NEED TO KNOW
- BAFTA and the BBC issued formal apologies to Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo after Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson’s involuntary tics — including a racial slur — were audible during their presentation and broadcast unedited on live TV.
- The BBC apologized specifically for failing to cut the slur from its tape-delayed broadcast, calling it an error, while BAFTA said it “acknowledges the harm this has caused.”
- Davidson released a statement saying he is “deeply mortified” that his tics could be seen as “intentional,” while Delroy Lindo told Vanity Fair he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”
Britain’s biggest night in film just became its most controversial in recent memory.
The 79th annual BAFTA Film Awards, held Sunday at London’s Royal Festival Hall, was barely minutes old when the evening took a painful and unprecedented turn. As Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to present the award for Best Special Visual Effects, a racial slur — the N-word — was audibly shouted from the audience. Both men, who are Black, paused for a beat, then pressed on with the presentation as if the floor hadn’t just dropped out from under the room.
The source of the outburst was John Davidson, a Tourette’s campaigner and executive producer of the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, a biopic of his life. Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 25, had been warmly introduced to the crowd before the ceremony began, with floor managers alerting guests that they might hear “involuntary noises or movements” from him during the show. What they weren’t told, specifically, was what those noises might be.
Tourette syndrome causes involuntary tics that can include verbal outbursts — sometimes including obscene or offensive language, a rare manifestation known as coprolalia. Davidson’s tics had already surfaced earlier in the evening: “Bullshit!” was heard when the audience was asked not to curse, and “Shut the fuck up” slipped out during BAFTA chair Sara Putt‘s introductory remarks. He ultimately left the room of his own accord about 25 minutes into the show.
Host Alan Cumming addressed the incident twice during the broadcast. He said: “You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you were offended.” The apology landed awkwardly, however, and the discomfort only compounded when the BBC chose not to cut the racial slur from its broadcast, which aired with a two-hour tape delay. That decision became the real flashpoint.
The BBC came under more fire after cutting Akinola Davies Jr.‘s speech. The filmmaker’s “Free Palestine” remark, made while accepting an award for My Father’s Shadow, was reportedly muted — raising uncomfortable questions about what, exactly, was worth editing out and what wasn’t.
By Monday, both BAFTA and the BBC had issued formal apologies. “Our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many,” BAFTA’s statement read. “We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all… We apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted.” The organization also thanked Jordan and Lindo for handling the moment with “incredible dignity and professionalism.”
The BBC followed suit. A spokesperson said: “We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
Lindo, speaking to Vanity Fair per Deadline at the Warner Bros. BAFTA afterparty, was measured but clear. He said he and Jordan “did what we had to do,” and added that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”
The response from the film community was swift and pointed. Journalist Jemele Hill wrote on X: “Asking for more grace for the person who shouted a racist slur instead of for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who had to push through being embarrassed in front of their peers. But that’s often the expectation — that Black people are just supposed to be ok with being disrespected and dehumanized so that other people don’t feel bad.”
Actor Wendell Pierce was equally direct: “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throated apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. The insult to them takes priority.”
Sinners’ production designer Hannah Beachler, who was in the room, revealed the situation was even worse than the broadcast suggested, writing on X that she heard Davidson say the N-word three times — including once directed at her, and another time at another Black woman.
Jamie Foxx was less charitable about the circumstances, commenting simply, “Nah he meant that shit” — a reaction that drew pushback from those who pointed out how coprolalia actually works.
For his part, Davidson released a statement expressing profound distress over how the night unfolded. “I can only add that I am and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning,” he said. He added: “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so.”
UK charity Tourette Scotland fully backed Davidson, stressing that the Tourette’s community is “kind and very empathetic, and would never like to upset anyone with their tics.”
The night did include real victories for Davidson’s world: Robert Aramayo, who plays him in I Swear, won Best Actor in a stunning upset over Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet. And the film Davidson inspired was BAFTA-nominated. None of that, though, could untangle the complicated knot the evening left behind.
The path forward, as one commentator put it, “is not for us to hunt for a villain. It’s to demand that our institutions do better. Edit responsibly, prepare thoughtfully, protect proactively, and educate consistently.” Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, John Davidson, the Tourette’s community, and every Black viewer who watched that moment unfold in real time deserved exactly that.
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