Delroy Lindo has addressed the controversial moment when he and Michael B. Jordan stood onstage at the BAFTA Awards and Tourette’s advocate John Davidson shouted the n-word at them. While joining ‘Sinners’ director Ryan Coogler onstage at the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 28, Delroy paused to acknowledge the outpouring support. Michael B., who also attended the annual ceremony, seemingly chimed in, offering a simple response that fans can’t stop talking about.
RELATED: BAFTA Awards Moment Sparks Backlash After Man With Tourette’s Yells N-Word During Michael B. Jordan & Delroy Lindo’s Presentation
Delroy Lindo Breaks His Silence On BAFTA Awards Controversy
While onstage at the NAACP Image Awards, Delroy Lindo thanked everyone for their support after John Davidson shouted the n-word at him and Michael B. Jordan at the BAFTA Awards in February. Lindo received a standing ovation during the ceremony, telling the crowd it meant a lot to see so many people show love.
“Before we start, I’d just like to officially say, we appreciate — I appreciate — we appreciate all the support and the love that we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend,” Delroy during the NAACP Awards.
From there, Delroy highlighted the sense of the community at the NAACP Image Awards.
“It means a lot to us. It is an honor to be here amongst our people this evening.” Lindo continued, “Among so many people who have shown us such incredible support. And it’s a classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive.”
Michael B. Jordan Embraces Black Excellence & Focuses On Positivity
Michael B. Jordan had a lot to celebrate at the NAACP Image Awards, taking home Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. While accepting the Outstanding Actor Award, Michael dedicated it to the late Chadwick Boseman and, in the middle of thanking his team and family, he made sure to mention how much “he loves being Black.” The audience went wild with cheers, and fans are sharing the moment all over social media.
@revolt THAT part 👏🏾🖤 Michael B. Jordan wraps up his “Outstanding Performance” speech at the NAACP Image Awards in the best way possible 🏆✨ #michaelbjordan #sinners #naacpimageawards ♬ original sound – REVOLT
‘Sinners’ Actress Jayme Lawson Highlights Lack Of Inclusivity And Calls Out BAFTA & BBC
Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan’s ‘Sinners’ co-star Jayme Lawson spoke about the BAFTA incident during a red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter at the NAACP Image Awards. She gave Lindo and Jordan props for handing the moment with “grace and dignity in real time.” Jayme added that she thinks institutions don’t understand inclusivity and the proper resources weren’t in place to keep people safe in that space.
“That man’s accessibility got exploited that night and it led to multiple offenses. That’s the BAFTA’s fault.” Lwyson continued, “And then the BBC to air what they aired, right… It’s careless. A real lack of care was exercised for those two Black men.”
Jayme also called out the BBC for airing the incident, saying they failed to protect two Black men while censoring another.
“And we know the BBC knows how to take care of what they care about, cause they went so far to make sure certain things weren’t topic of conversations. So you censor one Black man, fail to protect two others […] you don’t care for our dignity. You want to celebrate our art, but you won’t protect,” Jayme Lawson explained.
John Davidson Breaks Silence & Explains Tics Following Backlash Over BAFTA Incident
Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan’s comments come after John Davidson spoke out about the BAFTA Awards incident. Davidson thanked BAFTA for giving the audience a heads-up about his Tourette’s and explained that his tics are involuntary. He also thanked the audience for welcoming him at the event. Davidson added that he feels “deeply mortified” about those who think his tics were intentional. The Tourette’s advocate said he left the BAFTA ceremony early because his tics were causing “distress.”
“I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits, and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome,” John Davidson reportedly said in the statement. He continued, “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness, and understanding from others, and I will continue to do so.”
Variety reported that Davidson also shouted other offensive things during the show, like “shut the f*** up” and “f*** you” during a family and kids’ movie win announcement. The BAFTA Awards also caught heat for leaving Davidson’s racial slur at Delroy and Michael B. in the broadcast, even though they appeared to cut other remarks out like “Free Palestine” from the event.
