Google apologizes after BAFTAs push alert included racial slur

Google said a system error, not AI, caused a push notification about the BAFTA Awards to display the N-word uncensored on Monday.BBC News+1
The alert linked to coverage of an audience member with Tourette's syndrome involuntarily shouting the slur while actors were on stage Sunday night.Business Insider+1
Google said it quickly removed the notification and is enhancing safety filters, calling itself "deeply sorry" for the mistake.Entertainment Weekly+1

Google Alphabet Inc. apologized on Tuesday after a push notification sent to users about the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards included the N-word, uncensored, in its preview text. The notification, sent Monday, linked to a Hollywood Reporter article about fallout from the ceremony and prompted readers to "see more on" the slur.BBC News+2

The error added a new layer to a controversy that has engulfed the British film industry's premier awards since Sunday night, when Tourette's syndrome activist John Davidson involuntarily shouted the racial slur while actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage at London's Royal Festival Hall presenting the Best Visual Effects award.Business Insider+1

Google Blames Safety Filter Failure

A Google spokesperson told Deadline, "We're very sorry for this mistake. We've removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again." In a separate statement to Entertainment Weekly, the company called itself "deeply sorry" and said it was working on "improved guardrails for our push notification systems."Entertainment Weekly+1

Google stressed the error was not caused by artificial intelligence, pushing back on early reports that characterized it as an AI-generated alert. The company explained that its content systems "recognized a euphemism for an offensive term on several web pages, and accidentally applied the offensive term to the notification text." It added that "our safety filters did not properly trigger, which is what caused this."AOL+2

Google said only a small subset of users who receive push notifications from the Google app were affected, and the notification was quickly removed from devices.Business Insider+1

A Widening BAFTA Fallout

The problematic notification was first flagged publicly by Instagram user Danny Price, who shared a screenshot and wrote, "What an interesting Black History month this has turned out to be." Newsweek reported that another recipient, a Los Angeles-based musician, said she "couldn't believe it" when the alert appeared on her phone Monday morning.Deadline Hollywood+2

The Google misstep compounds an already fraught aftermath from Sunday's ceremony. Davidson, 54, who was invited to the BAFTAs in connection with the nominated film "I Swear" about his life with Tourette's, told Variety he felt "shame and embarrassment" over the incident and emphasized that his tics carry "zero" intent. He said he has reached out through the studio behind "Sinners" to apologize to Jordan and Lindo.USA TODAY

The BBC, which broadcast the ceremony on a two-hour tape delay, has faced sharp criticism for failing to edit out the slur before it aired. Chief Content Officer Kate Phillips told staff Tuesday that another racial slur was successfully removed from the broadcast and called the one that aired "a genuine error." BAFTA itself took "full responsibility" and apologized "unreservedly" to Jordan and Lindo, thanking them for "their incredible dignity and professionalism."The Guardian+3

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