The timeline of events, as I understand them. At the start of the BAFTAs, the floor manager made an announcement about John Davidson, a man with Tourette’s syndrome, and his presence as a guest of the show. The manager basically said, hey, you might hear some shouts and it’s involuntary on Davidson’s part and everyone needs to just keep it moving. Early in the BAFTA show, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage to present an award. Davidson shouted out the n-word at them on stage. Lindo and Jordan heard it, paused, and then continued with their presenting duties after they were just called the n-word in front of their colleagues. Later in the show, BAFTA host Alan Cumming came out and apologized “IF anyone was offended” and asked for compassion… for John Davidson and not the two men who were just racially abused on stage. The BBC then aired the BAFTAs (which were always on a delay) with the n-word included.
Last night, the American trade papers covered the incident straight, with little commentary. As the discourse became heated on social media, outlets like Variety and the Hollywood Reporter then called out the BAFTAs, Alan Cumming and the BBC for their gross mishandling of the situation. Then, several hours ago, the BBC apologized… for airing the n-word. That was the extent of their apology. They also removed that version of the broadcast from their iPlayer.
Throughout this whole cycle, no one has said whether anyone from the BAFTA org or Alan Cumming went over to check on Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. No one has said whether Lindo and Jordan got a personal apology, or whether they were spoken to by any higher-up at any point. Well, now Delroy Lindo is speaking out, and it turns out that no one from the BAFTAs spoke to him about that racist incident.
At Warner Brothers’s afterparty following the ceremony, Delroy Lindo told Vanity Fair that he and Jordan “did what we had to do” while presenting—but that he also wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”
Though the BAFTAs aired on a tape delay, the slur was nevertheless included in the broadcast—though the BBC did not air winner Akinola Davies Jr. saying “free Palestine” at the end of his speech, according to Deadline. Sinners production designer Hannah Beachler wrote on X that while the Davidson situation “is almost impossible, it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”
Despite it all, Lindo was in good spirits at the afterparty. We spotted him chatting with his costar Wunmi Mosaku, who won the BAFTA for best supporting actress. Their Sinners castmate Jordan attended an afterparty thrown by British GQ and Vogue, albeit briefly, as he was listed as one of the event’s hosts.
Following the ceremony, BAFTA hosted a dinner for the nominees and guests—where everyone was speaking about the incident. On one hand, Davidson’s disability is the inspiration for I Swear; the film’s star, Richard Aramayo, won the BAFTA rising star award on Sunday, as well as the lead actor prize over frontrunners Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio. But even if BAFTA guests could understand why he shouted the slur, they were still disturbed by his outburst. Jordan was visibly startled when Davidson yelled from the auditorium as audience members gasped. Though guests were sensitive to everyone involved, the incident was definitely the talk of the night.
That was the vibe last night, in real time – that Lindo and Jordan’s feelings were not considered whatsoever by the BAFTA team and the BBC team. The conversation by BAFTA officials and Alan Cumming glossed over the impact on Jordan and Lindo, while centering compassion solely for John Davidson and his disability. While it doesn’t surprise me that no one from the BAFTAs spoke to Lindo and Jordan last night, it surprises me that no one in the BAFTA org has thought to speak out today, after the dust has settled. Like, I fully expected to come in this morning and find a comprehensive public apology from BAFTA to Lindo and Jordan. The fact that they’re still silent about it publicly and privately… well, the Brits are never beating the allegations.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
