Television
BET says ‘audio failure’ caused significant censorship of Usher’s 2024 BET Awards speech
Usher’s BET Awards Lifetime Achievement acceptance speech was heartfelt, at times vulgar, and long — something few people have had the chance to listen to.
The 13-minute speech was largely censored by the network, leaving viewers at home wondering what Usher needed to say. A BET spokesperson told The Associated Press that “due to an audio glitch 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.”
The full version of the speech is now available on BET’s YouTube channel and might be included in Monday’s rebroadcast, with some profanity removed. Much of his speech focused on the concept of fatherhood, forgiveness and his three-decade profession. It appears the heavy censorship began shortly after Usher said, “I’m sorry, I’m going to swear and tell you how I really feel” initially of his acceptance speech.
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He recounted walking into music mogul L.A. Reid’s office at age 12 or 13 and telling a room of executives he was going to make it. “It wasn’t a self-serving speech. I changed the name of that word that day,” he said in an element of the speech that didn’t air. “I changed the name of that word that day. I said my goals out loud.”
The R&B superstar is an eight-time Grammy Award winner who recently wrapped a two-year Las Vegas residency, “Usher: My Way,” at Park MGM. In February, he released his first solo album in eight years and is ready to launch a 24-city U.S. tour titled “Past Present Future” in August.
Usher’s 2024 Super Bowl halftime performance was met with acclaim and featured guest appearances from Alicia Keys, HER, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris. His album Confessions has sold over 10 million copies within the U.S., making it one of the best-selling music projects of all time. He has spawned No. 1 hits similar to “Yeah!” featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, “Burn” and “Confessions Part II.”
The 2024 BET Awards replay airs on BET on Monday at 8:00 PM ET.