts, y'. All. Okay? That's Chris. Chris has a condition. Stop.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Yeah, that's crazy. Well, thank you for that donkey today. And you're right, like, a disorder can explain behavior, but it doesn't excuse it. But let's open up the phone lines. 800-585-1051, right? I guess the question is, should we tolerate disrespect even if it's a disorder?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Absolutely not. And the fact that BAFTA edited out other things they found offensive, like they. They said they edited out somebody screaming free Palestine. Then you should have absolutely edited out the N word. That. That leaving that in was a choice.

[Co-host/Commentator]

I. I just wonder if they would have shouted out any other groups of people, organizations or. Or genres or LGBTQ or. If it was any other body, was anybody else, any other community, would they have taken that one out? But they took everything else and they leave. They don't care. They did it on purpose.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

There's no. There's no excuse.

[Co-host/Commentator]

They know what they did. And I'm with Charlamagne.

[Podcast Host]

If.

[Co-host/Commentator]

If I understand he's being nominated, but if it's like that and you don't know what he's gonna say, he shouldn't

[Charlamagne Tha God]

be in the room.

[Co-host/Commentator]

He shouldn't be in the room.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, absolutely shouldn't be in the room.

[Co-host/Commentator]

He should have been in the room. Let's open up the phone.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Did you also see Atlen Cunning, the. The host, say that this may trigger Tourette. People with Tourette syndrome because of the. The concept of the film?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What?

[Co-host/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He said that, right?

[Co-host/Commentator]

Yeah, he said. Because basically. Basically it's a film. So that's why he felt propelled to shout out with the time. Shut up, man. Nobody said that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I swear.

[Co-host/Commentator]

That's what they said.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yo, you told me, trust myself. I saw this.

[Co-host/Commentator]

Let's go to the phone line. 800-585-1051. Is it okay to accept disrespect because someone has a disorder? That's having a disorder. Justify treating others with disrespect. Let's talk about it. 800-585-1051. It's the breakfast slow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Co-host/Commentator]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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