Sarah Turney and Kourtney Nichole have teamed for “The Final Hours,” a new true-crime podcast that closely examines clues from the last few hours before someone goes missing — an effort, they say, to give unsolved cases the attention they deserve.
The weekly podcast comes from PAVE Studios under its Crime House banner. “The Final Hours” premieres on Monday (Feb. 23) across all major podcast platforms. New episodes will release every Monday.
For Turney (above left), the subject matter hits close to home: Her sister, Alissa Turney, went missing in 2001 in Arizona, and Sarah has become an advocate for trying to locate missing people through her “Voices for Justice” podcast. Nichole (host of “Crime With Kourt”) also has a personal connection to true crime: At a young age, she learned that someone in her own family had committed a violent crime, an incident she has subsequently investigated.
“I’ve spent years fighting for my sister’s case to be heard, and I know firsthand how many families are still waiting for that same attention,” Turney said. “Partnering with Kourtney and Crime House gives us the platform to shine a light on the cases that deserve a second look, the ones where critical details were dismissed or overlooked. This isn’t just another true-crime show. It’s about accountability, and making sure these stories don’t fade into the background.”
Nichole said, “What drew me to this partnership with Crime House is the opportunity to do true crime differently, with intention and respect for the families still living with unanswered questions. Teaming up with Sarah on this series feels like the most natural thing I’ve ever done. We both became advocates in this space through deeply personal experiences, and that shapes how we approach every case. These stories deserve more than headlines. They deserve the kind of attention that can actually make a difference.”
“The Final Hours” will cover a different missing-person case each week, looking at details that may provide new leads — an untouched dinner, an unmade bed, an unsent text or an unlocked door. “From final conversations, to the last known steps, to red flags and red herrings, Sarah and Kourtney understand the things that replay over and over in the minds of those who’ve lost a loved one,” PAVE Studios said in announcing the podcast.
Turney, who has more than 1.3 million followers across social platforms, launched “Voices for Justice” in 2019, which reached No. 1 on Apple Podcasts and led to a documentary collaboration with Peacock. Alissa’s case and Sarah’s advocacy are also the focus of an upcoming Netflix documentary.
Nichole’s true-crime show “Crime With Kourt” reaches more than 3 million followers across social platforms. Her work has consistently helped push stalled investigations back into the public conversation, according to PAVE.
Founded by Max Cutler, Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based PAVE Studios produces podcasts under two banners: Crime House and lifestyle-oriented OpenMind, whose shows include “Khloé in Wonder Land” hosted by Khloé Kardashian.
David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance has a Monday deadline to submit its best and final offer for Warner Bros. Discovery — and Paramount is expected to come back with an offer above its previous $30/share bid for WBD, angling to outflank Netflix to win the deal.
The board of Warner Bros. Discovery, with the permission of Netflix, opened a seven-day window to talk with Paramount about an improved offer. That discussion period ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 23, coming after teams from both companies worked over the weekend.
Paramount has declined to comment on its next move. Insiders tell Variety that Paramount’s revised offer for Warner Bros. Discovery will likely come in at $32/share.
How will Netflix respond? After Paramount submits a revised proposal, the streamer has four days to either come back with a matching offer — or exit the M&A drama.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in an interview Friday with Variety‘s Cynthia Littleton, declined to say how the streamer would respond to a higher offer from Paramount. But he did say that Netflix has a “rich history” of being “willing to walk away and let someone else overpay for things.”
“The next move is up to somebody else. We have a signed deal with Warner Bros. Discovery,” Sarandos said in the Feb. 20 interview. “If someone wants to make a better deal, which the Warner Bros. Discovery board has said has not happened yet, then we’ll see what happens down the road. But let’s not get ahead of that process. And I certainly wouldn’t comment on the bidding strategy anyway. But the core of it is, you know, we’re super-disciplined buyers, as you probably know we have a reputation for such so that I’m willing to walk away and let someone else overpay for things. We have a rich history of that.”
If Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to accept Paramount Skydance’s higher offer, WBD will be on the hook to pay a $2.8 billion breakup fee to Netflix. In its most recent proposed offer, Paramount has said it will foot the bill for that.
