Following intense public and industry backlash, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has officially broken its silence regarding the deeply painful incident that occurred during Sunday night’s awards ceremony.
The organization released a formal statement addressing the moment a racial slur was shouted from the audience while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage, offering an “unreserved” apology to the actors and all those impacted by the offensive language.
“At the BAFTA Film Awards last night our guests heard very offensive language that carries incomparable trauma and pain for so many,” the statement read. “We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened and apologise to all.”
In the statement, BAFTA provided context for the outburst, confirming that it came from John Davidson MBE, an executive producer of the BAFTA-nominated film I Swear.
Davidson, who has devoted his life to educating the public about Tourette syndrome, experiences involuntary verbal tics as a result of his condition. BAFTA emphasized that these tics are completely out of an individual’s control and “are in no way a reflection of an individual’s beliefs and are not intentional.”
According to the organization, organizers attempted to create an inclusive environment while managing the realities of Davidson’s condition.
They stated that they took measures to prepare the audience, making announcements before and throughout the ceremony to warn attendees that Davidson was in the room and that they might hear strong language, involuntary noises, or sudden movements.
Early in the broadcast, while Jordan and Lindo were presenting, a loud tic manifesting as a profoundly offensive racial slur was heard across the room.
BAFTA directed their apologies straight to the two men at the podium. “Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at the time, and we apologise unreservedly to them, and to all those impacted,” the organization stated. They also commended the actors for how they handled the jarring interruption, adding, “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.
The statement also revealed the immediate aftermath inside the auditorium. Following the incident, Davidson voluntarily chose to leave the main room and watch the remainder of the show from a screen. BAFTA thanked him for his “dignity and consideration of others” on a night that was meant to celebrate his life’s work and his film’s nomination.
The statement closed with BAFTA firmly absorbing the blame for the environment created on Sunday night, rather than placing it on Davidson or the guests who were harmed.
“We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologise to all,” the organization concluded. “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.”
While the statement addresses the live room, it does not explicitly mention the ongoing controversy surrounding the BBC broadcast, which aired on a two-hour delay yet still included the slur in its final television cut.
