79th British Academy Film Awards

Incident

Throughout the ceremony, Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson (the topic of the film I Swear) had several tic-related outbursts, including shouting the word "nigger" while Black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the first category of the night: Best Special Visual Effects. This later prompted Cumming to apologise for any strong language heard throughout the broadcast, though he thanked the audience for their "understanding" of Tourette's. Davidson later left of his own accord following the first half-hour of the ceremony.^[b] Deadline Hollywood reported that those close to Davidson said the incident spotlighted his "exhausting condition".^[47]

The BBC apologised for not editing the slur out from the broadcast.^[48] It also had a two-hour delay between the live event and the broadcast, which is ordinarily used to remove material like these slurs, but Davidson's tic-related outbursts were not removed.^[48] A second apology was later issued with BBC producers stating that they "didn't hear" the word. It was reported that the producers who oversaw the ceremony for the BBC were doing so from a truck; several other incidents of inappropriate language were cut out, including another racial slur,^[49] but that moment was missed.^[50]

The ceremony remained on BBC iPlayer overnight before being removed sometime the following morning; the BBC stated that the word would be edited out of the iPlayer version.^[50] Deadline Hollywood reported that a representative from Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio behind Sinners, which stars Jordan and Lindo, complained and raised immediate concerns to BAFTA in the minutes after the slur was shouted, requesting that the incident be removed from the broadcast; the studio reportedly received assurances that their concerns would be passed on to the BBC.^[51]

The controversy of the BBC's failure to remove the slurs was heightened by observations of other material that was removed, including political commentary; such removals included Cumming making a joke relating themes of lies and corruption in Zootopia 2 to the American political climate and Akinola Davies Jr. shouting "free Palestine" while accepting the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.^[52]

Reactions and analysis

Following the ceremony, Lindo spoke out about the incident, stating that he and Jordan "did what [they] had to do" while presenting, despite the word being heard across the auditorium, and wished that "someone from BAFTA spoke to [them] afterwards".^[53] Black production designer Hannah Beachler alleged that, in addition to Jordan and Lindo, Davidson had also directed racial slurs at her and another Black attendee during the ceremony, describing it as an "almost impossible" situation to address while criticising Cumming for making the situation worse with his "throwaway apology".^[54]

Black actors Jamie Foxx and Wendell Pierce condemned the moment on social media; Foxx called it "unacceptable" and suggested that Davidson's outburst was intentional by posting "he meant that shit", while Pierce deemed it "infuriating" and criticised BAFTA for prioritising Davidson's needs over Jordan's and Lindo's feelings.^[55]

UK charity Tourettes Action defended Davidson against backlash, stating: "It is vital that the public understands a fundamental truth about Tourette syndrome: tics are involuntary. They are not a reflection of a person's beliefs, intentions, or character."^[56] Speaking to the BBC, following the ceremony, actor Robert Aramayo (who portrayed Davidson in I Swear and won Best Actor in a Leading Role) spoke on the matter and defended Davidson, stating, "The way we perceive Tourette's is a joint responsibility. It's not shouting obscenities. It's not being abusive ... If it can lead to a deeper understanding of Tourette's, and movies are part of that conversation, then it's an incredible thing."^[57]

Writing for Variety, Clayton Davis criticised BAFTA's and BBC's handling of the situation by failing to inform the ceremony's participants of Davidson's condition beforehand and allowing the slur to play unedited for the tape delayed broadcast, while censoring less severe comments or remarks made by other attendees during the show. Davis, while expressing sympathy for Davidson, argued that the organizers' and Cumming's use of the words "strong language" to describe Davidson's outburst both downplayed the offensiveness behind the slur and further mischaracterized Tourette's, concluding that Davidson, Jordan, Lindo, the Tourette's community and Black people "deserved better".^[58]

Deadline Hollywood's Baz Bamigboye believed that the incident could be "a teachable moment".^[59] Stuart Heritage of The Guardian argued that the BAFTAs "must get rid of their two-hour delay and broadcast live", adding, "Last night made clear that broadcasting a partially redacted version long after the winners have been announced doesn't work for anyone."^[60]

Franklin Leonard, founder of The Black List, tweeted: "I don't know why it's so hard for people to have empathy for Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, Hannah Beachler, and John Davidson. Each of them deserves it." He later added: "A fun thought experiment is 'what would they have let Davidson yell at the Prince and Princess during the BAFTAs and still broadcast it?'"^[61] Black academic and studies professor Kehinde Andrews opined that it was "not fair" to Davidson because he would have preferred it not to have been broadcast and that it was "not his fault". Critics further noted that the BBC edited out lengthy walks to the stage and portions of speeches, including Davies Jr.'s "free Palestine" remarks, and questioned how the BBC was able to do such extensive editing, while also failing to edit out the racial slur.^[50][62][63]

Black British Labour Party politician Dawn Butler wrote to the BBC asking for an "urgent explanation" over the racial slur, declaring that it "should never have been aired" and describing the broadcast as "painful and unforgivable".^[64] New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the city's first publicly elected official with Tourette syndrome, released a video the following day in which he expressed disappointment that BAFTA did not better support all parties involved in the debacle, stating: "BAFTA could have censored the damn thing." He also urged people to have compassion for Davidson, emphasising that he had every right to attend a ceremony where a film about his life was being celebrated, adding, "We have to make sure we're ... putting the anger in the right places, but also providing empathy and care for everyone that's involved. And I believe that was dropped when it came to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Shout out to them. Sadly, Black people have to know how to have poise in so many situations just so they can survive."^[65]

