BET has issued an apology to Usher after his acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement award was plagued with audio issues. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson said the organization “couldn’t be more grateful” for his appearance and offered fans access to his uninterrupted speech on BET’s platforms online.

“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 spokesperson said. “Due to an audio malfunction during the live telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted. 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.”

Usher accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 30, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

Usher focused his 13-minute speech on the value of family and the importance of forgiveness. “We’ve got to be willing to forgive. We’ve got to be willing to be open,” he said at one point. “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. But that’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us women and men.” Check out his full unfiltered speech below.

In addition to the speech, several artists including Childish Gambino and Chloe Bailey performed tributes for the legendary singer. He also took home the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist earlier in the night. Other winners during the ceremony included SZA, Killer Mike, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Usher and the BET Awards on HotNewHipHop.

About The Author

Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.

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