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, a racial slur was hurled at Jordan and his Sinners co-star Delroy Lindo during their moment on stage. The obscenity was shouted by Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson, who was ticking 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 abuse he suffered 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,” the insider told the outlet.
To effectively play his role, 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 sad encounter with the 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 terrorised 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.
