“Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage when John Davidson, who has Tourette’s syndrome, shouted the N-word.

BBC apologizes for not removing BAFTAs N-word incident from tape-delayed broadcast

"Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage when John Davidson, who has Tourette's syndrome, shouted the N-word.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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February 23, 2026 11:23 a.m. ET

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presenting at the BAFTAs. Credit:

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

- Actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting at the BAFTAs on Sunday when Tourette's activist John Davidson yelled the N-word.

- In a delayed broadcast of the event, edited and aired two hours later, BBC did not remove the slur.

- The broadcaster did, however, cut a section from one winner's speech in which they state, "Free Palestine."

The BBC has issued an apology for its handling of an uncomfortable moment at Sunday's BAFTA Awards, which saw the N-word shouted at two Black actors by an attendee with Tourette's syndrome.

The ceremony, which is broadcast on BBC One with a two-hour delay, aired this moment unaltered: while *Sinners* stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo are on stage presenting an award, the slur is shouted from somewhere in the audience. After pausing for a beat in apparent shock, the actors continued their presentation.

BBC typically airs the ceremony with alterations and indeed made edits, but this moment went untouched. This choice was met with a growing backlash, and on Monday morning, BBC removed the show from its streaming platform, iPlayer, and announced plans to re-edit and cut this moment.

In a statement provided to **, BBC said, "Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA film awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer."

Scott Garfitt/BAFTA via Getty

The person who shouted the slur was Tourette's syndrome activist John Davidson, who attended the BAFTAs in honor of *I Swear*, a film about his experience living with Tourette's. The title is a reference to his uncontrollable swearing, a symptom of his condition.

Alan Cumming, host of the BAFTA Awards, addressed the incident during the ceremony, telling attendees that they "may have noticed some strong language in the background" and explained, "This can be part of how Tourette's syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience."

Cumming then thanked the audience "for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone."****He later followed this up with another statement, explaining that "Tourette's syndrome is a disability, and the tics you've heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette's syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight."**

Akinola Davies Jr. accepting his BAFTA Award.

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

*Variety* reported that during the show, someone also shouted "shut the f--- up" as BAFTA chair Sara Putt gave an introductory speech and "f--- you" when the award for Outstanding Children’s and Family Film was being accepted, though the outlet did not confirm whether these outbursts also came from Davidson.

Since the BAFTAs moment, several stars have voiced dismay over how the outburst was handled, including actor Jamie Foxx who called the response "unacceptable" in an Instagram comment. On social media, Wendell Pierce wrote, "It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throatted [*sic*] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”

*Sinners*’ production designer Hannah Beachler, who was nominated and in attendance, said on X that she had also had a racial slur directed at her, and criticizes what she called a "throw away" apology from the BAFTAs.

Making matters more complex, the BAFTAs have long been criticized for the notable racial disparity and overall lack of diversity amongst the show's nominees and eventual winners. Sunday's ceremony saw filmmaker Ryan Coogler make BAFTAs history with *Sinners*, which became the most-decorated movie from a Black director in the show's history with just three wins. In 2020, the organization reworked its nomination process and expanded membership to underrepresented groups in an effort to amend these critiques, but has continued to face backlash.**

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John Davidson and Robert Aramayo attend the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards.

Karwai Tang/WireImage

Some critics also pointed out that the BBC did make significant alterations to Sunday's ceremony elsewhere. Among them, the broadcast cut segments of an acceptance speech made by Akinola Davies Jr. after he and his brother, Wale Davies, won the BAFTA Film Award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for *My Father's Shadow*. Towards the end of his remarks, Akinola dedicated their win to "all those whose parents migrated to obtain a better life for their children."

He continued, "To the economic migrant. The conflict migrant. Those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution, and those experiencing genocide. You matter. Your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance to those watching at home. Archive your loved ones. Archive your stories yesterday, today, and forever. For Nigeria, for London, the Congo, Sudan, free Palestine."

This segment of his speech was cut from the broadcast, which instead ends after Akinola thanks his family and his brother for "nurturing this spark."**** Addressing this change in a statement to Deadline, a BBC spokesperson said, "The live event is three hours and it has to be reduced to two hours for its on-air slot. The same happened to other speeches made during the night and all edits were made to ensure the program was delivered to time. All winners’ speeches will be available to watch via Bafta’s YouTube channel."**

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