‘Sinners’ Star Delroy Lindo Addresses Use of Slur at the BAFTAs, Wishes Organization Addressed It

Sinners star Delroy Lindo addressed the controversial moment at the 2026 BAFTAs in which the N-word was shouted at him and co-star Michael B. Jordan.

The actor, 73, spoke with Vanity Fair at a Warner Bros. afterparty later in the night, noting that he and Jordan, 39, “did what [they] had to do” and simply kept presenting the award for best visual effects without addressing the incident, the outlet reported on Monday, February 23. However, he added that he wished someone from the BAFTA organization had reached out to him and his costar to address the incident in some way.

John Davidson, who has Tourette’s and was the real-life inspiration for the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, shouted the slur at the two actors from the audience. Tourette’s often causes people to shout inappropriate expletives as involuntary tics. Throughout the evening, Davidson also shouted other expletives while people were speaking onstage.

“You may have noticed some strong language in the background,” host Alan Cumming told the crowd. “This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience.”

“Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone,” the Traitors host, 61, said.

He concluded by reminding viewers that the tics are involuntary, adding, “We apologize if you are offended tonight.” However, the BBC was later criticized because audiences at home also heard the comments.

In a statement shared on February 23, a BBC spokesperson said, “We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

BAFTA said that it takes “full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation” in a statement on Feb. 23 and that it “apologizes unreservedly” to Lindo and Jordan. “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism,” the statement read, in part.

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