In the immediate aftermath of the onstage controversy at the BAFTA Film Awards, executives from Warner Bros. moved quickly to address the situation and asked for corrective action before the ceremony reached television audiences.
According to an insider who spoke to Variety, the issue began when Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson made an involuntary outburst while “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the first award of the night. Studio executives reportedly contacted BAFTA immediately and requested that the moment be removed from the BBC’s time-delayed broadcast scheduled for later that evening.
The source stated that Warner Bros. representatives remained in communication with BAFTA throughout Sunday and also met with the organization on Monday. They were reportedly assured that the request had been passed along.
However, when the ceremony aired, the racial slur was not edited out. The broadcast sparked backlash online and prompted an apology from the BBC. The BBC said producers were unaware of what had been said until after it aired, though that account has since been questioned following the source’s description of events.
On Monday, BAFTA issued a statement saying it took “full responsibility” for putting its “guests in a very difficult situation, and we apologise to all.” The organization also said it wanted to “apologise unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo, adding, “We would like to thank Michael and Delroy for their incredible dignity and professionalism.”
Both Jordan and Lindo were reportedly upset following the matter.
