| USA
| culture
| ✓ Verified - hollywoodreporter.com
‘Sinners’ Star Jayme Lawson Speaks Out on BAFTA Incident: “That’s Exploitation”
#Jayme Lawson#BAFTA incident#Michael B. Jordan#Delroy Lindo#NAACP Image Awards#Inclusivity#Exploitation#Tourette Syndrome
📌 Key Takeaways
Lawson criticized BAFTA for exploitation rather than true inclusion
She specifically mentioned BAFTA and BBC failed to provide necessary safety resources
Lawson noted the BBC selectively censored content while failing to protect Black men
Jordan and Lindo received support from the NAACP audience following the incident
📖 Full Retelling
Sinners actress Jayme Lawson addressed the controversial incident at the BAFTA Awards where the N-word was shouted at actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo by guest John Davidson, who has Tourette Syndrome, while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter on the NAACP Image Awards red carpet last night, criticizing what she called institutional exploitation rather than true inclusion. Lawson praised Jordan and Lindo for their grace and dignity in handling the situation, stating that the events exposed fundamental misunderstandings about inclusion within institutions. 'Just because you invite someone into a space, but you don't provide the necessary resources to keep them and everyone else in that room safe by them being there, that's not inclusivity. That's exploitation,' Lawson emphasized, pointing out that Davidson's disability was exploited that night, leading to multiple offenses. She further criticized BAFTA and the BBC for failing to protect the Black actors while noting that the network had selectively censored other content, including a speech by director Akinola Davies Jr., demonstrating a lack of care for Black dignity and humanity despite celebrating Black artistry.
🏷️ Themes
Inclusion vs. Exploitation, Media Responsibility, Racial Incidents in Entertainment
The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the American-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Over 40 categories of the Image Awards are voted on by the NAA...
Jayme Lawson (born September 19, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Mayor Bella Reál in The Batman (2022) and Pearline in Sinners (2025).
Form of social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society
Social exclusion or social marginalisation is social disadvantage and relegation to the fringes of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the European Commission defines it as "a situation whereby a person i...
Delroy George Lindo (born 18 November 1952) is an American actor. Starting his career in the 1975 stage production of Of Mice and Men, he later earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor for his work in the 1988 production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone. He received wider recognition wit...
Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Sinners actress Jayme Lawson candidly shared her thoughts on last weekend’s incident at the BAFTA Awards while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter on the NAACP Image Awards red carpet last night. “I’ll first say a big shout-out to Mike and Delroy; let’s continue to honor them for how they handled that in real time,” Lawson said about Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo having the N-word shouted at them by guest John Davidson, who has Tourette Syndrome , while they were onstage to present at the British awards ceremony. “The grace and the dignity that they exercised and the whole home team, everybody that was out there really carried themselves well. Related Stories Movies 'One Battle After Another,' 'Frankenstein' and 'The Fantastic Four' Win Big at the Art Directors Guild Awards Movies Family Drama 'Sundays' Beats 'Sirāt' at Spain's Goya Awards “I think the events this weekend exposed a couple of things,” Lawson continued. “Institutionally, we still don’t understand what inclusion means. Just because you invite someone into a space, but you don’t provide the necessary resources to keep them and everyone else in that room safe by them being there, that’s not inclusivity. That’s exploitation.” That man’s disability got exploited that night, and it led to multiple offenses,” she said of Davidson. “That’s the BAFTA ‘s fault. And then the BBC to air what they aired is careless — and not like some haphazard accident — a real lack of care was exercised for those two Black men.” She continued, “And we know the BBC knows how to take care of what they care about because they censored a bunch of other . They went so far as to make sure certain things weren’t topics of conversation. They censored Akinola [Davies Jr. ]’s speech, the director of My Fath...
