Editor’s note: BAFTA has come out and said they’re taking responsibility for the N-word moment at the awards that was broadcast on the BBC. View the full statement, as well as an added statement from John Davidson, below.
Previously reported:
A prestigious moment for two of the stars of Sinners took an uncomfortable turn when a man was heard yelling a racial epithet and other obscenities during their appearance on the broadcast. The offensive language was involuntarily shouted by a man with Tourette’s who was the subject of a nominated movie that seeks to bring awareness and understanding to people with the condition.
‘Sinners’ stars keep composure as man with Tourette’s yells N-word during presentation
The situation happened Sunday night during the BAFTA (British Academy Film Awards), also known as the BAFTA Awards, one of the most prestigious film award ceremonies. As Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo appeared together onstage to present the ceremony’s first award — Best Visual Effects for the film Avatar: Fire and Ash — a man could be heard shouting the N-word from the audience.
Variety reported that the outburst was one of several later revealed to have been uttered by John Davidson, an advocate for people such as himself who are living with Tourette’s. The condition causes involuntary tics, which may include verbal outbursts; people with Tourette’s sometimes say random or even vulgar things. After a momentary pause, Jordan and Lindo continued with their presentation, not commenting on the slur, which could clearly be heard on video of the moment.
BAFTA host explains Tourette’s outbursts as Davidson seeks to raise awareness
Davidson was a guest at the BAFTA Awards due to a movie about his life, I Swear, being nominated. At other points during the first half of the broadcast, Davidson could be heard shouting other obscenities. Davidson apparently left the ceremony early, though a source told Variety that he left voluntarily and was not asked to leave by BAFTA.
Actor and BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed Davidson’s verbal outbursts during the ceremony. “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people, as the film explores that experience,” Cumming explained. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
Later, Cumming also told the audience, “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.”
BAFTA did not edit the moment out, although it aired on a delay
The outbursts were not edited out of the BAFTA broadcast, which aired with a two-hour delay from the live ceremony. This has left many confused as to why it wasn’t edited out. However, BAFTA did seem to edit out remarks from Akinola Davies Jr., the co-writer and director of My Father’s Shadow. While winning the award for Outstanding Debut for a British Writer, Director or Producer, he said “Free Palestine,” but it not make it to air.
Mixed reactions to uncomfortable BAFTA moment
Despite the explanations given by Cumming, online opinions about Davidson’s outbursts and BAFTA’s response were mixed.
“It sounds like the host, Alan Cumming, handled it with grace by acknowledging the audience,” one commenter posted. “Understanding conditions like Tourette’s is crucial, but that word carries a heavy weight. I hope there’s a way to support John Davidson while also respecting the deep hurt that word can cause.”
Other comments were less sympathetic. “Doesn’t matter if he has Tourette’s — he still needs to apologize for the slur against two of our finest Black actors!” one poster said.
Still others highlighted the effect the incident may have had on Jordan and Lindo while blaming the event organizers for the situation. “Black actors have the right to feel safe at an important industry event without having racial abuse thrown at them in front of their peers and the world,” a commenter posted, adding, “impact > intent. If anyone suspected that a situation like this was possible, modifications could and should have been provided.”
“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,” noted writer Jemele Hill. “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.”
Several Black people with Tourette’s have also commented on the BAFTA controversy. “I’m not going to say that people can’t be offended by the fact that somebody said the N-word as a tic,” posted TikTok user Shay. “However, it’s not something that somebody can control. It’s not something that somebody wants to say.”
@sh4ysgrwm it’s an unfortunate situation all around. But the ableism is unacceptable. Having these kinds of tics does not mean that we actively have it in our vocabulary. #baftas #tourettesawareness #foryoupagе #fyp ♬ original sound – shay. 🤍
“I completely understand the complexity and duality of the situation,” said TikTok user Jhónelle Bean, while arguing that “we should be focusing on the BAFTAs’ editing team as to why that was kept,” particularly noting that other political statements were cut from the broadcast.
The unusual moment at the BAFTA ceremony has likely done more to spread awareness for Tourette’s, as people like Davidson have spent years attempting to do. The moment also highlights the ways in which Black actors still have to deal with elements of racism, even when racist moments are unintentional.
BAFTA’s full apology for the incident
Early Monday afternoon Eastern Standard Time, BAFTA released the following statement, which can be read in full right here:
At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.
One of our guests, John Davidson MBE, has Tourette Syndrome and has devoted his life to educating and campaigning for better understanding of this condition. Tourette Syndrome causes involuntary verbal tics, that the individual has no control over. Such tics are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional. John Davidson is an executive producer of the BAFTA nominated film, I Swear, which is based on his life experience.
We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. 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.
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.
During the ceremony, John chose to leave the auditorium and watch the rest of the ceremony from a screen, and we would like to thank him for his dignity and consideration of others, on what should have been a night of celebration for him.
We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy.
What John Davidson says about what happened
He said, per Variety, “I wanted to thank BAFTA and everyone involved in the awards last night for their support and understanding and inviting me to attend the broadcast. “I appreciated the announcement to the auditorium in advance of the recording, warning everyone that my tics are involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs. I was heartened by the round of applause that followed this announcement and felt welcomed and understood in an environment that would normally be impossible for me.”
He continued, “In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, 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…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,” Davidson said. “I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.”