On Feb. 17, WBD said it was engaging in discussions with Paramount to “seek clarity” on its “best and final offer.” WBD wanted Paramount Skydance “to clarify your proposal, which we understand will include a WBD per share price higher than $31,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and board chairman Samuel Di Piazza Jr. wrote in a letter sent to Paramount’s board.
The Warner Bros. Discovery board cited a communication from a “senior representative for PSKY” to an identified WBD board member that if the WBD board authorized M&A talks, Paramount “would agree to pay $31 per share and that the offer was not PSKY’s ‘best and final’ proposal.” In addition, WBD set March 20 for the special meeting of shareholders to vote on the Netflix deal — which the board at the time said it still recommended that investors vote for.
“The question now becomes how high PSKY is willing to go — and whether Netflix will exercise its matching rights and increase its offer as well,” MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman wrote in a Feb. 20 research note. “In short, we do expect PSKY to go to at least $32 per share to put the pressure back on NFLX to increase its bid likely to the $30 per share range.” He added that if Paramount Skydance “truly wants to win the bidding war with NFLX, we think it will take a bid in the range of $34 per share to avoid an ongoing debate over the value of Discovery’s Global Networks.”
Under Netflix’s current agreement with WBD, the streamer would buy Warner Bros.’s studios and streaming businesses for $27.75 per share. WBD shareholders would retain equity in Discovery Global, the company’s proposed spin-off entity house CNN, TBS and other linear networks.
If Netflix were to up its offer above $30/share, “we have difficulty making the accretion math work,” Fishman wrote. That’s factoring in incremental debt, “likely revenue cannibalization and necessary programming spend cuts needed.”
“While we see the longer-term benefits of owning Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, we expect NFLX to walk away from the deal following a disciplined approach if PSKY pushes its bid well beyond $32 per share,” the MoffettNathanson analyst continued. “We think it will be difficult for PSKY to win the bidding war for WBD if it decides to take a less aggressive approach during this waiver period, giving NFLX the opportunity to match at a more modest increase from its current bid.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump — after earlier this month saying he would not be involved in the review of the Netflix-WB pact — in a social media post Saturday demanded that Netflix “immediately fire” board member Susan Rice or else “pay the consequences.” Trump cited a tweet by far-right commentator Laura Loomer, who said Rice, who served as U.N. ambassador under Obama, was “threatening half of the country with weaponized government political retribution.” Loomer also bizarrely claimed that if Netflix is allowed to acquire Warner Bros., “positive messaging of the Democrats’ upcoming witch hunts against Trump from Barack Hussein Obama and his anti-White racist wife Michelle would likely be blasted across all streaming services.”
On Monday, Sarandos addressed Trump’s comment. “He likes to do a lot of things on social media,” Sarandos said in a BBC Radio 4 interview. “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world.”
The Justice Department in recent weeks has expanded its review of the proposed Netflix-WB agreement to examine whether the combined company would violate antitrust laws with respect to the market for entertainment programming. The DOJ’s Antitrust Division has sent inquiries to independent studios inquiring whether the Netflix acquisition of Warner Bros. “may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act or Section 2 of the Sherman Act,” according to a copy of one of the letters reviewed by Variety.
Netflix has argued that it does not have anything close to monopoly control over any market. In a statement to Bloomberg about the expanded DOJ probe, chief legal counsel David Hyman said, “Netflix operates in an extremely competitive market. Any claim that it is a monopolist, or seeking to monopolize, is unfounded. We neither hold monopoly power nor engage in exclusionary conduct and we’ll gladly cooperate, as we always do, with regulators on any concerns they may have.”
On Friday, Paramount said its proposed WBD takeover had cleared a milestone at the DOJ, after the expiration of the statutory waiting period following Paramount Skydance’s “certification of compliance” with the Justice Department’s second request for information under the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust act. Netflix’s Hyman accused Paramount of continuing to “mislead stockholders and distract from the facts,” saying that “routine HSR milestones do not signal DOJ approval nor that any decision has been made.”
“Golden Swan,” which has its world premiere in the International Competition section of the 28th Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival, has debuted its trailer.
The film, directed by Anette Ostrø, looks back to 1995, when her brother, Hans Christian Ostrø, travelled to India in search of meaning and artistic growth. Months later, he is kidnapped in Kashmir and held hostage by the militant group al-Faran.
