Jamie Foxx Slams BAFTAs After Racial Slur Shouted During Ceremony

Actor and musician Jamie Foxx has spoken out after a racial slur was shouted during the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards, calling the incident “unacceptable” in a post shared to Instagram.

The disruption happened during the 79th British Academy Film Awards, held on February 22 at the Royal Festival Hall in London. John Davidson, 54, a Tourette’s campaigner and the inspiration behind the biopic I Swear, was in the audience when he had several vocal outbursts throughout the ceremony.

One of those moments occurred as Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting the award for Best Visual Effects. Davidson shouted the N-word, leaving the presenters visibly stunned on stage.

He also interrupted other parts of the ceremony. While BAFTA chair Sarah Putt was giving a speech, he reportedly yelled “shut the f--- up” and “boring.” During the Best Children’s and Family Film category, he shouted “F--- you” while winners were accepting their award. According to reports, Davidson later removed himself from the auditorium following the incidents.

The awards show aired on the BBC roughly two hours after the live event. The racial slur was not edited out of the broadcast. However, the network did remove a separate moment when filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr. said “Free Palestine” during his acceptance speech — a decision that sparked criticism from some viewers online.

Jamie Foxx was among those angered by the broadcast of the slur. In an Instagram post reacting to the incident, he questioned whether Tourette’s syndrome could explain the specific language used.

“Out of all the words, you could’ve said, Tourette’s makes you say that?” Foxx wrote. “Nah, he meant that s---. Unacceptable.”

The BBC later addressed the situation in a statement, saying: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome and was not intentional. We apologise for any offence caused by the language heard.”

Tourette syndrome is a neurological condition that can cause involuntary sounds or movements known as tics. In rare cases, this can include involuntary swearing, a symptom known as coprolalia.

The incident has since sparked debate online, with some defending Davidson by pointing to the nature of his condition, while others criticized the BBC for leaving the slur in the broadcast and questioned the network’s editing choices.

As of now, neither BAFTA nor Davidson has issued further public comments beyond the BBC’s statement.