Aftermath

Davidson later released a statement, explaining his outbursts:

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. 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. In addition to the announcement by Alan Cumming, the BBC and BAFTA, I can only add that I am, and always have been deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning. I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome. I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette's community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so. I chose to leave the auditorium early into the ceremony as I was aware of the distress my tics were causing.^[66]

BAFTA also released a full statement, addressing the incident and apologising:

We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. We took measures to make those in attendance aware of the tics, announcing to the audience before the ceremony began, and throughout, that John was in the room and that they may hear strong language, involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony. 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. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.^[67]

On 24 February, BAFTA announced that a "comprehensive review is underway" in a letter to members whose language significantly overlapped the previous statement.^[68]

Speaking with Variety, during his first interview following the backlash, Davidson echoed the many commentators who had suggested that his use of the N-word should have been edited out of the broadcast. He also claimed that he was told before the ceremony that any profanity would be excluded and expressed surprise that a broadcast partner that had previously covered his condition extensively was not better prepared for potential incidents.^[69]

"StudioCanal were working closely with BAFTA and BAFTA had made us all aware that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast", Davidson said, adding, "I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette's and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast."^[69]

While Davidson maintained that Tourette syndrome should not bar anyone from attending award shows or other public events, he also questioned the decision to seat him near a microphone, which could have amplified his outbursts that might have otherwise gone unnoticed by people onstage and watching at home. "As I reflect on the auditorium, I remember there was a microphone just in front of me", he said. "With hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic." He concluded the interview by stating that "it's important not to use the word 'disability'. This is considered a 'condition' by the Tourette's community".^[69]

On 28 February, during the 57th NAACP Image Awards, presented by the American-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), actress Regina Hall gave Jordan and Lindo a special shout-out before presenting the first award of the night. Shifting attention to the duo, Hall gestured towards Jordan and Lindo, and asked the audience to "take a moment for the two kings who are in this audience", adding, "[I] just send you so much love for your class." Those in attendance subsequently gave both actors a standing ovation to salute them. Taking to the stage to present an award with Sinners filmmaker Ryan Coogler later during the evening, both received a standing ovation. "I appreciate, we appreciate, all the support and the love that we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us", Lindo said, adding, "It is an honor to be here amongst our people ... It's a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive."^[70]

At the same event, host Deon Cole targeted Davidson with a joke, concerning his condition and the slur itself, that the audience enjoyed. "If there are any white men out here in the audience, Lord, with Tourette's, I advise you to tell them they'd better read the room tonight, Lord", Cole said in a mock prayer, adding, "It might not go the way they thinketh. Whatever medicine they're on, they'd better double up on it, Lord."^[71]

On 2 March, a week after the ceremony, Cumming posted a lengthier apology on social media, writing: "What should've been an evening celebrating creativity as well as diversity and inclusion turned into a trauma triggering shitshow. I'm so sorry for all the pain Black people have felt at hearing that word echoed around the world. I'm so sorry the Tourettes community has been reminded of the lack of understanding and tolerance that abounds regarding their condition." Cumming further criticised the BBC's decision "to both broadcast slurs and censor free speech" before congratulating the ceremony's winners.^[72]

Deadline Hollywood also reported that a "difficult" meeting between the BBC and Warner Bros. had taken place. Warner Bros. executives were said to have pressed the BBC for answers about why the racial slur made the final cut, despite the BAFTAs being recorded two hours before broadcasting on television. Questions were also raised about why the incident remained on iPlayer for fifteen hours, even though the BBC was aware that the slur was audible. They also demanded to know what steps the BBC would take to prevent a similar incident from happening again. One person briefed on the encounter said that "they were furious". Warner executives had initially sought a meeting with the BBC on the Monday following the ceremony, but were left "frustrated" when the gathering did not materialise.^[73]

On 6 March, following the BBC's review and investigation, it was announced that Director-General of the BBC Tim Davie answered questions from the UK government's Culture, Media and Sport Committee over the incident. In a letter to committee chair Dame Caroline Dinenage, Davie explained why the N-word outburst was not edited out, asserting that it was a "genuine mistake" and the BBC takes "full responsibility" for it. He also wrote that the BBC's "initial evidence gathering" found that no one in the on-site broadcast truck heard the initial outburst when they were watching the live feed and that "there was therefore no editorial decision made to leave the language in". However, he noted that a second outburst of the word occurred, while Wunmi Mosaku accepted her award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, writing: "In that instance, the edit team did hear the racial slur on the feed and removed it immediately from the version of the ceremony that would be broadcast later that evening. This was in line with protocols and procedures that were in place for this event." The mistake occurred, he claimed, when the edit team started received reports about a racial slur, "including from BAFTA", explaining, "Our understanding at this point is that the team editing the show in the truck mistakenly believed they had edited out the incident that was being referenced, on the basis that they had heard and edited out the slur shouted out during the best supporting actress award. Therefore, when they were told a racial slur had been shouted, they believed they had removed it."^[74][75][76]

On 8 April 2026, the BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) issued the findings of its investigation.^[77] According to the ECU, the inclusion of Davidson's outburst in the broadcast "had no editorial justification and represented a breach of the BBC's editorial standards, but that the breach was unintentional". Actions were also taken to prevent future breaches, and letters of apology were sent to Davidson, Jordan and Lindo.^[77][78][79]