Delroy Lindo has spoken publicly for the first time about the incident at the BAFTA Awards ceremony where he and Sinners co-star Michael B. Jordan had a racist slur shouted at him during his onstage introduction.
The 73-year-old British-born actor addressed the controversy at the NAACP Image Awards in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, where he received a burst of warmth from the audience.
Taking the stage alongside director Ryan Coogler, Lindo said: “We appreciate, I appreciate, all the support and love that has been shown to us as a result of what happened last weekend, it means a lot to us.
He called it an “honor” to be “among” the “people” who showed them their support.
The actor also praised the NAACP ceremony itself as “a venue where being fully seen is not uncommon, but it is expected,” a remark that carried particular weight given the circumstances of the previous weekend.
The incident occurred at the BAFTAs when John Davidson, a guest with Tourette’s syndrome, unintentionally shouted the N-word while Lindo and Jordan were on stage presenting an award.
Davidson has since said he is “deeply mortified” by what happened.
The NAACP Image Awards, hosted by actor and comedian Deon Cole and held during the 57th annual ceremony, made no effort to get around the elephant in the room.
Cole addressed this directly in his introduction, joking: “If there are any white men here in the audience with Tourette’s syndrome, I advise you to tell them that they can read the room tonight.”
