Usher highly censored speech at the 2024 BET Awards has been explained by the network after much criticism from fans.
The R&B legend was accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony on Sunday (June 30) but large sections of his 13-minute speech were muted on the broadcast due to him cursing.
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In a statement, BET have now apologized for censoring the speech, blaming technical problems.
“Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted,” the network said.
“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor.
“We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in Culture’s Biggest Night.”
During his speech, Usher apologized for his bad language, saying: “I’m sorry I’m cursing, I just want to tell you all how I really feel.”
The iconic singer also talked about overcoming adversity: “There [were points when] motherfuckers weren’t fucking with me. But I get it, I understand — sometimes you’ve got to go through shit to get to something.”
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He added: “[There was] nobody [saying], ‘You’re alright, this is what you do, you’re gonna like girls, you’re gonna go through shit.'”
A whole host of artists paid tribute to Usher at the awards ceremony, with Childish Gambino performing a cover of his 2001 classic “U Don’t Have to Call.”
Keke Palmer, Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Tinashe, Chlöe Bailey, Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monét also performed a medley of songs from the singer’s extensive catalogue.
The tribute performance climaxed with Latto rapping Ludacris‘ verse from “Yeah!”
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Usher, fresh off a Las Vegas residency and performing at the Super Bowl, watched the all-star show from the audience with a huge smile on his face.
Over the weekend, the singer was also honored with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Voice of the Culture Award.
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The accolade is given to ASCAP members who “have had a major influence on music and culture” in recognition of “their success as creators and changemakers,” according to a press release.
