A racist slur was hurled during Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo‘s presentation at the BAFTAs!

Sunday’s award ceremony has been engulfed in controversy after Tourette Syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled the n-word, a racist slur, while the stars were onstage. Tourette’s causes involuntary verbal and physical tics, which can often include loud swearing and, sometimes, the release of deeply offensive terms. According to Variety, prior to the show, the stage manager introduced the 54-year-old to the audience and alerted them they might hear “involuntary noises or movements” throughout. Nobody was expecting what happened, though!

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While the Sinners stars were on stage presenting an award, John yelled out the n-word, causing them both to pause speaking momentarily before they carried on, albeit very stunned. Despite a two-hour delay in airing the show, the jaw-dropping and deeply offensive moment wasn’t cut or bleeped out of the broadcast.

Awful.

The host of the evening, Alan Cumming, addressed the slur afterward, saying on stage:

“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. Thanks for your understanding and for helping create a respectful space for everyone.”

Toward the end of the show, Alan once again addressed the controversy, adding:

“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 apologize if you are offended tonight.”

This wasn’t the only incident, either. During a speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt, John yelled, “Shut the f**k up.” And when the directors for the Best Children’s and Family Film accepted their award, he once again shouted, “f**k you.”

John was there as an invited guest as a film about his life called I Swear was up for several awards. The star who played a young version of him, Robert Aramayo, walked away with the BAFTA for Best Actor and BAFTAs EE Rising Star award. He called John the “most remarkable man I ever met,” noting in his speech:

“I just want to say for people who are living with Tourette’s, it’s the buzz around them that helped define what their experience is, so to quote the film, ‘They need support and understanding.’”

Per Vanity Fair, after the n-word incident, John chose to leave the theater and watch the remainder of the ceremony from a different room. This was reportedly his decision — he was not kicked out by anyone.

Sadly, it was not the only n-word scandal of the night. Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler took to X (Twitter) to reveal she was also a recipient of the hurtful slur:

“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”

While understanding this is a complex situation, she was let down by the BBC‘s apology:

“And a third time at a Black woman. 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'”

She concluded:

“Of course we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”

We’re so, so sorry they all had to deal with this. While it may have been an involuntary word choice, it does not negate the harm that word causes so many… and on a night that should’ve been so celebratory for these artists, it’s a horrible shame.

A spokesperson for the BBC has since apologized for not editing out the upsetting remark, telling People:

“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. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

Following the show, Tourettes Action, a support and research charity, told the UK’s Far Out:

“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.”

While it may be true that it’s an opportunity for many to get educated on this diagnosis, our heart goes out to those negatively impacted by the slur usage.

Jamie Foxx commented on the situation in the comments section of an Instagram post, wondering why, of all the words to come out, it had to be that one. He called the situation unacceptable, writing:

“Out of all the words, you could’ve said, Tourette’s makes you say that? Nah, he meant that s**t. Unacceptable.”

Per the Tourette Association of America, the urge to release “forbidden” words can be a symptom of the syndrome:

“Coprolalia is the medical term used to describe one of the most puzzling and socially stigmatizing symptoms of Tourette Syndrome—the involuntary outburst of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks. Coprolalia is surely among the most difficult symptoms that a minority of individuals with TS must endure. The public often views these behaviors as either strange or offensive and hostile. However, the presence of coprolalia symptoms is not related to one’s intelligence or character. There are people with coprolalia who develop an exceptional ability to cope with TS and its ramifications. Understanding and acceptance of the symptoms of Tourette Syndrome including coprophenomena is a key element in helping people with TS lead full and productive lives.

See the shocking moment for yourself HERE.

Thoughts? Let us know (below).

To learn more about civil rights issues, check out https://www.splcenter.org/. For more information about Tourette Syndrome, visit https://tourette.org/.

[Image via BoshTV/StudiocanalUK/YouTube & Phil Lewis/WENN]

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