Delroy Lindo gets standing ovation after speaking up on BAFTAs racial slur incident

Sinners star Delroy Lindo spoke about the aftermath of the BAFTAs after a racial slur was shouted while he was on stage with Michael B Jordan presenting an award.

The word was shouted by John Davidson, who has Tourette's Syndrome. He was at the BAFTAs as the film I Swear, which is about his life, was among the nominees, with Robert Aramayo winning Best Actor for playing John and the film winning Best Casting.

Davidson had said he had several tics during the BAFTAs but was not aware he could be heard from the stage until he saw Lindo and Jordan react and voluntarily left the ceremony afterwards, tics are involuntary and not representative of what a person thinks or believes.

While several of his other tics were edited out of the BBC broadcast which was on a two-hour time delay from the BAFTAs, that one instance remained in the edit as the broadcaster apologised and said it had been 'aired in error' and that producers responsible for editing the broadcast had not heard it.

On stage yesterday (28 February) at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards with Sinners director Ryan Coogler, Lindo spoke about the public support he'd received since the BAFTAs.

The actor received a standing ovation from the awards ceremony to thank those who had been in touch after the BAFTAs for the support they had provided him.

He said: "I’d just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us.

“It is an honour to be here amongst our people this evening, among so many people who have shown us such incredible support.

"It's a classic case of something that could have been very negative becoming very positive. Thank you so much for the support."

It's the second time Lindo has spoken about the incident, with the first being when he told Vanity Fair he and Jordan 'did what we had to do' when they'd been on stage but that he'd wished 'someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards'.

The BAFTAs released a statement saying they 'apologise unreservedly' to Lindo and Jordan.

They said: "We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all.

"We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy."

Speaking out afterwards, John Davidson said he'd been 'mortified' at the situation and had got in touch with the studio behind Sinners to apologise to those affected.

He also explained that the tics, which are the result of Tourette's and in particular coprolalia which affects some people have the syndrome, have 'absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe'.

Davidson did question whether him being seated near a microphone designed to pick up crowd noise 'was wise', though he said he'd been reassured that his tics would be edited out of the broadcast.

What have celebrities said about the BAFTAs incident?

John Davidson: 'Tourette's searches out the most upsetting tic'

Davidson said in an interview with Variety: "I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe.

"It’s an involuntary neurological misfire. My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.

"Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me.

"What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe."

Robert Aramayo: 'The way we perceive Tourette's is a joint responsibility'

Aramayo portrays Davidson in the film I Swear, and picked up both the Best Actor and Rising Star award at the BAFTAs.

He said: “First of all, there are tics. He is ticcing. We have to understand. The way we perceive Tourette's is a joint responsibility.

“It's not shouting obscenities. It's not being abusive. It's Tourette's. They are tics. If it can lead to a deeper understanding of Tourette's, and movies are part of that conversation, then it's an incredible thing.”

Jamie Foxx: 'He meant that s**t'

The Django Unchained star left several Instagram comments slamming Davidson.

In one he wrote: "Nah he meant that s**t."

In another he said: "Out of all the words you could've said, Tourette's makes you say that?"

Wendell Pierce: 'The insult to them takes priority'

The Wire actor took to X, saying: “It’s infuriating that the first reaction wasn’t complete and full throatted [sic] apologies to Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan.

"The insult to them takes priority. It doesn’t matter the reasoning for the racist slur.”