Jamie Foxx Calls BAFTAs Moment Unacceptable

The BAFTAs were meant to be an evening of celebration, however the ceremony quickly spiraled into controversy after an offensive outburst echoed through London’s Royal Festival Hall. 

As black actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the primary award of the evening, a racial slur was heard from the audience. 

The shocking moment divided viewers, and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx didn’t hold back, taking to social media to voice his outrage.

Jamie Foxx made it clear he was not buying any excuses. After Tourette’s activist John Davidson was heard shouting the N-word during Sunday night’s ceremony, Foxx fired off a blunt response online.

“Out of all of the words you could possibly’ve said Tourette’s makes you say that. Nah he meant that s**t. Unacceptable,” he said, per the Every day Mail.

The comment quickly gained traction, fueling a heated debate across social media. Davidson, whose life inspired the film “I Swear,” has lived with a severe type of Tourette’s since childhood. 

The neurological condition is thought for causing involuntary movements and vocal tics, sometimes including inappropriate language.

Still, Foxx’s response reflected how deeply the moment struck many viewers. The slur was reportedly shouted while Jordan and Lindo stood on stage. 

Though neither actor visibly reacted, the atmosphere within the room shifted. Davidson later selected to depart the ceremony after several disruptive outbursts, adding to the stress of an already uncomfortable situation.

While Jamie Foxx’s statement resonated with some fans, advocacy groups quickly stepped in to offer context. 

The Charity, Tourette’s Motion, acknowledged the harm caused but emphasized that involuntary tics should not intentional expressions.

The charity said it “deeply understands that these words could cause hurt” but stressed they’re “not a mirrored image of an individual’s beliefs, intentions or character.”

Through the live broadcast, BAFTAs host Alan Cumming also addressed the incident. He told viewers, “You’ll have heard some strong and offensive language tonight. If you could have seen the film I Swear, you’ll know that film is concerning the experience of an individual with Tourette syndrome.”

He continued, “Tourette syndrome is a disability and the tics you could have heard tonight are involuntary, which suggests the one who has Tourette syndrome has no control over their language. We apologise when you were offended.”

The reason did little to quiet the net storm. Some defended Davidson, pointing to other celebrities like Lewis Capaldi and Billie Eilish who’ve spoken publicly about living with Tourette’s. 

Others echoed Foxx’s anger, arguing that intent doesn’t erase impact.

The controversy deepened when viewers realized the slur had not been faraway from the published, despite a two-hour delay. 

Hundreds of thousands watching on BBC One heard the word, and it remained available on iPlayer the next morning.

The BBC initially apologized for “any offence caused,” but later admitted the incident should never have made it to air. 

In an announcement, a spokesperson said, “Some viewers could have heard strong and offensive language in the course of the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics related to Tourette syndrome, and as explained in the course of the ceremony it was not intentional.”

They added, “We apologise that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it can now be faraway from the version on BBC iPlayer.” 

The ceremony has since been taken down temporarily for editing.

The BAFTA awards wasn’t the primary time Jamie Foxx took offense at the usage of racial slurs. 

While filming “Robin Hood: Origins” in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in February 2017, the actor was reportedly subjected to a racial slur during a dinner at an area restaurant, with Croatian police later charging two men for his or her conduct. 

Based on a report from BBC, officers intervened after receiving calls about “particularly conceited and rude” insults within the restaurant that included a racial attack directed at certainly one of the guests, which Foxx later indicated was geared toward him, posting after which deleting video of the moment on his Instagram. 

Croatian outlets and police said two men, aged 44 and 50, were accused of disturbing the peace and insulting a guest on racial grounds, and were to face disorderly conduct charges. 

In certainly one of the clips Foxx shared, the boys reportedly used the derogatory term “crncuga,” which Croatian news outlets translate because the N-word, before staff and police escorted them out.

The next yr, Foxx spoke a few racist experience from his college days that he said shaped his early view of the entertainment world.

As reported byPEOPLE, the 58-year-old revealed that while he was studying classical music and composition at United States International University, he was not allowed to perform onstage in a school musical because he’s Black. 

Foxx said the music department needed a tenor, but as an alternative of putting him within the show, they might have him sing offstage behind a curtain while others performed, because there weren’t any African Americans within the production. 

The comedian explained, “They got here to me because they needed a tenor. They wouldn’t let me go on the stage but they might let me backstage. So I’d sing within the back, and I’d just sing the parts they needed me for.” 

Based on him, that was how he learned about musicals.