Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan lead outrage after N-word is shouted at them throughout surprising BAFTAs second
Delroy Lindo has spoken out following a deeply uncomfortable moment at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, saying he wishes ‘someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards’ after the N-word was shouted while he and Michael B. Jordan were presenting on stage.
Lindo addressed the incident while speaking to Vanity Fair at one of the BAFTA after-parties, explaining that he and his Sinners co-star ‘did what we had to do’ in the moment as they presented the award for Best Visual Effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The slur was shouted from the audience by John Davidson, who attended the ceremony as the subject of the nominated biopic I Swear, on Sunday evening, with microphones picking up the racist term.
Davidson has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome, a neurological condition that causes involuntary vocal and physical tics.
As reported by Variety, Davidson had multiple audible outbursts throughout the ceremony.
The publication noted: ‘A number of outbursts from Davidson could be heard throughout the BAFTA ceremony, including ‘shut the f**k up’ being shouted during an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt and ‘f**k you’ when the directors of ‘Boong,’ which won the BAFTA for best children’s and family film, accepted their award.’
Delroy Lindo has spoken out following a deeply uncomfortable moment at the 2026 BAFTA Awards, saying he wishes ‘someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards’ after the N-word was shouted at him and Michael B. Jordan
Sources told Variety that floor managers warned guests seated near Davidson about his condition, though they did not specify what types of vocal outbursts might occur.
According to multiple sources, neither nominees nor attendees were contacted by BAFTA or the BBC ahead of the show with any such warnings.
In the days following the ceremony, Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler also came forward, saying she was targeted by the same slur during the evening.
Beachler, who became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Production Design in 2018 for Black Panther, took to X to share her experience.
‘I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words,’ she wrote. ‘The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.’
She added that the other person Davidson shouted at was also a Black woman and, while acknowledging it as an ‘impossible situation,’ criticized the response from BAFTA host Alan Cumming.
‘I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show,’ she said.
‘Of course we were offended… but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.’
Video clips of Davidson’s involuntary outburst during Lindo and Jordan’s presentation quickly went viral online, with Cumming later thanking the audience ‘for their understanding’ regarding Davidson’s condition.
Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler says Torettes campaigner John Davidson also hurled the N-word at her during the BAFTA awards as she criticized the show’s handling of the situation
Tourette campaigner John Davidson involuntarily shouted the N-word at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night
Beachler became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Production Design in 2018 for Black Panther
Addressing the situation from the stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall, Cumming told the audience: ‘You may have heard some strong offensive language tonight, but if you’ve seen the film I Swear, it’s about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome. It is a disability and the ticks you have heard tonight are involuntary that means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language and we apologize if it has caused offence.’
Tourette syndrome is characterized by involuntary vocal and physical tics and affects roughly one in 100 children, according to NHS England.
Davidson later appeared to leave the ceremony during the second half of the show, as his outbursts were no longer audible. However, Variety reported that he left of his own accord and was not asked to leave, with a source stating he was an ‘invited guest’ and ‘under no circumstances’ would have been removed.
Davidson was previously awarded an MBE for his work raising awareness of Tourette syndrome. Recalling the proudest moment of his life when receiving the honor, he previously revealed that he involuntarily swore at Queen Elizabeth II and felt compelled to tell police officers at Holyrood Palace that he had ‘a f***ing bomb!’ during security checks.
The biopic I Swear, which depicts Davidson’s younger years growing up in Glasgow and navigating his diagnosis, was nominated for Outstanding British Film but lost to Hamnet.
Its star Robert Aramayo won the BAFTA for Lead Actor, beating front-runners Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet, and also took home the EE Rising Star Award – the only publicly voted prize of the night.