During five weeks in captivity, he secretly writes poems and letters to his sister. Found on his body after his execution, these texts become the foundation of an intimate reconstruction of his final months.
Anette Ostrø said in a statement, “I was 25 when my only brother was brutally killed. The trauma changed my life completely. I am not sure I would have become a filmmaker if not for this event. The desire to tell my brother’s story has followed me throughout my career.
“British journalists Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark contacted me while researching their book ‘The Meadow – Kashmir 1995,’ where the terror began. Sharing with them the information and memories surrounding what happened to my brother made me realize that telling his story had become necessary – and urgent – now.
“As both sister and filmmaker, I approach this story personally while placing it in the wider context of global terrorism. In a polarized world defined by fear, Hans Christian’s choice to recognize humanity in his enemy rather than give in to hate feels urgently relevant.
“Through this film, I want to share the legacy he left behind – one that I believe can inspire many.”
The producers are Beathe Hofseth and Siri Natvik of Fri Film in Norway; the co-producers are Helle Faber of Made in Copenhagen in Denmark, Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen of 100% Film in Netherlands, and Erika Malmgren of Cinenic Film of Sweden.
The BBC has apologized for not editing out a racial slur from the BAFTA Film Awards‘ tape-delayed broadcast and will now remove it from the version of the ceremony on iPlayer.
The outburst came from John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner who was seated in the audience during the ceremony and is himself the subject of the biopic “I Swear.” Davidson’s condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics, one of which — the N-word — occurred as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to hand out the prize for best visual effects, ultimately won by “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
After pulling the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer early Monday afternoon, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”
Although the remark was barely audible amid the noise of the ceremony, it was picked up in the BBC’s coverage. What drew particular scrutiny was the fact that the broadcast operated on a two-hour tape delay before airing on BBC One and iPlayer — a buffer that editors would ordinarily use to catch and remove exactly this kind of material.
Last summer, the BBC faced a major controversy after airing a Glastonbury Festival performance by punk rap duo Bob Vylan, during which the band led the crowd in a “Death to the IDF” chant on a live iPlayer stream. The footage remained online for more than five hours before being pulled. The fallout prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand answers from the BBC, and the corporation subsequently revised its livestreaming protocols in response.
The BBC has removed the BAFTA Film Awards from being available to stream on iPlayer after not cutting a racial slur from its tape-delayed broadcast on Sunday night.
The outburst came from John Davidson, a Tourette syndrome campaigner who was seated in the audience during the ceremony and is himself the subject of the biopic “I Swear.” Davidson’s condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics, one of which — the N-word — occurred as actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to hand out the prize for best visual effects, ultimately won by “Avatar: Fire and Ash.”
Although the remark was barely audible amid the noise of the ceremony, it was picked up in the BBC’s coverage. What drew particular scrutiny was the fact that the broadcast operated on a two-hour tape delay before airing on BBC One and iPlayer — a buffer that editors would ordinarily use to catch and remove exactly this kind of material.
The corporation issued an apology on Sunday night, with a spokesperson stating: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologize for any offense caused by the language heard.”
Last summer, the BBC faced a major controversy after airing a Glastonbury Festival performance by punk rap duo Bob Vylan, during which the band led the crowd in a “Death to the IDF” chant on a live iPlayer stream. The footage remained online for more than five hours before being pulled. The fallout prompted U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to demand answers from the BBC, and the corporation subsequently revised its livestreaming protocols in response.
Japan remains one of the world’s most insular television format markets, exporting globally successful unscripted hits while importing almost no foreign concepts, according to data presented by Virginia Mouseler, CEO of The WIT, during the “Fresh TV: Japan” session at Mip London.
Using the company’s real-time tracking database, Mouseler said Japan currently ranks as the world’s seventh-largest exporter of formats, “at the same level as South Korea,” even as it adapts very little international IP.
WIT’s Top Formats tool showed Japanese-origin “Dragon’s Den” continuing to rank among the most widely adapted unscripted formats globally over the past year, alongside international hits including “The Floor,” “The A Talks” and “The Traitors.”
Among Japanese formats themselves, the most adapted unscripted titles over the past 12 months include “Dragon’s Den,” “LOL,” “Freeze” and the long-running game show “Run for Money,” highlighting the export strength of high-concept entertainment formats built around simple game mechanics.
