Sinners was one of the most-nominated films in the history of the NAACP Image Awards, and the film took home several awards, including Best Film and Best Actor. One day later, Sinners picked up two major awards at the SAG/Actor Awards: Best Ensemble and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan. Something I just saw confirmed by an awards analyst is that Academy voters are still voting right now. Their ballots are not due until Thursday. Which means all of the events in the past week and a half have likely affected so many Academy voters, going from Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Hannah Beachler being called the n-word at the BAFTAs to Sinners taking those big awards at the Image Awards and SAGs. Considering the spontaneous standing ovation given to MBJ at the SAGs, I think it’s safe to say that a huge chunk of Hollywood considers him the next guy, the next Denzel Washington/Tom Hanks movie star.
Something else that happened at this past weekend’s awards shows is that the Sinners cast was asked directly about the BAFTA fiasco. In the Image Awards story, I posted Jayme Lawson’s statement on the carpet, where her assessment of the fiasco was basically that BAFTA exploited John Davidson and BAFTA utterly failed to make their show inclusive for everyone. Well, at the SAGs/Actor Awards, Wunmi Mosaku was asked about it too. Mosaku is Nigerian-born, Manchester-raised. She graduated from RADA, but she also moved to LA years ago (and married an American), and she regularly talks about how moving to America helped her career. Here’s what Mosaku had to say, and keep in mind, this was her first statement about seeing her friends and colleagues racially abused at a British award show:
Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku, winner of the best supporting actress Bafta, said that the N-word incident at the Baftas “tainted” her celebration and “kept [her] awake at night”. Mosaku was speaking in Los Angeles on Sunday at the Actor awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild awards), where Sinners won best cast, and said:
“I was there and it was incredibly painful to have that celebration kind of really tainted for me. I have no hard feeling toward John Davidson at all – he has a condition. I feel like Bafta has a lot of lessons to learn, but … it felt exploitative and performative to have someone there without the full protection of everyone, including him, and anyone in that audience. There were children in that audience.”
She added: “Then the BBC is a whole other thing … That’s the bit that really kind of kept me awake at night and brought tears to my eyes. I was like, you really chose to keep that in. I can’t understand it. I can’t understand it and I’m not sure I can forgive it.”
The BBC apologised twice, with its chief content officer Kate Phillips telling staff she was “so sorry that a racial slur was not edited out of our broadcast” and that she understood “how distressing this was”, and announced a fast-track investigation into what went wrong.
Sources at the BBC told the Guardian that its producers “didn’t hear” the slur, while Sinners studio Warner Bros said they had immediately notified Bafta of the issue. According to Deadline, Bafta said it also reported the incident to the BBC, and also asked for the broadcast to be removed from the BBC’s iPlayer.
Keep in mind, Mosaku WON A BAFTA. She won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, and her historic win was overshadowed by everything else that went down that night. Also note that the Guardian edited out Mosaku’s comment “There were children in that audience.” You know why? Because the British establishment believes that they can make this fiasco into a debate about “why wasn’t the racist slur edited out of the broadcast.” They don’t want to remind people that BAFTA was completely fine with Davidson loudly ticcing the n-word in front of a huge auditorium full of artists and their families. In front of children! I really love the way Wunmi and Jayme have made these very public assessments of what went wrong and who is at fault.
‘Sinners’ star Wunmi Mosaku weighs in on what happened to her co-stars, Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, at the BAFTAs last weekend. pic.twitter.com/HLAyitiB7h
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 2, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Wunmi Mosaku at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA (formerly Screen Actors Guild Awards) held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1079429382, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Wunmi Mosaku, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 1: Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson at the 2026 Screen Actors Guild Awards After Party at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2026. Copyright: xWalikxGoshornx,Image: 1079560037, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Walik Goshorn/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 1: Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku and Jayme Lawson at the 2026 Screen Actors Guild Awards After Party at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2026. Copyright: xWalikxGoshornx,Image: 1079561173, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Walik Goshorn/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 1: Michael B. Jordan and Wunmi Mosaku at the 2026 Screen Actors Guild Awards After Party at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on March 1, 2026. Copyright: xWalikxGoshornx,Image: 1079561190, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Walik Goshorn/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – MARCH 01: Wunmi Mosaku arrives at the 32nd Annual Actor Awards Presented by SAG-AFTRA (formerly Screen Actors Guild Awards) held at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall on March 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 1079562112, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Wunmi Mosaku, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
I’m shocked that The Guardian edited out her comment about there being children in the audience that night. Apparently, even The Guardian has been taken over by the establishment.
The guardian has been like this for quite some time now, that’s why I stopped giving them money and clicks. I find them insidious compared to the tabloids as you know what to expect from the bottom of the barrel.
I wish that Jayme and Wunmi were out there celebrating their amazing film performances and not having to field questions about the BBC and BAFTA’s f@ck ups. They are, of course, gracious and empathetic responses, it just hurts that they have to waste time cleaning up other people’s hurtful and racist actions.
I thought Wunmi’s point about not ensuring “protection of everyone, including him, and anyone in that audience” was a good one. The BAFTAS were patting themselves on the back for being so inclusive, yet they created a situation that put everyone in harm’s way and then just hung Davidson out to dry when the sh@t started to hit the fan.
I’m sure she is also thinking about the child she’s carrying and the world that they’ll have to deal with.
Articulate and concise. Spot on. My new “shero.”
The British establishment is closing ranks on this issue. According to them “rich” people have no right to be offended. I get why a lot the British media didn’t understand why it was racist for members of the Royal Family to have concerns about Archie’s skin colour. Wunmi is lucky that she doesn’t have to depend on the British industry for roles.
It’s bizarre that they left out that line about children. Bc really the argument is that there should be compassion for the person with Tourette’s regardless of who’s in the room. I’m sure that’s part of the advocacy. So children being in the room shouldn’t make a difference to that. But taking out the children part suggests that they’re not following their own belief about being inclusive for people with disabilities. The argument is that it shouldn’t matter who is in the room.
Xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxoxo
To her. Thanks.
After living here for more than a decade, I really believe that most white people here don’t know the impact of that slurs and insults to black and brown have. They probably think that we should be grateful to be living here and not expect anything more.
They don’t even touch deeply in the horrible and evil that is slavery that was perpetuated by the british empire.
My son is currently in primary school and they were learning about how it was during Victorian times and I had to teach him that if you were not well off, times were very tough. For everyone but particularly children who had to work as young as 4 in horrible conditions. But most of the people here try and romanticize it. Maybe deep down they know that how horrid it was.
I feel especially bad for Wunmi and Delroy. They were in the UK, *their own country*, celebrating a film that employeed mostly actors who were black and of other racial minorities, and this happened. The British establishment have really been spotlighting their racist tendencies in the past few years.
Whether they know it or even care about it is another question altogether.
Just THINK of how different ALL of this would have been if the BBC had been NOT rascist 😠 & Davidson had IMMEDIATELY come out with an apology highlighting Tourette’s his movie & apologizing to the folks in the audience and on stage who were harmed…EVEN if the BBC had edited that out…because editing ain’t the “Men In Black” memory erasing pen & THAT would have gotten out immediately …
Imagine….
It’s pretty obvious that neither the BBC or the BAFTAs cared one wit for the children in the audience, especially not the non-white children. There can be no explanation why BAFTA officials showed no care or compassion for the Black creatives slurred, nor why the BBC took over 2 hours to edit the program.
To the casual observer, the British entertainment industry looks quite comfortable with racial abuse. Everywhere you look online, British people are defending Mr. Davidson’s right to say whatever his tics lead him, and Black people have to shut up and put up. It’s astounding!