The fallout from the racial slur shouted at the BAFTA Film Awards escalated into the afternoon on Monday, as the attendee who involuntarily called the Sinners stars the N-word said he was “deeply mortified.”
John Davidson was in attendance on Sunday evening to support the BAFTA-nominated biopic about his life, I Swear, when he yelled the N-word as Lindo and Jordan presented the award for best visual effects. Davidson, who has Tourette’s syndrome, told Deadline in a statement on Monday that he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
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.”
Without addressing Jordan or Lindo directly, Davidson concluded, “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”
Lindo told Variety that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us” after the incident, “but we did what we had to do.”
The BBC drew fire for not editing out the slur, which aired on a two-hour tape delay, and then posting the unedited broadcast to the BBC’s iPlayer, where it remained available to stream until Monday morning.
In an earlier statement on Monday morning, the company apologized for not muting the outburst without mentioning the Sinners stars directly, writing, “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.”
Hours later, as online backlash continued to grow, the company issued another statement addressing the two Sinners stars directly.
“Early in the ceremony, a loud tic in the form of a profoundly offensive term was heard by many people in the room. Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism,” the network said in its second apology statement.
The BBC added, “We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.”
Multiple sources told Variety that neither BAFTA nor the BBC warned attendees in advance that Davidson’s condition might cause outbursts during the show. In addition to the N-word, Davidson also involuntarily shouted “shut the f--- up” and “f--- you” at various points throughout the show before he excused himself.
BAFTAs host Alan Cummings apologized twice during the ceremony on Davidson’s behalf, telling audience members, “We apologize if you were offended.”
The wording drew criticism from Sinners’ production designer, Hannah Beachler, who called it a “throwaway apology” and claimed the televised incident was one of several times she heard the slur that evening. “The situation is almost impossible,” she wrote on X, “but it happened three times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”
CEO of Tourettes Action, Emma McNally, added to Davidson’s statement, “People with Tourette’s can say words or phrases they do not mean, do not endorse, and feel great distress about afterwards. These symptoms are neurological, not intentional, and they are something John—like many others with Tourette’s—lives with every single day.”
