Ryan Coogler NAACP Image Awards moment became one of the night’s most powerful scenes following last weekend’s BAFTA controversy.
Following a widely criticized incident at the BAFTA Awards in London, where a racial slur was aired during a tape delayed broadcast, director Ryan Coogler and veteran actor Delroy Lindo used their time on stage in Pasadena to acknowledge the massive wave of love that has carried them through the week.
Regina Hall set the stage early in the evening, asking the star-studded crowd to “take a moment for the two kings who are in this audience,” referring to Lindo and Michael B. Jordan. As the room rose for a thunderous standing ovation, Hall added, “[I] just send you so much love for your class.” The gesture was a direct nod to the composure the men maintained after an involuntary outburst was broadcast by the BBC, despite requests from the studio to edit the moment out.
When Coogler and Lindo later took the stage together to present, Lindo took a beat to speak from the heart. “Before we start, I’d just like to officially say, we appreciate — I appreciate — we appreciate all the support and the love that we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us,” Lindo told the cheering audience. He described the transition from the London controversy to the warmth of the Image Awards as a “classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive.”
Lindo continued his heartfelt message, stating, “It is an honor to be here amongst our people this evening. Among so many people who have shown us such incredible support.”
Ryan Coogler echoed that sentiment, emphasizing why being in a space dedicated to Black excellence is so vital. “There’s something powerful about standing in this room — a room where we don’t have to explain ourselves, or our stories aren’t footnotes,” Coogler said. “They’re the main text.”
Lindo chimed in, noting that the auditorium was “a room where being fully seen is not rare, it is expected.” The duo then traded lines, highlighting that their work is about more than just entertainment. “And that matters, because so much of what we do on screen and behind the scenes is about fighting to be understood,” Coogler continued, with Lindo adding the goal is “to be layered. Complex. To be human.”
The pair closed their remarks by celebrating the depth of their community. “Nights like this remind us that when we tell our stories truthfully, we show up as we are. We create space for each other,” Coogler said. “Space to grow. Space to lead. Space to shine,” Lindo added.
The “Sinners” team left the stage proud to be “part of a community that continues to move culture forward.”
Ryan Coogler and Delroy Lindo receive a standing ovation at the NAACP Image Awards:
‘We appreciate all of the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend … it is an honor to be here amongst our people’ pic.twitter.com/2etg8OJfrI
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 1, 2026
Ryan Coogler & Delroy Lindo remind us why rooms like THIS are important. #NAACPImageAwards pic.twitter.com/ND5mOUjx3l
— BET (@BET) March 1, 2026
