What was supposed to be a celebratory night at the 79th annual BAFTA Film Awards has turned into a larger conversation about accountability, harm, and who gets centered in moments like this.
While Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the award for Best Visual Effects, an audience member with Tourette syndrome shouted the N-word. The moment was included in the BBC’s delayed broadcast and remained available on BBC iPlayer before later being removed.
The individual, John Davidson, is a Tourette’s campaigner whose life inspired the BAFTA-winning film I Swear. Throughout the evening, he reportedly had multiple verbal tics, including other instances of swearing.
The BBC later issued a statement apologizing for not editing out the language prior to broadcast, explaining that the word stemmed from “involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome” and was not intentional. The network said the moment would be removed from its streaming version.
Host Alan Cumming addressed the audience during the ceremony, telling attendees they “may have heard some strong and offensive language” and explaining that Tourette syndrome involves involuntary tics. He concluded by apologizing “if anyone was offended.”
That phrasing quickly became part of the backlash.
For many viewers, the issue wasn’t a lack of understanding about Tourette syndrome. It was the feeling that the harm itself wasn’t directly acknowledged in the moment, particularly for Jordan and Lindo, the two Black actors standing on stage when the slur was shouted.
Actor Wendell Pierce wrote that it was “infuriating” the first reaction wasn’t a “complete and full throated apology” directed at Jordan and Lindo, adding that “the insult to them takes priority.” Jamie Foxx also described the slur as “unacceptable” in comments shared on social media.
Oscar-winning production designer Hannah Beachler, who worked on Sinners, later revealed the moment wasn’t isolated to what viewers saw on television.
In posts shared on X, Beachler said the slur was heard three times that night — including once directed at her personally as she was heading to dinner after the ceremony.
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words,” Beachler wrote. “The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”
She added that another instance was directed “at a Black woman,” underscoring that the impact extended beyond the stage.
Beachler acknowledged the complexity of the situation, noting she understands that Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition and that vocal tics are involuntary. But she also made clear that the apology delivered during the ceremony felt insufficient.
“But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show,” she wrote. “Of course we were offended.”
She later added that while the moment did not “bounce off” her, it would not diminish who she is as an artist.
Advocates and those involved with I Swear have emphasized that coprolalia — the involuntary utterance of socially inappropriate words — affects a minority of people with Tourette syndrome and is not reflective of a person’s beliefs or intent. Actor Robert Aramayo, who portrays Davidson in the film, told reporters that tics are neurological, not malicious.
Still, the broader debate has centered less on Davidson himself and more on editorial decisions and response.
The controversy intensified after it was reported that a “Free Palestine” remark made during an acceptance speech was edited out of the broadcast for time, while the racial slur remained in the delayed version. The BBC has said multiple speeches were shortened to fit the program’s runtime and that full speeches are available online.
The BAFTAs have since apologized following public outcry.
The night was otherwise historic for Sinners, which won three awards — marking a milestone moment for Black creatives at the British ceremony. But for many viewers, that celebration now shares space with a larger conversation: when harm happens, even in complicated circumstances, who is acknowledged first? And what does accountability look like in real time?
The Black Information Network is your source for Black News! Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.