Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine at one of the 2026 BAFTA after-parties, Delroy Lindo said he and his Sinners co-star Michael B. Jordan “did what they had to do” when the N-word was shouted during the Best Visual Effects award for Avatar: Fire and Ash. Lind added: “I wish someone at BAFTA had spoken to us afterwards.”
Variety has reached out to BAFTA for comment.
The person who shouted this slur was John Davidson, who has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Davidson attended the BAFTAs as the subject of the nominated biopic I Swear. The film’s star, Robert Aramayo, won the Best Actor award for his role as Davidson, who develops an involuntary vocal tic.
Variety reported: “During the BAFTA ceremony, Mr. Davidson could be heard making a number of abusive comments, including being yelled at to ‘shut up’ as BAFTA chair Sarah Putt greeted the directors of Boon, which won the BAFTA for Best Children’s and Family Film, and yelling ‘fuck you’ as the directors of Boon accepted their awards.”
After the ceremony, sources told Variety that floor managers warned guests and attendees sitting around Davidson about his condition, without disclosing what kind of abuse they might hear. Sources say none of the nominees or attendees received any such warnings from BAFTA or the BBC before the show.
BAFTA presenter Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their understanding during the ceremony after Davidson made several abusive comments, including shouting the N-word.
“You may have noticed some strong language in the background, which may be part of the way Tourette syndrome manifests itself in some people, as the film explores that experience,” Cumming said. “Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in creating a respectful space for everyone.”
The host then added during the ceremony, “Tourette syndrome is a disorder and the tics you heard tonight are involuntary. That means people with Tourette syndrome have no control over their speech. I apologize if I was offended tonight.”
The BAFTAs came under even more scrutiny after a tape-delayed broadcast was broadcast on the BBC later that night in which Davidson’s use of the N-word could still be heard. The BBC later apologized for not editing out the racial slur and removed it from the version of BAFTA streaming on iPlayer.
After removing the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer early on Monday afternoon, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “Some viewers may have heard strongly offensive language during the BAFTAs ceremony. This resulted from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome and was unintentional as explained at the ceremony. We apologize that this was not edited before broadcast and BBC iPlayer It will be removed from the above version.
