Delroy Lindo criticises Bafta for not speaking to him or Michael B Jordan after racial slur incident
Delroy Lindo has spoken for the first time after he and Michael B Jordan had a racial slur shouted in their direction at the Baftas.
The comment was made involuntarily by John Davidson, who was in attendance in support of I Swear, which is based on his life. Robert Ayamaro won the Bafta for ‘Best Actor’ for his portrayal of Davidson, who suffers from Tourette’s with Coprolalia.
Before leaving the ceremony on his own accord halfway through, Davidson shouted the N-word at Sinners stars Lindo and Jordan while they presented the Bafta for ‘Best Visual Effects’.
Davidson also shouted “shut the fuck up” and “boring” when Bafta chair Sarah Putt delivered a speech prior.
Following the event, Lindo spoke to Vanity Fair, stating that he and Jordan “did what we had to do” by carrying on with their jobs by presenting the award.
However, he did criticise Bafta for their handling of the situation, explaining that he’d have liked it if “someone from Bafta spoke to us afterward”.
The BBC has since removed the recording of the Baftas from iPlayer after airing the segment despite the ceremony taking place two hours before the broadcast began.
The broadcaster also released a statement apologising for the incident, sharing, “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional.”
Davidson has not yet addressed the incident; however, in a statement to Far Out, charity Tourettes Action has defended him and condemned the backlash, including from Jamie Foxx, who said the comments were “unacceptable”.
The charity explained, “We deeply understand that these words can cause hurt but at the same time, 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.”
They also responded to criticism that Davidson is facing, stating, “The backlash from certain parts of the media has been extremely saddening, particularly given how hard John works to raise awareness and understanding.”
Tourettes Action then called upon those attacking Davidson to “take the time to watch the film, learn about Tourette’s, and understand the experiences behind moments like these”, before adding, “Education is key, and compassion makes a world of difference”.
During the broadcast, host Alan Cummings twice acknowledged the situation, telling those in attendance, “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you are offended tonight.”
In response, Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler took to X to criticise Cumming’s statement, writing, “I 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 ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show.”
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