Outcry Roils BAFTAs After Guest With Tourette Syndrome Shouts N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo
At Sunday night’s BAFTA Awards, John Davidson—the real-life inspiration for the celebrated British film I Swear—shouted the N-word at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while the Sinners stars were presenting the award for best visual effects. The outburst followed an opening monologue from host Alan Cumming during which Davidson, who has Tourette syndrome, was involuntarily ticking. The audience had been informed of Davidson’s condition before the show began—but it was only after he said the racial slur that Cumming openly addressed the issue.“You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming explained from the stage. “Thanks for your understanding and for helping create a respectful space for everyone.” Shortly after the incident, Davidson decided to remove himself from the theater and watch in a separate room.At the Warner Bros. after-party following the ceremony, Lindo told Vanity Fair that he and Jordan “did what we had to do” while presenting—but that he also wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward.”Though the BAFTAs aired on a tape delay, the slur was nevertheless included in the broadcast—though the BBC did not air winner Akinola Davies Jr. saying “free Palestine” at the end of his speech, according to Deadline. Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler wrote on X that while the Davidson situation “is almost impossible, it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”Despite it all, Lindo was in good spirits at the afterparty. We spotted him chatting with his costar Wunmi Mosaku, who won the BAFTA for best supporting actress. Their Sinners castmate Jordan attended an afterparty thrown by British GQ and Vogue, albeit briefly, as he was listed as one of the event’s hosts.Following the ceremony, BAFTA hosted a dinner for the nominees and guests—where everyone was speaking about the incident. On one hand, Davidson’s disability is the inspiration for I Swear; the film’s star, Robert Aramayo, won the BAFTA rising star award on Sunday, as well as the lead actor prize over frontrunners Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio. But even if BAFTA guests could understand why he shouted the slur, they were still disturbed by his outburst. Jordan was visibly startled when Davidson yelled from the auditorium as audience members gasped. Though guests were sensitive to everyone involved, the incident was definitely the talk of the night.Aside from Davidson, the BAFTAs held several other major surprises as well. Though Aramayo won lead actor, he isn’t even nominated in that very tight category at the Academy Awards. Ryan Coogler won best screenplay at the ceremony, giving a heartfelt speech about what really matters to him: “I come from a community that loves me and spoke a lot of power into me. They made me believe that I could do this. That I could be a writer.” Prince William presented Dame Donna Langley with the BAFTA Fellow Award—the first public outing for him and his wife, Kate Middleton, since Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was arrested for his connection to Jeffrey Epstein. The Universal Pictures chairwoman took the stage in a custom Rodarte dress, telling the audience, “My hope is that those of us who help to tell stories for a living continue to find inspiration to make popular art that carries over into people’s everyday lives.”
