The 2026 BAFTAs caught everyone off guard after a Tourette’s advocate shouted an offensive slur from the audience as Michael B. Jordan and his “Sinners” costar Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the award for Best Visual Effects.
BBC Issues Apology
The British Broadcasting Corporation, which aired the Sunday, February 22, ceremony, issued a formal apology for not editing out the outburst from their delayed broadcasts.
“We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer,” a BBC spokesperson said on Monday morning. “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards.”
The statement continued, “This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, it was not intentional.”
BAFTA Issues Their Own Apology
Lindo and Jordan were presenting the first award of the night for Best Visual Effects when John Davidson, an advocate for Tourette’s, shouted his racial comment from the audience.
The “Sinners” actor told Vanity Fair that he would have appreciated if “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterward.”
“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,” the organization’s statement began on Monday, February 23.
“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,” the statement continued. “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
BAFTA went on to 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,” the statement concluded.
John Davidson Breaks His Silence
Davidson shared a statement with Variety, claiming to be “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
“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,” Davidson began his statement.”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.”
According to Davidson, he ultimately left the ceremony early as he felt his tics were causing “distress.”
