Usher was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards on Monday. The moment was commemorated with a star-studded tribute to the singer. Childish Gambino, Victoria Monét, Coco Jones, and many more graced the stage.
Unfortunately, the “Burn” crooner’s moment to shine was ruined after the audio was cut during his acceptance speech.
Usher’s Speech Cut Short at BET Awards
After clarifying that he had not prepared any words, Usher started to swear in his speech. Then suddenly the audio was cut out, and 4 minutes of his 13-minute speech was lost.
“Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted,” BET said in a statement.
“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.
Usher Full Acceptance Speech Unmuted #BETAwards
— DJ Skillz (@RnBMaster) July 1, 2024
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Star Gets Candid on Father’s Absence
During the parts of his speech that viewers heard, Usher took the time to reflect on his life and career.
“This life achievement award, I don’t know, man, is it too early to receive it?” he joked. “‘Cause I’m still runnin’ and gunnin’ like I did when I was 8 years old.”
He went on to talk about his forgiving his father – Usher Raymond III – for leaving when he was a baby. The star explains he better understood what a man in his position could be going through.
“I was trying to make sense of this name a man gave me that didn’t stick around because he didn’t love me,” he said. “You have to have a forgiving heart to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America. And my father, he was a product of that.”
“This is the year of the father. Stand up for your daughters and sons and lead. They say success has a million fathers,” he said.