Jordan deeply upset by racial abuse at BAFTAs, which took emotional toll on him and his family.
Tourette's activist responsible for slur apologized, saying tics do not reflect his beliefs or values.
Tech companies faced backlash for insensitive AI alerts about the incident.
1 of 2
❯
❮
Michael B. Jordan has not publicly spoken following the incident at the BAFTAs, but privately, reports claim he’s “repulsed” by what happened.
Source: Wiktor Szymanowicz / Getty
During the BAFTAs on Sunday, Feb 22, the N-word was hurled at Jordan and his Sinners co-star, Delroy Lindo, during their moment on stage. The obscenity was shouted by Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, who was experienced a series of tics while sitting in the audience, and while the racial slur was involuntary, the moment reportedly left the actor’s parents in tears.
Michael B. Jordan was understandably upset by the verbal abuse at the 79th British Academy Film Awards, which happened as he and Lindo took to the stage to present the award for Best Visual Effects to Avatar: Fire and Ash. As they began their segment, Davidson hurled the N-word at them, a moment that wasn’t edited out of the show’s broadcast, despite a two-hour delay.
BAFTA host Alan Cumming addressed the room later to inform attendees and viewers that Davidson’s remark was an involuntary one due to his condition, but it still appears to have taken an emotional toll on Jordan and his family. A source told Metro that the actor is “disgusted and repulsed” by what happened.
“Michael had to do extensive research into the horrific psychological effects of racism to prepare for Sinners, so he was disgusted, repulsed, and grossed out by John’s outburst,” an insider told Metro.
The source noted that he “read works by savants like Joy DeGruy Leary to prepare for the role, so the incident really reminded him about how much work has to be done to drive racism underground.”
Not only that, the incident came at an awful time, with the source saying that Jordan was already “having a difficult day” after getting wind of “an upsetting incident” in the Atlanta area. Because of that, Davidson’s remark “just made it worse.”
“But, he is having a great year and won’t let this stop him. He’s focused on his new movie, The Thomas Crown Affair,” the insider shared.
Of course, Jordan wasn’t the only one affected, as his parents were reportedly left in tears after watching their son’s sad incident.
“His mum and dad broke down in tears when they saw what happened to him and Delroy, and it has been a horrible 48 hours for the family,” the insider said. “Michael’s community in Newark was part of the Great Migration, which literally happened because Black people were being terrorized in the South. Seeing Michael and Delroy being called that word up there really hurt their loved ones, and so everyone is trying their best to support each other.”
“He postponed some plans in London to spend time with his parents as he recovers,” the source added.
Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes a person to make involuntary, repetitive movements or sounds called tics, and Davidson’s case seems to be more complicated as he suffers from coprolalia, which is a symptom that makes him involuntarily say socially unacceptable words or phrases, like when he famously shouted “f-ck the Queen” at Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Davidson released a statement on Monday expressing remorse for his outburst while adding that he’s “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning.”
He also thanked BAFTA for announcing to everyone that his tics are “involuntary and are not a reflection of my personal beliefs.”
“I was in attendance to celebrate the film of my life, I Swear, which, more than any film or TV documentary, explains the origins, condition, traits, and manifestations of Tourette Syndrome,” he continued. “I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness, and understanding from others, and I will continue to do so.”
Though Davidson initially drew criticsm for not apologizing to Jordan and Lindo in his statement following the incident, the Tourette’s activist has said he reached out to the studio behind Sinners to apologize to the film’s stars.
“I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe. It’s an involuntary neurological misfire,” Davidson told Variety on Tuesday. “My tics are not an intention, not a choice and not a reflection of my values.”
He continued, “Tourette’s can feel spiteful and searches out the most upsetting tic for me personally and for those around me. What you hear me shouting is literally the last thing in the world I believe; it is the opposite of what I believe. The most offensive word that I ticked at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and would completely condemn if I did not have Tourette’s.”
Google was also thrown into the drama on Tuesday, apologizing after a computer-generated news alert about the Awards included the uncensored racial slur. The company pushed out a notification linking to a The Hollywood Reporter article about the incident before inviting readers to “see more on” and then included the N-word.
“We’re deeply sorry for this mistake,” a spokesperson told Deadline following the flub. “We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again.”
As pointed out by the outlet, Google is not the first tech company to experience issues with AI news alerts. Apple got rid of their AI alerts last year after a series of big errors, including wrongly telling readers that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself.
