‘Sinners’ Production Designer Hannah Beachler Slams BAFTAs “Throw Away Apology” Following Racial Slur Outburst

Last night, during the BAFTAs broadcast, an ugly and regrettable moment stunned audiences in the room and at home. As “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award, John Davidson, a Tourette’s advocate and the subject of the film “I Swear,” suddenly shouted the n-word. Davidson’s Tourette’s includes coprolalia, which can involve involuntary verbal tics, including racial slurs.

“Sinners” production designer Hannah Beachler, who attended the ceremony, vented her frustrations on social media afterward—angry not only at the outburst, but at what she viewed as the BBC/BAFTAs’ flimsy attempt to smooth it over, citing host Alan Cumming’s remarks. Beachler also said she and another unnamed Black woman had the slur directed at them during the event.

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“I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation,” she wrote. “I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw-away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show. Of course, we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration, is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”

Beachler’s frustration with the “if you were offended” language centered on host Alan Cumming’s on-air attempt to explain what had happened. Addressing the moment, he said, “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’s syndrome… Tourette’s syndrome is a disability, and the tics you have heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has [Tourette’s] syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you were offended.”

But the statement, delivered awkwardly and framed as a conditional, only compounded the damage. Beachler’s point was simple: of course people were offended and appalled.

The situation also placed the organization in a difficult bind: refusing Davidson’s attendance could be construed as discriminatory, but if the risk of disruption was understood, attendees could have been warned, and the moment could have been edited out of the broadcast. The BBC has already demonstrated it can censor material from the ceremony, including a “Free Palestine” mention from Akinola Davies Jr.’s speech. Davidson is said to have left the ceremony of his own accord, according to a THR report.

Since then, the BBC has issued a more direct statement: “We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast, and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer…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.”

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Notably, none of the apologies mentions Jordan or Lindo directly, focusing instead on managing audience reaction. A formal apology to the two actors would seem warranted, a sentiment that has been echoed in online responses to an already impossible situation.

I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can't find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.

— HannahBeachler (@HannahEBeachler) February 23, 2026

at the end of the show. Of course we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal, this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can't take away from who I am as an artist.

— HannahBeachler (@HannahEBeachler) February 23, 2026

https://twitter.com/heyyitsjanea/status/2025878722662850963