O BET Awards 2024 brought dozens of artists to the stage for a night filled with impeccable performances and memorable moments. However, things hit a snag when it came to from the receptionist acceptance speech as he was honored with the lifetime achievement award and the broadcast audio was cut out for most of his statement.
On Monday, BET released a statement to ET addressing the audio issues and apologizing to Usher for the incident.
“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,” the network said. “Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE broadcast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted.”
“We extend our sincere apologies to Usher, as we could not be more grateful for his participation in Culture’s Biggest Night. Fans can watch his full, uninterrupted speech on BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET,” the statement concluded.
Near the end of the nearly four-hour long awards ceremonyUsher, 45, was honored with the prestigious award, which was introduced by a tribute video and a star-studded 16-minute performance featuring a host of celebrities singing some of their most iconic hits.
The musical medley includes performances by Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Chloe Bailey, Tinashe, Victoria Monét, Teyana Taylor and Latto, among others.
All of this went off without a hitch until it was time for Usher to accept his award — which was presented to him by Babyface and L.A. Reid. After being chastised for swearing a few times in the first few minutes of his speech, all audio on the broadcast — not Usher’s microphone, but all audio — cut out completely for several minutes, only turning back on for a few moments before cutting out again.
This meant that most of his speech was not heard by the audience and was only appreciated by those in attendance. However, the parts of his speech that were broadcast were moving, inspiring, and a call for forgiveness and acceptance.
The singer recalled his early years and his search for identity after his father left the family and Usher grew up without knowing him.
“I was trying to understand this name that a man gave me but didn’t stick around because he didn’t love me,” Usher reflected emotionally. “Or at least that was my perception, because I had to live long enough to understand that you have to have a forgiving heart to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of being a black man in America.”
“My dad was a product of that. He made a lot of decisions. He made a lot of choices, and one that probably hurt me 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 fathers have to stand up for their sons and daughters and be the man they need to be for them.”
“You have to be willing to forgive, people. Let him who knows no sin cast the first stone. You have to be willing to forgive. You have to be willing to open up,” he shared. “I’m telling you, you’re looking at a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up. And look what I did with that! Look what I was able to inaugurate. That’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us men and women. I appreciate all of you.”
Before receiving the lifetime achievement award, Usher also took the stage to accept the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.
On the blue carpet ahead of Sunday’s awards show, Usher opened up to ET about bringing his family to witness the special night by his side. Along with his mother, Jonnetta Patton, and his wife, Jennifer Goicoechea — who Usher got married in February — The musician came to the show with his sons, Naviyd Raymond, 15, and Usher “Cinco” Raymond V, 16. Usher shares his teenage children with ex-wife Tameka Foster. Usher and his wife also share 3-year-old daughter Sovereign and 2-year-old son Sire.
“To be able to share this moment with my family is incredible. We’ve worked so hard (and) they’ve made the sacrifices to allow me to do what I love and support me,” Usher shared. “We’re celebrating the last 16 years of their lives (and) the last 40-something years of my life and my mom’s life and everything she’s put into this moment that I’m going to have tonight. (I’m) so happy to be able to celebrate all the people who had something to do with this moment.”
Looking ahead, Usher told ET he’s more focused on building his “kingdom” than collecting accolades.
“A lot of people focus on being number one, being the queen or being the king. I just want to build a kingdom and continue to do amazing things and offer amazing things to the world, whether it’s music or culture or things that I think are relevant to the world,” Usher said. “I’m going to tour and then we’ll see what happens.”
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