At the same time, Japan remains highly resistant to importing foreign formats. According to WIT data, only two international formats were adapted locally over the past year, compared with none the year before.
One of those imports was the South Korean relationship competition “Wedding Wars,” based on CJ ENM’s “Wedding Fighters,” which premiered on streaming platform Abema in April. The other was a reboot of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” returning to Japanese television 26 years after its first local version.
Mouseler noted that Japan has “a long, long tradition of importing no formats,” with the country currently ranking 15th globally as a format importer.
Much local activity instead revolves around revivals and reinventions of homegrown IP, including the recent reboot of the classic game show “Challenges on Fire,” which returned three decades after its original run.
The presentation also highlighted a new generation of Japanese entertainment formats centered on visually driven physical mechanics and social-strategy gameplay, including hybrid deduction formats, endurance-based competition shows such as “Cash or Splash,” and Nippon TV’s rotating-stage challenge format “Turn” (“Mawase”), underscoring Japan’s continued focus on highly visual, easily exportable game concepts.
“I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words,” Beachler, who was nominated for an award, posted on X after the ceremony. “The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.”
She continued: “And a third time at a Black woman. I understand and deeply know why this is an impossible situation. I know we must handle this with grace and continue to push through. But what made the situation worse was the throw away apology of ‘if you were offended’ at the end of the show. Of course we were offended…but our frequency, our spiritual vibration is tuned to a higher level than what happened. I am not steal [sic], this did not bounce off of me, but I exist above it. It can’t take away from who I am as an artist.”
Beachler was understood to be referring to a number of outbursts by Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson, whose life inspired the BAFTA-nominated biopic “I Swear.”
As well as shouting out the word “fuck” multiple times during speeches, including “shut the fuck up” during BAFTA chair Sara Putt’s introduction to the ceremony, he was also heard shouting the n-word when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented “Avatar: Fire and Ash” with the award for best visual effects.
BAFTAs host Alan Cumming made two statements about Davidson’s outburst during the ceremony, the first explaining that the “strong language in the background” can be a symptom of Tourette’s for some people and thanking the audience for their “understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
He later added: “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
Despite the ceremony airing with a two-hour delay on BBC One in the U.K. and E! in the U.S., the slur was not cut from the broadcast.
“I Swear” went on to win a number of awards during the evening, including one for actor Robert Aramayo who beat out Jordan as well as Leonardo DiCaprio and Ethan Hawke to take home the leading man statue for his portrayal of Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s at the age of 25 after years of outbursts.
Before the ceremony began a floor manager, who addressed the audience to issue a number of notices regarding things such as fire safety protocol, flagged that Davidson was in the audience and that he has “Tourette’s Syndrome so please be aware you might hear some involuntary noises or movements during the ceremony.”
I keep trying to write about what happened at the BAFTAs, and I can’t find the words. The situation is almost impossible, but it happened 3 times that night, and one of the three times was directed at myself on the way to dinner after the show.
After winning the BAFTA Film Award for outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer, “My Father’s Shadow” helmer Akinola Davies Jr. ended his speech by saying “free Palestine.” However, these words were then cut from his speech when the ceremony aired two hours later on the BBC.
Towards the end of Davies Jr.’s speech during the taping of the awards — and in one of the only politically-charged moments of the show — he said: “To the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide, you matter and your stories matter more than ever. Your dreams are an act of resistance. To those watching at home, archive your loved ones, archive your stories yesterday, today and forever. For Nigeria, for London, Congo, Sudan, free Palestine. Thank you.”
But this part was entirely cut from the show’s broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer, with only the first section of Davies Jr.’s speech — in which he thanks his family and brother and co-screenwriter Wale Davies — making it to air. “My Father’s Shadow,” which was submitted as the U.K.’s official Oscar entry for best international feature, follows two brothers who attend a family reunion in Lagos during the 1993 Nigerian election and witness their father’s daily struggles.
Representatives for the BBC and Davies Jr. did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
There are always cuts made to the BBC broadcast of the awards as the ceremony is edited from three hours down to two, but Davies Jr.’s “free Palestine” not airing sparked particular outrage as several outbursts during the taping — including the N-word — did.
