Nigerian media entrepreneur and television host, Chude Jideonwo, has opened up about living with Tourette syndrome, describing the condition as one that can make the body feel “out of control” while also highlighting the stigma surrounding it in Africa.
He disclosed during a recent interview with BBC News Africa, where he reflected on his diagnosis and the challenges of speaking publicly about the neurological disorder.
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Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by sudden, involuntary, repetitive movements or sounds known as tics. While there is no cure, symptoms can be managed through behavioural therapy and, in some cases, medication.
Speaking on his battle with the syndrome, Jideonwo said, “When I was diagnosed, my doctor warned me not to talk about it in public, that people were going to judge me, especially in Africa, which made me sad. But it also shows why people are not speaking out about it.
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He explained that he began to consciously notice symptoms of the condition in his late twenties, describing Tourette syndrome as “a neurological condition where it feels like your body misfires.”
“I began to notice Tourette’s syndrome in my late 20s consciously. Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition where it feels like your body misfires, where it feels like your body is out of your control in physical ways. The movement ticks, the vocal ticks. Corporeal, I had it very mild. So what it is that I repeat words constantly,” he said.
Jideonwo disclosed that he previously struggled with compulsive repetition of certain words, noting: “Previously, I used to say the F word a lot, F, F, F, F, F, F, F. I was doing it compulsively. I manage it by just being under pressure. So if I’m in public and not speaking, it’s because I’m holding myself back.
“I’m using my entire mind to hold myself. The second way to cope is just to say it out loud. Once I say it out, people understand the embarrassment, and the awkwardness goes down,” he said.
‘Demon-possessed stereotype’
The media personality also criticised portrayals of Tourette syndrome in Nigerian films, saying they often reinforce harmful stereotypes.
“If you watch Nigerian movies, the representations of people with Tourette’s are usually that they are demon-possessed or there’s something wrong with them,” he said.
Jideonwo linked the issue of public misunderstanding to the controversy at the BAFTA Film Awards 2026, where an activist, John Davidson, involuntarily shouted a racial slur during the ceremony—an incident later attributed to Tourette’s syndrome. Tourette’s BC faced backlash at the time for airing the moment despite a two-hour broadcast delay and apologised, calling it a serious editorial failure. At the same time, BAFTA issued an unreserved apology and launched an independent review.
“It broke my heart deeply to see what happened at the BAFTAs. It just showed me how much work still needs to be done. When someone nominated for a BAFTA award was judged so harshly. I just thought, ah, God, we need a world with more empathy and where we suspend judgement until we know what people are really going through,” Jideonwo said.
The media personality said he became more comfortable speaking about his condition after seeing US singer Billie Eilish publicly discuss her experience, which inspired him to use his platform to raise awareness.
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“I only talked about it because I saw an American celebrity, Billie Eilish, talk about it on The Ellen Show. And so because of that, I got comfortable talking about it. And now I talk about it everywhere.
I wrote it in my book. I talk about it. I write articles about it. I think that visibility is the primary contribution I can make towards normalising and creating a field of support, especially for young people who are dealing with this,” he said.
In recent years, several high-profile figures, including Lewis Capaldi, David Beckham, Seth Rogen and Tim Howard, have also spoken publicly about living with Tourette syndrome or related tic disorders, helping raise awareness and challenge stigma globally.
