Man Yells Racial Slur at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo During BAFTA Awards

Sinners has swept up the nominations this awards season. The Ryan Coogler film got 16 Oscar nominations, making it the most Oscar-nominated movie of all time. It got plenty of recognition at the BAFTA awards too, winning three of the 13 categories for which it was nominated. With those three wins, Sinners made history as the most BAFTA-awarded movie by a Black director, reports Deadline.

But one of the most buzzed-about moments from the BAFTA Film Awards was when the stars of Sinners, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, were on stage presenting the award for best visual effects. This was the beginning of the ceremony and the first award of the night. As they were speaking, a man in the audience audibly shouted the N-word at them, causing them to pause for a second before continuing to present the award.

The slur came from John Davidson, a Tourette's syndrome activist whom Robert Aramayo plays in the BAFTA-nominated movie I Swear, reports Variety. Davidson continued to have outbursts throughout the night, often shouting profanity at people on stage. Alan Cumming, who hosted the ceremony, apologized on Davidson's behalf.

“You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film [I Swear] explores that experience,” Cumming said. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”

He spoke about the situation again a bit later. “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language," he said. "We apologize if you are offended tonight.”

Variety reports that Davidson left the ceremony about halfway through, but left voluntarily and was not kicked out. Meanwhile, Aramayo won the award for best actor for his portrayal of Davidson in I Swear.