Tourette’s advocate John Davidson — who inspired “I Swear,” which won star Robert Aramayo the best actor BAFTA — was in attendance at the ceremony, and the audience was warned of potential outbursts including strong language. However, when Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo took the stage to present the first award for special visual effects, he shouted the N-word, causing controversy.
BAFTAs host Alan Cumming addressed this during the ceremony, saying: “You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience. Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”
In a second statement later on, Cumming added that “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”
However, the moment — and the BBC’s decision to keep the N-word in the tape-delayed broadcast — resulted in widespread debate on social media, with disability advocates reminding viewers that Davidson has no control over the remarks, while others still deemed the airing of the racial slur unacceptable.
The rapid rise of Korean drama in Europe is entering a new phase, shifting from streaming success toward local adaptation and co-development, executives said during a Mip London session examining the genre’s growing regional impact.
Speaking at “The Rise of K-Drama in Europe,” Jinhee Lee, marketing manager at CJ ENM, said Korean series have seen “a very clear rise, not just in global visibility, but in actual regional performance, as a strong and sustained engagement within individual markets as well.”
Joining Lee on the panel were Diane Min, head of Europe sales at CJ ENM, and Claire Takami Siljedahl, development producer at Fifth Season U.K., the international studio jointly owned by Korea’s CJ ENM, Japan’s Toho Co. and U.S. investment firm Neuberger Berman.
As an example of the genre’s momentum, Lee cited CJ ENM drama “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty,” which ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 across more than 10 European territories and remained in the chart for up to seven consecutive weeks in countries including Portugal, Romania and Greece.
Min said the global success of “Squid Game” in 2021 “literally changed everything,” helping make Korean dramas more accessible to audiences worldwide. She noted that a total of 210 Korean dramas from multiple broadcasters and studios have reached Netflix’s Top 10 chart over the past five years.
Europe has become a key expansion territory, Min said, with more than 30 Korean drama titles now available on Prime Video in the U.K., while CJ ENM has also launched Korean series on major French broadcasters.
Siljedahl said the appeal of Korean dramas lies in their originality and genre blending. “The concepts are so original… a lot of genre mashups, which is really exciting,” she said, noting that many story ideas feel unlike those typically developed in Western markets.
She also pointed to adaptation challenges, including cultural differences and tonal adjustments. Attitudes to sex, heightened emotional storytelling and culturally specific elements often require modification to resonate with U.K. audiences while preserving the original feel of the IP, she said.
The session highlighted titles gaining traction in Europe, including “Lovely Runner,” which has expanded on Prime Video into multiple territories, and the upcoming CJ ENM series “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” a military-set drama with a cooking twist that will premiere at Series Mania.
Panelists said adaptation activity is accelerating as producers seek to translate Korean IP into English-language versions. Siljedahl noted that Fifth Season is currently developing multiple remakes and has selected the erotic revenge thriller “Eve” for adaptation in part because of its strong local and global performance.
Min said CJ ENM’s strategy now extends beyond distribution toward producing Korean stories in multiple languages through partnerships with international companies.
Looking ahead, panelists said the next stage of K-drama growth in Europe will be driven by closer collaboration between Korean producers and international companies. As Siljedahl said, “there are lots of exciting ways to work together,” including developing original concepts designed for global audiences from the outset.
One of those outbursts — heard while “Sinners” stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were onstage — included the N-word.
Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at 25 and whose experiences inspired the BAFTA-nominated film “I Swear,” lives with tics that can include involuntary vocal outbursts. Addressing the room, Cumming said, “You may have noticed some strong language in the background there. This can be part of how Tourette syndrome shows up for some people, as the film explores that experience.”
If you felt uncomfortable watching it, you’re not alone. If you felt heartbroken, you’re not alone. If you felt angry, confused or unsure what to say, you’re not alone there, either.
But before declarations are made, before sides are chosen and hashtags are weaponized, a baseline point has to be stated plainly: The primary failure here rests with BAFTA and the BBC.
This was a tape-delayed broadcast. They still allowed the slur to air, unfiltered, and then let the moment circulate as a clip — stripped of context and primed for outrage. That decision poured gasoline on an already volatile situation.
