Two Sundays ago, the BAFTAs devolved into a racist catastrophe. BAFTA organizers exploited John Davidson, a man with Tourette’s, and failed to show any concern for Black artists, especially the Sinners team, when Davidson shouted/ticced the n-word at them. The horrible incident is still playing out, with BAFTA and the BBC arguing over who said what to whom. Well, on Saturday, the NAACP Image Awards were held in California, and people were still talking about what happened at the BAFTAs. The Image Awards were definitely going to honor Sinners in a big way before the BAFTAs, but after that catastrophe, there was a concerted effort to ensure that Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Hannah Beachler and Delroy Lindo were given all of the flowers. Jordan won Best Actor, Sinners won Best Picture, and Delroy Lindo won Best Supporting Actor. Whenever MBJ and Delroy were mentioned, they got a standing ovation too. Regina Hall called Lindo and Jordan “kings.”
Sinners dominated the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, winning 13 awards after scoring a leading 18 nominations, including best motion picture. Additionally, star Michael B. Jordan took home the NAACP Image Awards’ top honor of entertainer of the year.
The Ryan Coogler-written and -directed film, which scored a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations, racked up 10 awards across various non-televised ceremonies earlier this week. During Saturday’s broadcast ceremony, airing live on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Sinners picked up three more, for best motion picture, best actor (Michael B. Jordan) and breakthrough performer (Miles Caton).
Accepting for best motion picture, Coogler praised the audience for “wrapping [their] arms around the movie” and shouted out Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy for believing in the film and encouraged them to stand in the audience. Coogler ended his speech with powerful comments about representation and identity.
“Since our people been here over four centuries, there’s always been a lot of lies told about us,” he said. “And a lie, no matter how powerful the person saying it is, is still a lie and the truth, no matter how little power the person saying it has, is still the truth, and the truth is y’all are loved, y’all are beautiful and y’all are powerful and mighty. And bless y’all. Thank y’all so much.
Accepting his best actor award, Jordan spoke about what the NAACP Image Awards means to him and dedicated the trophy to his late friend and co-star Chadwick Boseman.
“Y’all really don’t understand how much this means to me, being here. I used to come here when I was a kid, when I was about 15 years old, sneaking in through the back as best I could,” Jordan said. “This is a place where I always felt encouraged, always felt like I was being celebrated and nourished. … You told me it was OK to keep going because I felt seen here, I felt comfortable, I felt the love. That’s why I love being here, and I love you guys so much. And I was thinking about lead actor, and I was thinking about what lead actor meant to me, and, honestly, I’ve got to dedicate this award to Chadwick Boseman.” In closing, he said, “I love being Black. I love y’all.”
Stars Jordan and Delroy Lindo, who were presenting an award onstage at the BAFTA Awards in London on Sunday when a guest with Tourette Syndrome could be heard shouting the N-word, also received support from presenters and the audience at the ceremony. Taking the stage with Coogler a little over an hour into the ceremony, Lindo, who won the NAACP Image Award for best supporting actor for his role in Sinners earlier this week, offered some of his first public comments on the incident.
“I’d just like to officially say, I appreciate, we appreciate all the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend. It means a lot to us,” he said. He added the moment is a “classic case of something that could be very negative becoming very positive” and reflected on the “honor” of being at the NAACP Image Awards.
It’s worth noting a few things, which I find interesting – Jordan and Coogler did not say anything publicly in the immediate wake of the BAFTA mess. Delroy made a few comments to Vanity Fair, making sure people knew that BAFTA did not speak to them or check on them after the n-word was shouted at them on stage. I think Coogler and Jordan stayed quiet for six days on purpose, because they knew their next award show would be the Image Awards and they would be among friends and colleagues in the Black community. But I also think they stayed silent because they were watching the white nonsense play out without comment. They looked classy, mature and dignified, while those white British people looked like complete a–holes.
Since the Image Awards clips went viral throughout the day on Sunday, there’s been a lot of British “backlash” to everything about the awards. Host Deon Cole joked that if any white men with Tourette’s were there, to please “read the room.” But that wasn’t all – there were demands that MBJ and Delroy Lindo “apologize” to John Davidson. It’s weird how British people selectively understand “impact,” but only when it affects them.
I also wanted to post a video of Jayme Lawson (who is in Sinners) talking on the red carpet about the BAFTAs. Her assessment is brilliantly well-stated.
"You want to celebrate our art, but you won't protect it." – Jayme Lawson calls out the #BAFTAs slip up at the #NAACPImageAwards pic.twitter.com/y19yOIMfrk
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 1, 2026
Ryan Coogler and Delroy Lindo receive a standing ovation at the NAACP Image Awards:
‘We appreciate all of the support and love we have been shown in the aftermath of what happened last weekend … it is an honor to be here amongst our people’ pic.twitter.com/2etg8OJfrI
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 1, 2026
Photos courtesy of Getty Images.
VERY well explained Jayme.
So happy to see Sinners get the love and respect they deserve & very well said by Jayme.
Well-deserved wins. MBJ, Ryan and the rest of sinners can take all the awards and I wouldn’t be mad at it. Not one bit. Jayme was on point. The BAFTAS and the bbc should be ashamed. But right now now, they’re just trying to shift blame and cry about how they can’t possibly be racist. When we can all see that they are.
Glad he won and I was disgusted by so many activists demanding Black people, and specifically these men apologize. I am sick of people telling me tics should not matter when slurs are said when in the middle of them.
Her analysis was spot on. I loved her poise and the care she took in explaining and representing all perspectives. None of it is really that difficult to understand if you start from a position of genuine care. BAFTA and the BBC should take a listen.
I was astonished to read that “there were demands that MBJ and Delroy Lindo “apologize” to John Davidson.”
Then I had to laugh at myself. Because this is the era of Alternative Facts, of billionaire-supported hatreds, when all the parts that should be buried in a deep hole of mortification and silence are instead not just said out loud, but shouted to the rooftops.
I am deeply sympathetic to all those involved in the BAFTAs incident, from the Black people who were harmed to the disabled person who was left unprotected by organizations he had previously found to be trustworthy.
But of course there are those who will demand that Black people care more for the comfort of white people than for their own safety or mental health.
Because that’s what has been demanded of Black people for centuries. It’s grotesque.
If Trump were a real man instead of whatever he is, he would give Medals of Freedom to the whole cast and everyone else involved in Sinners. They deserve all the love from their home country and to hell with the Brits.