BAFTA viewers were left stunned as Sinners stars Delroy Lindo and Michael B Jordan presented an award on Sunday night.Sam Elliott-Gibbs and Eilidh Farquhar Trainee Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer
17:18, 23 Feb 2026
Delroy Lindo has broken his silence following an outburst at the BAFTAs.(Image: Gareth Cattermole/BAFTA/Getty Images)
Following the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday night, actor Delroy Lindo has broken his silence after a racial slur was shouted when he and fellow Sinners star Michael B Jordan were on stage. The BBC has since apologised for the “any offence caused” after the outburst from Scots Tourette Syndrome campaigner John Davidson.
The slur was reportedly shouted as the actors presented the award for special visual effects. While the co-hosts for the award looked startled for a moment, they managed to continue on with the show.
Since the outburst, Delroy reportedly spoke to Vanity Fair about the incident at one of the BAFTA after parties. He said while he and Michael “did what he had to do”, he added he wishes “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards”.
One film up for a few awards at the BAFTAs was I Swear, which tells the story of Mr Davidson. The Scot, who was played by Robert Aramayo, was in the audience for part of the ceremony as Robert picked up awards for Best Actor and Rising Star.
Tourette Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental condition, which results in involuntary and repetitive tics that can manifest through muscles movements or sounds. These can be random noises, shouts, words or phrases, with swearing also being a notable tic sound, reports the Mirror.
Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award when a racial slur could be heard from the audience.(Image: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images)
Since the broadcast on Sunday evening, the BBC has apologised for the slur that was heard in the broadcast. A spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards 2026.
“This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”
While the Sinners castmates were presenting their award, Michael was seen to momentarily freeze as he heard the involuntary slur while he was on stage with Delroy. Michael began: “Good evening. Delroy and I are delighted to be presenting the first BAFTA of the night for a vital part of movie making.
After both taking a moment to compose themselves, Delroy continued: “We’re here to celebrate the artists who expand what’s possible on screen.”
During the broadcast, host Alan Cumming also issued an apology to viewers for the language and sounds they may hear in the show: “You may have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. If you have seen the film I Swear, you will know that the film is about the experience of a person with Tourette syndrome.
“Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise if you were offended.”
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While John Davidson was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of 25, he first began developing symptoms when he was 12. According to the NHS, there is no cure for this condition but there are treatments available to help manage symptoms.
On February 23, the BBC released another statement regarding the podcast. They said: “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 apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
During the ceremony, John reportedly left part-way through the proceedings on his own accord. I Swear also won Best Casting at the award ceremony.