Usher's poignant acceptance speech upon receiving the Lifetime Achievement honor at the 2024 BET Awards was unfortunately marred by technical issues. Many however initially believed that these were intentional, and BET was censoring Usher's speech.
BET has now issued an apology for the putting a dent on this supposedly thought-provoking speech.
The annual ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles this past Sunday, saw the 45-year-old "Daddy's Home" hitmaker not only receiving accolades for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist but also being recognized with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
However, during his heartfelt acceptance speech for this significant honor, portions of his remarks were conspicuously muted, leading fans to express swift criticism about the excessive censorship.
In response to the backlash, BET released a statement on Monday expressing regret and in the process, denied there was censorship involved.
"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."
"Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted," the network explained.
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It also said, "We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn't be more grateful for his participation in Culture's Biggest Night."
"Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight's encore on BET," the statement concluded.
As Usher delivered a heartfelt 13-minute speech to gratefully accept his Lifetime Achievement honor, viewers watching the broadcast experienced frustrating interruptions as the audio frequently cut out for extended periods, leaving many curious about what the star had shared.
Fortunately, a complete version of Usher's speech has since been made available on BET's YouTube channel and will also be featured in a special Monday rebroadcast, albeit with a few necessary profanity edits.
The censorship during the live airing prompted a wave of disappointment and critique on social media platforms like Twitter, where fans voiced their frustrations.
Throughout his speech, Usher focused on profound themes such as fatherhood, the power of forgiveness, and reflected on his illustrious three-decade-long career in music.
The alleged censoring seemed to intensify shortly after Usher jokingly remarked, "Sorry, I'm gonna curse and let you know how I really feel," at the outset of his acceptance speech.
This naturally only heightened the anticipation among fans eager to hear his unfiltered sentiments.
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