Michael B. Jordan & Delroy Lindo Targeted By Racial Slur During BAFTAs — Cast Member Says It Happened Multiple Times
An already complicated moment at the UK’s BAFTA Film Awards has taken a deeper turn after new details emerged about what happened inside the theater.
Actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage presenting the award for Best Visual Effects when a racial slur was audibly shouted from the audience.
The outburst came from John Davidson, a Tourette’s campaigner who served as inspiration for the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear. Davidson has publicly spoken about having Tourette’s syndrome, which can include involuntary vocal tics and outbursts.
Throughout the ceremony, multiple interruptions were heard, including profanity during speeches. When the racial slur was shouted while Jordan and Lindo were presenting, the room reportedly went tense.
Host Alan Cumming later addressed the situation, explaining to the audience that Tourette’s syndrome can involve involuntary language and thanking attendees for their understanding. He added that the condition is a disability and that the person experiencing tics has no control over their language.
However, that explanation has not fully settled the controversy.
Tourette’s syndrome involves involuntary vocal tics in which real thoughts or intrusive words may surface unexpectedly, but the individual has no control over blurting them out.
Cast Member Says It Wasn’t An Isolated Moment
Production designer Hannah Beachler, who worked on Sinners, later shared that the incident occurred more than once that night.
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words,” she 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 Black woman was also targeted and described the apology as feeling dismissive, particularly the phrasing, “if you were offended.”
Her comments suggest that what happened may have extended beyond a single moment during the televised ceremony.
A Complex And Sensitive Situation
The situation sits at the intersection of disability awareness and the lived experience of racial harm. Tourette’s syndrome can involve involuntary speech, including offensive language, which makes the context uniquely complicated.
At the same time, the impact of hearing a racial slur in a public setting — particularly for Black performers standing on stage — cannot be ignored.
As of now, BAFTA has not issued an expanded statement beyond what was shared during the ceremony.
What remains clear is that for those who experienced the moment firsthand, the impact went beyond a brief interruption.
Humiliation Ritual?
On social media, however, some users are framing the moment very differently. A number of commenters are claiming that what happened felt like a “humiliation ritual” tied to the cast of Sinners, arguing that Black actors were forced to stand on stage while being publicly subjected to hateful language in front of a global audience. These posts suggest the optics of the moment were disturbing, regardless of the medical explanation offered during the ceremony.
There is no evidence supporting the claim that the incident was orchestrated or intentional, and no official source has indicated any such motive. Still, the “humiliation ritual” theory has gained traction in certain online circles, reflecting broader distrust some viewers feel toward award shows and the entertainment industry. At this point, those claims remain speculative and unverified.