“It wasn’t just us in that room, it was every Black person watching,” the Oscar nominee said on the Actor Awards red carpet.

Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku slams BBC for airing N-word outburst BAFTA Awards: ‘Brought tears to my eyes’

"It wasn't just us in that room, it was every Black person watching," the Oscar nominee said on the Actor Awards red carpet.

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes *RuPaul's Drag Race* video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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March 2, 2026 10:38 a.m. ET

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Wunmi Mosaku at the 2026 Actor Awards; Michael B. Jordan and Delroy at the 2026 BAFTA Awards. Credit:

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty; Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

- *Sinners* star Wunmi Mosaku slammed the BBC for airing the N-word during the BAFTA Awards.

- John Davidson, a BAFTA attendee who has Tourette syndrome, shouted the word while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage.

- Mosaku called it "incredibly painful" that the slur wasn't removed from the tape-delayed broadcast.

One week after a BAFTA Awards attendee with Tourette's shouted the N-word during Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo's televised presentation, the pair's Oscar-nominated *Sinners* costar has addressed the controversy at SAG's 2026 Actor Awards.

Wunmi Mosaku spoke out about the situation Sunday night on the Actor Awards red carpet, staunchly criticizing the BBC for airing some of attendee John Davidson's outbursts (which included slurs and profanity) unedited during its subsequent broadcast of the BAFTA Awards.

"I was there and it was painful. It was incredibly painful to have that celebration tainted for me, but I also feel like, I have no hard feelings toward John Davidson at all. He has a condition. I feel like BAFTA has a lot of lessons to learn," Mosaku told *Entertainment Tonight *(in the video below).

Mosaku said it "felt exploitative and performative to have someone there without the full protection of everyone, including him and anyone in that audience" in the room.

"I feel like that's one thing, and the BBC is a whole other thing. That's the bit that kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes. You really chose to keep that in?" Mosaku asked. "I can't understand it, and I'm not sure I can forgive it. It wasn't just us in that room, it was every Black person watching. It wasn't just about us, it was everyone that felt that word, the pain of that word."****Representatives for BAFTA and the BBC did not immediately respond to **'s request for comment.

Jordan, Lindo, and Mosaku attended Sunday's Actor Awards as nominees, with Lindo nominated as part of *Sinners*' ensemble, while Jordan's lead performance earned the star a nod in a solo category — with the latter even winning in a surprise upset over presumed frontrunner, Timothée Chalamet. The trio all won Actor Awards as part of the *Sinners* ensemble, which earned the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the end of the evening.

Throughout last Sunday's London-based BAFTA ceremony, *I Swear* film producer Davidson shouted various expletives and slurs brought on by a verbal tic caused by Tourette syndrome. In one instance captured on camera, he exclaimed the N-word while the *Sinners* stars took the stage to present. Though the ceremony didn't air live, the incident wasn't cut for the tape-delayed broadcast.

See all the celebrity looks at the 2026 Actor Awards

BAFTA attendee who shouted N-word at 'Sinners' stars explains why he couldn't suppress outburst

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Lindo initially addressed the moment in a post-show interview with *Vanity Fair*, where he said that he and Jordan "did what we had to do" while on stage, adding that he wished "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards." He also spoke about it at Saturday's NAACP Image Awards.

"I'd just like to officially say, I appreciate — *we* appreciate — all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend," Lindo said on stage amid a standing ovation from the audience. "It means a lot to us. It is an honor to be here amongst our people this evening, among so many people who have shown us such incredible support."

The cast of 'Sinners' on stage at the 2026 Actor Awards.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Days earlier, BAFTA released a statement obtained by EW acknowledging that Davidson's involuntary tics at the BAFTA Awards led to audiences hearing a word that carried "incomparable trauma and pain for so many. We want to acknowledge the harm this has caused, address what happened, and apologize to all."

The organization also apologized "unreservedly" to Jordan and Lindo, and thanked them "for their incredible dignity and professionalism."

BAFTA also claimed that it attempted to warn attendees that they might hear potentially offensive language from Davidson, who would be in the audience.**** Earlier this week, Davidson spoke out about the incident, saying that he was "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."**

John Davidson at 2026 BAFTA Awards.

Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty

According to the Mayo Clinic, Tourette's is a "disorder that involves repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can't be easily controlled." Davidson's life with the condition inspired the aforementioned BAFTA-winning movie *I Swear *starring Robert Aramayo.

At the BAFTAs, host Alan Cumming asked attendees for "understanding" amid Davidson's outbursts, which he said led to audiences hearing "some strong language in the background" of the ceremony. He then asked for “understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone."

*Sinners* production designer and Oscar-winning creative Hannah Beachler later spoke out against Cumming's words, calling his statements a "throw away apology."

See the full list of winners from the 2026 Actor Awards ceremony, airing live on Netflix.

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