But you know what they did manage to cut out of the broadcast? Akinola Davies Jr. saying “Free Palestine” during his speech for winning outstanding British debut for “My Father’s Shadow.”
In an Instagram clip shared by BBC News of Paul Thomas Anderson’s best director speech for “One Battle After Another,” he says “anyone that says movies aren’t any good anymore can just piss right off,” with “piss” bleeped out for social media. The clip that was shared on the BAFTA and BBC YouTube pages removed the sentence entirely.
How does that measure up? How can the N-word go out freely without consequence?
A BBC spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards 2026. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and was not intentional. We apologize for any offense caused by the language heard.”
NBC News also reported that the broadcast that aired in the U.S. on E! did not appear to bleep the slur out either.
BBC, BAFTA and Versant have not immediately responded to Variety‘s requests for comment.
As a father raising a child with disabilities — a kid who can sometimes script language from videos he’s watched — what I saw unfold is the situation that parents like me fear most. We want our children included in spaces considered “normal,” especially when their lived experience is being honored on a stage like this — when a story that reflects them is nominated and celebrated. But when involuntary behavior is handled carelessly, it deepens isolation, the shame they feel and the sense of being othered.
This is where education matters.
Coprolalia is an involuntary, tic-like outburst of obscene, taboo or socially inappropriate words and phrases. It affects a minority of individuals with Tourette syndrome. Estimates vary widely, but when it happens, it is not a conscious choice. It is not intentional — an ideology or an endorsement. It is a neurological event.
Prior to the start of the ceremony, floor managers warned guests and attendees sitting around Davidson of his condition, without specifying what kinds of outbursts they might hear. According to multiple sources, none of the nominees or attendees were contacted by BAFTA or BBC ahead of the show with any such warnings.
But I’m not only a father. I’m also a Black and Puerto Rican man living in this world. The N-word is not merely “strong language.” It is a brutal slur tied to enslavement, violence and dehumanization, and it is still weaponized today. For Black artists — particularly the two Black actors standing on a global stage — hearing it in that setting, and then watching it be broadcast into homes, turned into a meme and shared on social media, carries a weight that does not disappear simply because the source lacked intent.
Both realities can coexist.
The world needs more understanding of Tourette’s and neurological differences. It needs compassion and patience. But accommodation does not mean the absence of guardrails. You can create space for people with disabilities while also building systems that protect them and everyone around them.
That’s where BAFTA and the BBC failed.
John Davidson and Robert Aramayo from “I Swear.”
Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
The responsibility was not on Davidson. It was not on Jordan. It was not on Lindo. It was not on the audience that was left frozen in discomfort. And it’s not on the people on social media who watched the 11-second clip and came to a conclusion.
It is on the institutions that produced and broadcast the ceremony.
With a tape delay, this moment could have been handled differently. The audio could have been muted in the broadcast. The segment could have been edited. A producer could have made a real-time call that prioritized harm reduction. Instead, the slur went out. And now it lives online — free to be clipped, circulated, divorced from explanation and used as shorthand outrage. Or worse, it can be used to spread hate.
That decision harmed in multiple ways.
It disrespected Jordan and Lindo, who were forced to absorb the ugliest word in Black history in front of a crowd and cameras. It exposed Davidson — and, by extension, the Tourette’s community — to a tidal wave of backlash rooted in misunderstanding. It handed bad-faith actors a weapon to swing at both Black viewers and disabled people.
These institutions are supposed to anticipate this type of complexity. Awards shows employ producers and compliance teams because unpredictability is part of live television. When unpredictability intersects with race, disability and trauma, preparation is essential.
What makes it especially painful is that “I Swear” exists, in part, to educate audiences about Tourette’s. The irony is crushing that a film intended to foster understanding is now tethered to a viral controversy. The painful moment that emerged on Sunday required more than a brief, gracious clarification from BAFTA host Cumming.
And the public’s comments have revealed something else: People are speaking with certainty about conditions they do not understand. Disability advocacy demands empathy, and racial history demands reverence. These are not competing values, and we don’t have to choose one over another to exist. They are coexisting obligations.
The path forward is not for us to hunt for a villain. It’s to demand that our institutions do better. Edit responsibly, prepare thoughtfully, protect proactively and educate consistently. Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, John Davidson, the Tourette’s community and Black people deserved better.
