Google "Deeply Sorry" After Notification For BAFTA Uses N-Word

Google has apologised after sending a news alert about the BAFTA Awards that referenced a racial slur and prompted users to ‘see more' about the incident.

The controversy began on Sunday night when an audience member with Tourette's syndrome involuntarily shouted the N-word while actors Michael B Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award on stage.

“We're deeply sorry for this mistake,” a Google spokesperson said, as per the BBC. “We've removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again.” Google News is among the most downloaded news apps in the US.

The company explained that the issue was caused by a failure in its safety systems for push notifications. Its content tools detected the slur appearing in multiple online reports and automatically used the term to describe the story in the alert.

Google admitted the notification “shouldn't have happened.” The company added that only a small number of users received the alert and that it was removed quickly.

The incident took place at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards at London's Royal Festival Hall. John Davidson, a Tourette's syndrome campaigner and the real-life inspiration behind the film I Swear, shouted the slur while Jordan and Lindo were presenting the award for Best Visual Effects.

Before the ceremony began, the audience had been informed that Davidson has Tourette's syndrome and might experience involuntary verbal tics. He later left the main auditorium and watched the remainder of the event from another room.

The slur was also not edited out of the BBC's telecast.

Warner Bros., the studio behind Sinners and major winner One Battle After Another, reportedly raised concerns immediately after the incident. According to reports, executives requested that the slur be removed from the broadcast, which airs on BBC One after a two-hour delay.

The BBC has since apologised. In a message to staff, the BBC's chief content officer Kate Phillips said she was “so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast” and acknowledged “how distressing this was,” as per The Independent.

Bafta also issued a statement taking “full responsibility” and apologised “unreservedly” to Jordan and Lindo, thanking them for “their incredible dignity and professionalism,” as per The Guardian.

Bafta judge Jonte Richardson resigned, calling the handling of the incident “utterly unforgivable,” The Herald reported. The New Black Film Collective and several political figures also criticised the failure to remove the slur from the broadcast.