A British Academy jury member has resigned from his post following the N-word controversy at Sunday night’s film awards.
Jonte Richardson, a black writer and producer, has resigned from BAFTA’s Emerging Talent Review Committee, calling the organization’s response to the incident in which Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson spontaneously yelled the “N-word” during a presentation by Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo on stage, saying it was “totally unacceptable”.
“I cannot and will not give my time, energy and expertise to an organization that has repeatedly failed to protect the dignity of its Black customers, members and Black creative community,” Richardson said on social media.
The incident sparked a storm of anger, which snowballed further when the BBC failed to cut the outbursts from the delayed broadcast. BAFTA issued a statement late Monday, saying it “takes full responsibility for the extremely difficult situation our guests were placed in and apologizes to everyone.” He also said he would like to “unreservedly apologize” to Jordan and Lind. “I would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
See Mr. Richardson’s full statement below.
After much soul-searching, I felt compelled to withdraw from the BAFTA Emerging Talent judging panel. The organization’s response to Tourette’s unfortunate N-word incident at last night’s awards ceremony was completely inexcusable. I cannot and will not give my time, energy, and expertise to an organization that has repeatedly failed to protect the dignity of its Black guests, members, and the Black creative community. This is especially disappointing given that this year’s lineup includes some great Black talent, especially “Just Act Normal,” one of my favorite shows of 2025. But when an organization like BAFTA, which has a long history of systemic racism, refuses to acknowledge the harm done to both black and disabled communities and refuse to issue a proper apology, continuing to engage is tantamount to condoning that behavior. We hope that the BAFTA leadership understands the damage they and the BBC have caused and takes the necessary steps to ensure production staff are sufficiently inclusive to prevent problems like this in the future.
