Google 'deeply sorry' after N-word written out in news alert about BAFTA Film Awards drama

Mekishana PierreTue, February 24, 2026 at 6:46 PM UTC

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Google; John Davidson

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Google apologized after a news alert on Sunday's BAFTA Awards included the N-word written out.

The tech giant told EW that the "system error did not involve AI" and was a case of safety filters not catching an error.

The upset is the latest in the aftermath of Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson shouting the N-word when Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented onstage at Sunday's event.

Google is apologizing after publishing a news alert about Sunday's BAFTA Awards racial slur incident, with the N-word written out.

A screenshot of the notification was shared online by Instagram user Danny Price, who shared several photos to his page. The alert linked out to an article by The Hollywood Reporter, which had the headline: "How the Tourette's Fallout Unfolded at the BAFTA Film Awards." The notification then invited readers to "see more on [the N-word]."

Alongside the several slides showing the Google alert, Price wrote that the occurrence was "absolutely f---ed."

"What an interesting Black History month this has turned out to be," Price added in the caption of his post.

John Davidson attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty

A Google spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly: "We're deeply sorry for this mistake. We've removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again."

The tech giant told EW that the "system error did not involve AI" and was a case of safety filters not catching an error, adding, "This was a mistake that shouldn't have happened. We're working on improved guardrails for our push notification systems, which are designed to accurately characterize content from across the web."

The tech company shared that its systems recognized "a euphemism for an offensive term" on several web pages, and "accidentally" used the offensive term in the notification text. "We caught the mistake quickly, and immediately removed it from people's devices," the company added. "Only a very small subset of Google app users who get push notifications received it. This system error did not involve AI. Our safety filters did not properly trigger, which is what caused this."

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The upset follows a bevy of reactions in the aftermath of Tourette syndrome activist John Davidson — who attended the BAFTAs in honor of I Swear, a film about his experience living with Tourette's — shouting the N-word when Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented the Best Visual Effects award to Avatar: Fire and Ash. Afterwards, the show continued on, and host Alan Cumming addressed the incident with a brief statement.

Sinners' production designer and nominee Hannah Beachler alleged on X that she had also had a racial slur directed at her, and criticized what she called a "throw away" apology from the BAFTAs.

Beachler also alleged that she heard Davidson use the word for a "third time" directed "at a Black woman" at the event.

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Alan Cumming on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

Many have called out the BBC for its handling of the situation, considering the broadcast aired this moment unaltered on BBC One with a two-hour delay. BBC typically airs the ceremony with alterations and indeed made edits, but this moment went untouched.

Multiple outlets reported that Warner Bros. raised immediate concerns after the incident on Sunday and requested that the incident be removed from the BBC broadcast within minutes. A source told Deadline that the studio received assurances that its concerns would be passed to the BBC and producer Penny Lane TV during the recording of the ceremony.

Lindo even claimed that nobody from the British Academy of Film and Television approached him or Jordan to offer an apology or acknowledge the incident directly after. While speaking to Vanity Fair at a Warner Brothers' after-party, Lindo said that he and Jordan "did what we had to do" when they were on stage, but added that he wishes "someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards."

On Monday morning, BBC removed the show from its streaming platform, iPlayer, and announced plans to re-edit and cut this moment.

The British Academy of Film and Television also took "full responsibility" for the incident in a statement shared with EW, which read, "We take the duty of care to all our guests very seriously and start from a position of inclusion. "

The British Academy went on to "apologize unreservedly" to Jordan and Lindo, thanking them for "their incredible dignity and professionalism."

It concluded, "We take full responsibility for putting our guests in a very difficult situation and we apologize to all. We will learn from this, and keep inclusion at the core of all we do, maintaining our belief in film and storytelling as a critical conduit for compassion and empathy."

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo on stage during the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2026

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty

Davidson addressed the incident on Monday, sharing a statement that reiterated that his verbal tics and uncontrollable swearing, which are symptoms of Tourette's, are involuntary. He stated that he is and always has been "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning."

He continued, "I have spent my life trying to support and empower the Tourette’s community and to teach empathy, kindness and understanding from others and I will continue to do so."

Davidson additionally noted that he "chose to leave the auditorium early" of his own volition in acknowledgement of "the distress my tics were causing."

EW has reached out to representatives for Davidson, Cumming, Jordan, and Lindo for comment.

on Entertainment Weekly

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