{"id":2690,"date":"2026-02-23T15:02:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2690"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:02:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T15:02:44","slug":"bbc-faces-backlash-after-racial-slur-shouted-during-bafta-awards-by-attendee-with-tourette-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/?p=2690","title":{"rendered":"BBC faces backlash after racial slur shouted during BAFTA awards by attendee with Tourette syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The BBC apologized Sunday for the \u201cstrong and offensive language\u201d at the British Academy Film Awards after a series of audible outbursts from an attendee with Tourette syndrome, including a racial slur yelled while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage, were not cut from the final broadcast.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Jordan and Lindo, the stars of \u201cSinners,\u201d were presenting the best visual effects award at the 79th annual awards show when a Tourette\u2019s campaigner, John Davidson, could be heard shouting. The actors, who are Black, appeared to pause for a beat after a racial slur was yelled, before they continued their presentation of the first award of the night at the London award show aired on the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Variety, which was in the room at London\u2019s Royal Festival Hall as the show was being recorded, and other outlets identified Davidson, who is the inspiration for the nominated film \u201cI Swear.\u201d The film follows the story of his Tourette syndrome diagnosis at the age of 25, his struggles and his journey to raise public awareness. The title is a nod to his uncontrollable swearing, a symptom of the syndrome.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">(NBC News has viewed the moment from the show. A broadcast of the ceremony that aired in the U.S. on E! did not appear to bleep the slur.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The outlet also reported that during the show, someone also shouted \u201cshut the f&#8212; up\u201d as BAFTA chair Sara Putt gave an introductory speech and \u201cf&#8212; you\u201d when the award for best children\u2019s and family film was being accepted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">NBC News was unable to independently confirm whether Davidson was the individual who made the audible comments. A BBC spokesperson only identified the source of the outbursts to an attendee with Tourette syndrome in a statement to NBC News. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u00a0defines the syndrome as\u00a0\u201ca condition of the nervous system that causes people to make sudden and repeated twitches, movements, or sounds, called \u2018tics.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cSome viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026,\u201d the BBC spokesperson said. \u201cThis arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"rounded-lg\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/dyA6h_qT36B6iEUDchNpIQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTcyMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/nbc_news_122\/0c76a1160fb5bccd3197938ff3ef4bcd\" alt=\"Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo stand at a lectern on stage during an award ceremony. They look nonplussed. (Stuart Wilson \/ Getty Images for BAFTA)\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><button class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" aria-label=\"View larger image\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\" data-rapid_p=\"8\" data-v9y=\"1\"><\/button><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 line-clamp-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div>\n<div>Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo present the Special Visual Effects Award on stage Sunday. (Stuart Wilson \/ Getty Images for BAFTA)<\/div>\n<p>(Stuart Wilson)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Representatives for the BAFTAs, Jordan and Lindo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A representative for Versant, which owns E!, did not immediately respond to inquiries before and after its telecast about the slur.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The incident has sparked outrage in the film community and online over BAFTA and the BBC\u2019s decision not to cut the racial slur and swearing from broadcast, despite the show airing with a two-hour delay. The show\u2019s host, Alan Cumming, acknowledged the \u201cstrong and offensive language\u201d several times and thanked the audience for their understanding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cYou may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette\u2019s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,\u201d Cumming said. \u201cThanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Later in the show, Cumming added: \u201cIf you have seen the film \u2018I Swear,\u2019 you will know that film is about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome. Tourette\u2019s syndrome is a disability, and the tics you\u2019ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette\u2019s syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you were offended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The outbursts have spurred responses from several A-listers, including actor Jamie Foxx, who commented \u201cunacceptable\u201d\u00a0in a post about the incident on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hannah Beachler, the production designer for \u201cSinners,\u201d who was at the awards ceremony, went online to criticize Cumming\u2019s apology and said she also experienced Davidson\u2019s involuntary slurs. In a post on X, she called the situation \u201calmost impossible\u201d and noted that the outbursts happened three times, \u201cone of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cAnd a third time at a Black woman,\u201d she wrote in a post on X. \u201cI understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw-away apology of \u2018if you were offended\u2019 at the end of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Beachler added: \u201cOf course we were offended\u2026but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steel, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can\u2019t take away from who I am as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film \u201cI Swear\u201d, which received critical acclaim in the U.K. \u2014 with\u00a0Robert Aramayo snagging a win in the best actor category Sunday\u00a0\u2014 is not set to open in U.S. theaters until spring. Sony Pictures Classics, which picked up the distribution rights,\u00a0says on its website that the movie will roll out on April 24.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film\u2019s director, Kirk Jones, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Sony Pictures Classic and Bankside Films,\u00a0which distributed the movie in the U.K., also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. NBC News did not immediately hear back from a message sent to Davidson\u2019s personal Instagram account.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This year\u2019s BAFTAs also marked a historic moment for \u201cSinners\u201d director Ryan Coogler, who became the first Black man to win best original screenplay. The vampire thriller\u00a0won three awards in all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cAsking for more grace for the person who shouted a racist slur instead of for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who had to push through being embarrassed in front of their peers,\u201d journalist Jemele Hill\u00a0wrote in a post on X\u00a0about Sunday\u2019s show. \u201cBut that\u2019s often the expectation \u2014 that Black people are just supposed to be ok with being disrespected and dehumanized so that other people don\u2019t feel bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In response to Hill\u2019s post,\u00a0actor Wendell Pierce added: \u201cIt\u2019s infuriating that the first reaction wasn\u2019t complete and full throatted [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan. The insult to them takes priority. It doesn\u2019t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This article was originally published on\u00a0NBCNews.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The BBC apologized Sunday for the \u201cstrong and offensive language\u201d at the British Academy Film Awards after a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2692,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2690\/revisions\/2692"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedritech.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}