The actor was on stage with his “Sinners” costar Michael B. Jordan when John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, shouted the N-word.

Delroy Lindo calls out BAFTA response after racial slur was yelled at awards ceremony

The actor was on stage with his "Sinners" costar Michael B. Jordan when John Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, shouted the N-word.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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February 23, 2026 1:02 p.m. ET

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Delroy Lindo at the 2026 BAFTAs. Credit:

Ian West/PA Images via Getty

Delroy Lindo was not impressed with how BAFTA reacted after Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled a racial slur while Lindo was presenting an award with Michael B. Jordan during Sunday's ceremony.

During the show, the two *Sinners* stars stepped out on stage to present the award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. In the middle of their banter, Davidson — whose Tourette's symptoms include involuntary verbal and physical tics — was heard shouting the N-word. The duo paused in apparent shock before resuming to give out the award.

Afterwards, the show continued on and host Alan Cumming addressed the incident with a brief statement.**** Lindo has since claimed that nobody from the British Academy of Film and Television approached him or Jordan to offer an apology or acknowledge the incident at all. While speaking to *Vanity Fair* at a Warner Brothers' afterparty, Lindo said that he and Jordan "did what we had to do" when they were on stage, but added that he wishes "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards."

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presenting at the BAFTAs.

Carlo Paloni/BAFTA via Getty

** has reached out to representatives for BAFTA, Lindo, and Jordan for comment.

Davidson, a Tourette syndrome activist, attended the event in support of the film, *I Swear*, which was inspired by his personal experience living with Tourette's. The title is a reference to his uncontrollable swearing, a symptom of his condition. Prior to the show beginning, the event's stage manager introduced Davidson to the audience and alerted attendees that they might hear some "involuntary noises or movements" during the ceremony.

Later, Cumming took the stage and asked for "understanding" amid the outbursts, which he indicated might've led to audiences hearing "some strong language in the background." He then thanked the crowd for "understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone," per *Variety*.

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John Davidson at the BAFTAs.

Carlo Paloni/BAFTA via Getty

According to the outlet, Cumming later added, "Tourette 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."**** Lindo's comments comes after *Sinners* production designer Hannah Beachler posted on X that a racial slur was also directed at her during the show, and that she felt the BAFTAs' apology was a "throw away."**

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Other outbursts that were heard throughout the night included "Shut the f--- up," during a speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt, as well as 'f--- you" when the winners of Best Children’s and Family Film accepted their award.

Following the N-word incident, *Variety* reports that Davidson left the venue but later returned to celebrate the Best Actor win of Robert Aramayo, who plays him in *I Swear*. In an upset, Aramayo beat out a star-studded roster of competitors, including Jordan, Timothée Chalamet (*Marty Supreme), *Leonardo DiCaprio (*One Battle After Another), *Ethan Hawke (*Blue Moon), *and* *Jesse Plemons (*Bugonia).*

- Awards Shows & Events

- BAFTA Film Awards

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Source: “EW BAFTA”