Amanda Seales did not wait long to speak. Days after a racial slur was broadcast during the 2026 BAFTA Awards, the actor and commentator used a livestream to question what happened on stage — and what happened after. The moment is now under formal review by the BBC.
The disruption occurred during the Feb. 22 ceremony, which aired in the U.K. on a two-hour delay. As actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented an award for special visual effects, Scottish Tourette’s syndrome advocate John Davidson shouted the N-word from the audience. The word was heard clearly in the broadcast, according to Atlanta Black Star.
Cameras clearly showed how Jordan stiffened and Lindo paused as Davidson yelled the racial slurs in the background. But, the show moved on. While the host later addressed Davidson’s comments during the ceremony, many pointed out that the way it was addressed was inadequate.
Amanda Seales Puts Ryan Coogler on Blast for Showing Up to the Oscars After Dropping a Movie About Cultural Assimilation pic.twitter.com/jIXHaCsgSb
— livebitez (@livebitez) February 24, 2026
Davidson attended the ceremony in connection with “I Swear,” a biographical film inspired by his life with Tourette’s syndrome. In a later interview, he said he felt “a wave of shame” and described his coprolalia, the involuntary use of offensive language, as one of the most difficult symptoms to manage. He said he was “deeply mortified.”
The BBC called the broadcast a “serious mistake.” Director general Tim Davie ordered a fast-track investigation into how the slur was not edited out despite the delay. The clip remained available on iPlayer for roughly 15 hours before being removed and replaced with an edited version. Of course, this enraged the public even more.
Producers had, in fact, edited out another comment, a shouted “Free Palestine” heard elsewhere in the ceremony. That contrast spread quickly online as people made their own deductions. Still, reactions came fast.
Amanda Seales rips BAFTA Awards as N-word scandal spirals https://t.co/fo6ZNsvtgk
— Urban Hollywood 411 (@UrbHollywood411) February 25, 2026
Seales focused less on production mechanics and more on what she described as a pattern.
On her livestream, she said, “Every Black person there should have left.” She questioned what she called an expectation that Black performers remain composed in such moments. “This whole business of taking things in stride … that’s language for passivism,” she said.
She also referenced director Ryan Coogler, whose film “Sinners” is up for 16 Academy Award nominations. “Why would you make that movie and then show up in the places and spaces of assimilation?” she asked.
BAFTA has announced its own review. Longtime judge Jonte Richardson resigned, writing that he could not continue with an organization that had “failed to safeguard the dignity of its Black guests.”
Did @BAFTA & @BBC set John Davidson up for publicity & it backfired?
Sounds like an investigation is needed @Ofcom.https://t.co/0WBixqHoqU pic.twitter.com/2ygINBPel7
— Gender Receipts (@GenderReceipts) February 24, 2026
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the broadcast “completely unacceptable and harmful.” The Commons culture committee has asked the BBC for details about how the error occurred.
Inside the corporation, there was apparently some confusion between the hall feed and the production truck. Some tics were caught and edited, but one was not.
Davidson has since said he reached out privately to apologize to Jordan and Lindo. He has also questioned why he was seated near a microphone.
The awards continued that night, even though the ceremony had been tainted by the outburst earlier the evening. But the clip lingered long past the final clips.
