Delroy Lindo Addresses BAFTA Racial Slur Incident During NAACP Awards, Gets Standing Ovation 

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award when John Davidson, who has Tourette's syndrome, shouted the racial slur on Sunday, Feb. 22

NEED TO KNOW

• Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan were on stage at the BAFTAs on Feb. 22, when Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson yelled a racial slur
• Lindo addressed the incident as he appeared onstage with Sinners director Ryan Coogler at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, Feb. 28
• During the event, Regina Hall voiced her support for Lindo and Jordan

Delroy Lindo addressed the racial slur incident at the BAFTAs involving Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson during the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.

The Oscar nominee, 73, and Michael B. Jordan were presenting an award on stage on Feb. 22, when Davidson, 54, yelled the n-word. While appearing on stage with Sinners director Ryan Coogler at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, Feb. 28, Lindo took a moment to acknowledge the public’s support following the incident.

“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,” Lindo said onstage at the ceremony in a video posted by Revolt on TikTok, after receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

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

Referring to the BAFTA controversy, he added that, “It's a classic case of something that could have been very negative becoming very positive. Thank you so much for the support."

Elsewhere during the 2026 NAACP Image Awards, actress Regina Hall shared her support for Lindo and Jordan, 39, following the racial slur incident.

“I would like also to just take a moment to the two kings who are in this audience and just send you so much love for your class and that is Michael B. Jordan and Delory Lindo,” Hall, 55, said in a video reposted on TikTok. The audience then gave another standing ovation in support of the actors.

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At the 2026 BAFTA Awards in London on Feb. 22, Tourette’s syndrome advocate Davidson, who attended the ceremony as a guest, yelled the n-word at Lindo and Jordan as the pair appeared onstage together to present an award.

Davidson started experiencing symptoms of Tourette syndrome, which causes involuntary verbal and physical tics, at the age of 12. He was invited to the awards show to represent the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear, which is based on his life and experiences with the condition. 

While attending a Warner Brothers' afterparty, Lindo said in an interview with Vanity Fair, that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to [Jordan and I] afterwards.” 

Davidson indicated in an interview with Variety on Feb. 24, he reached out to the Sinners team to directly apologize to Jordan, Lindo and the movie’s production designer, Hannah Beachler, following the racial slur incident.

“StudioCanal were working closely with BAFTA, and BAFTA had made us all aware that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast,” Davidson told the outlet. “I have made four documentaries with the BBC in the past, and feel that they should have been aware of what to expect from Tourette’s and worked harder to prevent anything that I said — which, after all, was some 40 rows back from the stage — from being included in the broadcast.”

He continued, “I remember there was a microphone just in front of me, and with hindsight I have to question whether this was wise, so close to where I was seated, knowing I would tic.”

“When socially unacceptable words come out, the guilt and shame on the part of the person with the condition is often unbearable and causes enormous distress,” Davidson added of the highly misunderstood neurological disorder. “I can’t begin to explain how upset and distraught I have been as the impact from Sunday sinks in.”

The BBC apologized for the offensive moment not being edited out of the BBC One broadcast, which had a two-hour delay, telling PEOPLE in a statement, "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," the BBC concluded.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts also apologized for the incident in a statement released on Feb. 23. "We apologize unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted. We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”

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