Sinners Tourette N-Word Controversy Deepens With Second Incident

February 23, 2026

Oscar-winning designer Hannah Beachler reveals that Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson also directed a racial slur at her.

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The controversy surrounding Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson’s involuntary outbursts at Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards has expanded beyond the initial incident involving Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo.

Hannah Beachler, the Oscar-winning production designer who became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Production Design in 2018 for Black Panther, revealed that Davidson also directed the racial slur at her during the ceremony.

Writing on social media platform X, Beachler said the situation occurred three times that night, with one instance targeting her personally as she headed to dinner after the show.

“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,” she said. “And a third time at a Black woman. I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. 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.'”

The incident has drawn criticism from multiple entertainment industry figures, including Jamie Foxx, who called Davidson’s outbursts “unacceptable” despite acknowledging the neurological nature of Tourette’s syndrome.

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

Wendell Pierce echoed similar sentiments, arguing that direct apologies to Jordan and Lindo should have taken priority over explanations about the medical condition.

Davidson attended the ceremony as the subject of the nominated film I Swear, which chronicles his life story and struggle with Tourette’s syndrome.

The biographical drama stars Robert Aramayo as Davidson and depicts his younger years in Glasgow when he first received his diagnosis at age 15.

The BBC later removed the ceremony from its iPlayer streaming service after initially airing it on a two-hour delay.

Delroy Lindo says him and Michael B. Jordan did “what we had to do” to continue presenting at the BAFTAs after John Davidson shouted the N-word in an involuntary tic.

He said he wishes “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”

(Source: https://t.co/CetXlW2PDv) pic.twitter.com/QM425fPt2M

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) February 23, 2026

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the broadcaster’s handling of the situation, calling it “a horrible mistake” and questioning why the offensive language wasn’t censored during the delayed broadcast.

Beachler criticized what she described as a “throwaway” apology from the show’s producers, writing that, while she acknowledged the situation’s impossible nature, the response failed to adequately address the harm caused.

She emphasized that despite the involuntary nature of Davidson’s condition, the impact on those targeted by the slurs remained significant.

Tourette’s syndrome affects roughly one in 100 children, according to NHS England, characterized by involuntary movements and sounds called tics.

The condition includes both physical actions, such as blinking and facial movements, as well as vocal tics ranging from throat-clearing to involuntary swearing, known as coprolalia.

These tics typically begin in childhood and cannot be suppressed at will, particularly during stressful situations like live television broadcasts.

Davidson was previously awarded an MBE for his advocacy work raising awareness about Tourette’s syndrome.

He recalled that during his visit to receive the honor, aside from involuntarily swearing at the Queen, he experienced compulsions to tell police officers at Holyrood Palace that he had “a bomb” as they routinely checked his vehicle.

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