“That man’s disability got exploited that night, and it led to multiple offenses,” actress Jayme Lawson stated Saturday, referring to an incident at the British Academy Film Awards last week where a guest with Tourette’s Syndrome vocalized the N-word during the presentation of an award by Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo.
Lawson, speaking on the red carpet at the NAACP Image Awards, sharply criticized BAFTA and the BBC for their handling of the event. She argued that BAFTA failed to provide adequate support for the guest, John Davidson, and in doing so, exploited his disability. She further contended that the BBC’s decision to air the incident was “careless” and demonstrated a lack of consideration for Jordan and Lindo.
“Institutionally, we still don’t understand what inclusion means,” Lawson said, according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and The Root. “Just because you invite someone into a space but you don’t provide them with the necessary resource to keep them and everyone else in that room by being there, that’s not inclusivity…that’s exploitation.”
Lawson also highlighted what she described as the BBC’s selective censorship during the broadcast. She noted that while the network censored portions of director Akinola Davies Jr.’s speech following his award for My Father’s Shadow, it failed to censor the outburst at Jordan and Lindo’s expense. “You censored one Black man. You failed to protect two others, and our production designer, Hannah [Beachler],” Lawson said. “You do not care for our dignity, our humanity. You aim for to celebrate our art, but you won’t protect [us].”
During the NAACP Image Awards ceremony itself, actress Regina Hall led a moment of applause in support of Jordan and Lindo, acknowledging the incident and the grace with which the actors had responded. Lindo, taking the stage with Ryan Coogler, publicly thanked supporters, characterizing the situation as a moment that “could be incredibly negative becoming very positive.”
Lawson’s comments come after an outpouring of support for Jordan and Lindo from within the Black Hollywood community. The incident has sparked a wider conversation about inclusion, accessibility, and the responsibility of broadcasters to protect individuals from harm during live events.
