The N-word was mentioned at the BAFTA Awards. African-American actors react in horror, those affected by Tourette’s protest – and many only agree on one point.
02/24/2026, 09:5002/24/2026, 09:50
The incident caused absolute disbelief at the British film awards ceremony, the BAFTAs. When the African-American “Blood & Sinners” co-stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage, the N-word was suddenly heard from the audience.
It was said by John Davidson, a Tourette activist whose story is featured in the film “I Swear”. Actor Robert Aramayo, who plays Davidson in the film, won best actor that same evening.
In the film, Davidson is shown to suffer from a severe form of Tourette’s called coprolalia. He involuntarily – and above all involuntarily – screams words. Mostly ones that are obscene or offensive. As can be seen in the film, he has often had problems with other people or even the law because of his tics. But now it happened at the BAFTAs of all places.
Michael B. Jordan has not yet commented on the incident.image: Tolga Akmen
Presenter Alan Cumming tried to enlighten the audience several times after Davidson interjected like “Boring!” or “Shut up!” had shouted: “You may have noticed disturbing language in the background. This may be part of how Tourette syndrome manifests itself in some people.” But the N-word blew everything up.
“Unacceptable”
While Michael B. Jordan has not yet commented publicly, Delroy Lindo told Vanity Fair at an after-show party that they had “done their duty.” But he would have liked “someone from BAFTA to have spoken to us afterwards”.
According to Delroy Lindo, neither the BBC nor the BAFTA organization have spoken to him and Michael B. Jordan.image: Andy Rain
Others react much more sharply. “No, he meant that shit. Unacceptable,” tweeted Jamie Foxx. Actor Wendell Pierce also wrote on The reasons for the racist insult are irrelevant.”
The production designer of “Blood & Sinners,” Hannah Beachler, also said on social media that she herself was the target of a racist exclamation from Davidson while leaving the event: “I keep trying to write about what happened, but I just can’t find the right words. The situation is almost unbelievable, but it happened three times that evening, and one of the three times was against myself.”
Jamie Foxx reacts strongly online.Image: Allison Dinner
There is also heated debate online. Some even question whether Davidson should have attended the award ceremony at all: “The fact that it is a disability does not change the shame and humiliation of those affected. And frankly, this attitude that he ‘didn’t mean any harm’ ignores the fact that people were still affected.”
Two things can be true at the same time
Meanwhile, Tourette sufferers are also speaking out. «I share this as a black woman whose son has Tourette Syndrome. “I want many people to watch the movie ‘I Swear’ to better understand John Davidson’s illness,” writes someone on Reddit. One should not trivialize the pain caused by insults, but “it is important to know that some people with Tourette’s involuntarily use taboo words or offensive expressions.”
Write similarly too “Glamour”-Journalist Blessing Odukoya: “As a black person with a disability who does not suffer from Tourette’s syndrome, I can empathize with the feelings of both sides.” But claiming that Davidson should not have attended the awards ceremony “sends the message that people with uncontrollable illnesses should simply be banned from public spaces.” Disabilities often appear “uncomfortable” to others.
“I share the outrage at racist insults, to which we should often respond with dignity,” she continues. But you have to recognize two truths: “His unintentional words were racist, but that doesn’t make him racist; and it is degrading to be exposed to racist comments in front of the whole world.”
Not cut despite delayed broadcast
John Davidson himself emphasized his regrets in a statement. He would be “deeply ashamed if anyone thinks my involuntary tics are intentional or attaches any significance to them.” What he said did not correspond to his personal beliefs. “I decided to leave the hall early during the ceremony because I was aware of how much my tics were bothering those affected.”
Most people agree on one point: the BBC should have reacted better and faster before and after the awards. The warning that there could be “involuntary movements or noises” during the ceremony was obviously not received by everyone.
Moderator Alan Cumming tried to clarify things at the award ceremony – but that would have been the responsibility of the organizers.image: Tolga Akmen
Most importantly, the scene was not cut out, even though the program was broadcast with a two-hour delay. According to the BBC, producers did not hear the insult. British politician Kemi Badenoch describes this as a “terrible mistake”.
The BAFTA organizers said in a statement: “We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and apologize to everyone.” We will learn from this and “continue to put inclusion at the center of everything we do, in the belief that film and stories are important means of conveying compassion and empathy.” The BBC has now apologized for a second time. The question remains whether that is enough.