TLC star Baylen Dupree is speaking out after a controversial moment at the BAFTA Film Awards sparked heated debate online.
Dupree, who lives with Tourette syndrome, defended fellow Tourette’s sufferer and advocate John Davidson, whose involuntary vocal tics were heard during the ceremony while actors including Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award.
Dupree Shared a Lengthy Statement
Dupree, star of the popular show “Baylen Out Loud,” addressed the situation on social media with a deeply personal message about living with Tourette syndrome and how misunderstood it can be.
“I need to speak on this as someone who lives with Tourette’s. When you live with this disorder, you lose control of your own voice sometimes. And that is a terrifying thing,” she wrote.
The 23-year-old explained that people often assume vocal tics reflect a person’s beliefs, but that isn’t the reality.
“Tics are not thoughts. They are not opinions. They are not secret beliefs hiding underneath the surface. They are involuntary neurological impulses – like a sneeze or a hiccup except sometimes they attach themselves to words that carry weight,” Dupree said.
She added that Tourette’s can cause intense shame for things someone never intended to say.
“To hear a word come out of your own mouth and feel immediate shame? To want to crawl out of your own body because your brain betrayed you?” she wrote, emphasizing that while certain words carry real historical pain, neurological conditions can complicate how they emerge. “There is a difference between intent and impulse.”
The BAFTA moment drew backlash in the U.K., where the ceremony aired with the expletives audible for hours before being edited.
The organization later announced a review of the incident, and broadcasters faced criticism for how the moment was handled.
Dupree’s comments weren’t meant to dismiss hurt feelings, but to educate.
“Living with Tourette’s means constantly apologizing for something you didn’t choose,” she wrote. “It means living with the fear that one moment could define you forever.”
Dupree Has a Large Following
Since the premiere of “Baylen Out Loud” in 2025, Dupree has built a massive online following by sharing her daily life with Tourette’s, using humor and honesty to break stigma.
With millions of TikTok followers, she has become one of the most visible young voices explaining what Tourette syndrome is really like.
Her response to the BAFTA controversy reflects that mission—reminding viewers that compassion and understanding are essential when neurological conditions intersect with public moments.
