Google Apologizes After Racial Slur Appears in Push Notification
Google has issued an apology after a user received a push notification that included a racial slur, sparking backlash on social media and renewed scrutiny over how automated news alerts are generated.
The controversy began when artist and activist Malynda Hale posted a screenshot on Instagram showing a Google notification received by her friend, musician Lydia René. The alert referenced an article from The Hollywood Reporter about an incident involving a racial slur at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards. Beneath the headline, the notification preview included a direct reference to the n-word.
A spokesperson for Google told Newsweek, “We’re deeply sorry for this mistake. We’ve removed the offensive notification and are working to prevent this from happening again.”
Shock and Viral Response
René, who lives in Los Angeles, said she received the notification at 11:14 a.m. Pacific Time on Monday.
“Honestly, I couldn't believe it. I thought I was seeing things and that my eyes were deceiving me,” René told Newsweek.
She said the notification appeared at the top of her phone, similar to other daily alerts summarizing trending stories and weather updates.
“I took a screenshot immediately because I thought no one will believe me if I tell them this,” she said. “I really was genuinely shocked; this probably went out to phones all over the world, at least Samsung phones or people who use Google and Gmail regularly.”
Hale shared the screenshot with René’s permission. In the caption of the now-viral Instagram post, Hale wrote: “My friend @lydiarenes received this notification on her phone. This is HER screenshot. @google this is utterly shameful. I hate it here. WE ARE TIRED.”
The post has since garnered more than 264,000 views and thousands of comments.
“I was honestly shocked,” Hale told Newsweek. “I asked her if I could share it because I couldn't believe in 2026 companies like Google were still allowing things like this to slip through the cracks.”
The BAFTA Incident
The notification stemmed from coverage of an incident at Sunday’s BAFTA Film Awards ceremony. During an award presentation by actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, Tourette’s campaigner John Davidson shouted the n-word.
Davidson is the real-life subject of the film I Swear, which follows his experience growing up with Tourette’s syndrome. The incident sparked debate online. Some accused Davidson of racism, while others pointed to coprolalia, a symptom associated with some cases of Tourette’s that can cause involuntary utterances of profanity or inappropriate language.
The BBC, which broadcast the BAFTAs, also apologized for not editing the slur out of its coverage.
“We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer,” a BBC spokesperson said.
Reporting Limitations and Prior Concerns
René said she was unable to report the notification directly through Google’s platform.
“Unfortunately you cannot flag the notifications even if you click on them directly,” she said. She attempted to tag Google in Instagram stories but had not received a response at the time.
Hale also noted the lack of an in-app reporting mechanism and said she hoped that sharing the screenshot publicly would prompt action.
Hale referenced a 2015 incident in which Google’s mapping tool directed searches using racist terms to the White House during Barack Obama’s presidency. At the time, Google also apologized.
“Google unfortunately has allowed for something like this to happen again and it’s very careless and negligent on their part,” Hale told Newsweek.
Public Reaction
The incident drew reactions from several public figures.
Chef Manouschka Guerrier wrote, “Every damn day is EXHAUSTING.”
Actress and podcast host Nikki DeLoach commented, “I am sick to my stomach.”
Actress and author Elisa Donovan wrote, “I am sick. And so sorry. No words.”
Singer-songwriter Sy Smith posted, “What in the actual f***?!?!”
Google has not publicly detailed how the notification was generated or what specific safeguards are being implemented to prevent similar errors in the future.
The company’s brief statement characterized the incident as a mistake and confirmed that the notification has been removed. However, the episode underscores the broader risks of automated content systems and the harm that can occur when safeguards fail.
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