Usher acceptance speech muted in 'malfunction' at BET Awards, network apologizes: Watch video

BET is apologizing after portions of Usher's speech at the award' show Sunday were muted.

"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," a BET spokesperson said. "Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted."

They added: "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."

For many people watching the show from home, chunks of Usher's speech were muted as he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony.

"Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it," he said at the start of his speech. "This Life(time) Achievement Award, I don't know man, is it too early for me to receive it? Because I'm still running and gunning, and I still love this (work) like I did when I was 8 years old."

Usher was given his flowers with a jam-packed tribute performance that showcased the "Yeah!" singer's immaculate collection of soulful pop hits.

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Watch Usher's acceptance speech at 2024 BET Awards

BET has shared Usher's full speech across social media. Some of the profanity is still censored.

The R&B artist got vulnerable about his relationship with his late father Usher Raymond III.

"I was trying to make sense of this name that a man gave me but didn't stick around because he didn't love me," said Usher. "Or at least that was my perception of it, because I had to live long enough in order to understand that you have to have a forgiving heart in order to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America."

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"My father was a product of that. He made a lot of decisions. He made a lot of choices, and one that probably hurt and helped me at the same time was to stay away," Usher continued. "That's part of the reason why I say this is the year of the father, where all the fathers have got to stand up for their sons and daughters and be the man that they need to be for them."

Still, Usher stressed the importance of forgiveness.

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"You've got to be willing to forgive, y'all. He who knows no sin cast the first stone. You've got to be willing to forgive. Got to be willing to be open," he said. "I'm telling you, you're standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up ever. And look what I made with it! Look what I was able to usher in. That's what's real. That's what makes us human. That's what makes us men and women. I thank you all, man."

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Usher speech BET Awards 2024 gets muted, network apologizes