Usher accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night, June 30, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. However, the moment was marred for viewers at home as the audio cut out for a significant portion of his speech.
Terry Lewis began the segment by praising Usher, saying, “It is great to see him get the flowers while the garden is still growing, so keep growing them flowers.” He and Jimmy Jam, who produced one of Usher’s biggest hits, “Bad Girl” from his 2004 album “Confessions,” introduced L.A. Reid and Babyface to present the award. They honored Usher’s mother, Jonnetta Patton, and acknowledged their role in Usher’s musical journey. Babyface remarked, “We were part of your musical birth, and you are worthy of this prestigious award.”
Usher took the stage for his approximately 12-minute acceptance speech, but about four minutes of it were largely inaudible for those not in the theater. Billboard has reached out to BET for comment regarding the audio issues during Usher’s speech.
“Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it,” Usher began. “I didn’t write anything because I wanted this moment to be exactly what it was: present. In this moment, how I am feeling and the appreciation that I have for each and every person that had anything to do with this moment tonight as well as the 30-plus-year career that I celebrate. 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 s–t like I did when I was eight years old.”
Usher reflected on his birth name and his relationship with his father, who he said did not stick around. “Or at least, that was my perception of it, because I had to live long enough in order to understand you have to have a forgiving heart in order to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America,” he said. “And my father, he was a product of that. He made a lot of decisions, he made a lot of choices and the one that probably hurt and helped me at the same time was to stay away. But that’s part of the reason why I say this is the year of the father, where all the fathers gotta stand up for their sons and daughters and be the man that they need them to be for them.”
Usher praised Jam, Lewis, Reid, and Babyface for their influence on his career, describing them as “the men who motivated me, who speak to me, who have spoken to me, who have been solid no matter how f–ked up it may have been.” He apologized for cursing, saying, “sorry, I’m cursing to let you know how I really feel,” while the word “f–k” was censored but a subsequent “s–t” was not. Almost four minutes into his speech, the audio started cutting in and out for nearly four minutes straight.
According to a Billboard reporter inside the awards show, Usher said “f–k” and “motherf–ker” once, while barely swearing throughout his speech that didn’t contain any salacious subject matter.
When the sound was restored, Usher shouted out his eldest sons Usher “Cinco” Raymond V and Nayvid Ely Raymond, who were in the front row, as well as his son Sire Castrello Raymond and daughter Sovereign Bo Raymond, who were at home. “It is 100% all about my children and making certain that you understand that your dreams can come true if you truly committed, if you are committed to it, if you’re dedicated to something and you find passion and you stay committed to it, this could potentially be you. This could be your moment. Not on this stage, because I’m the only one that’s gonna have this one,” he joked.
Usher received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday. He also won Best Male R&B/Pop Artist earlier in the night. L.A. Reid and Babyface presented the award to Usher. “We couldn’t be more proud of the icon you’ve become, but more importantly the man you’ve become,” Babyface said.
People in the audience screamed, “we love you” as Usher took the stage. During Usher’s speech, where the audio continually cut out during the broadcast, he thanked those who performed his songs during the all-star tribute that preceded his award. Prior to his acceptance speech, the show featured a star-studded tribute featuring artists singing his songs, including Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Tinashe, Victoria Monét, Latto, Chlöe Bailey, and Teyana Taylor.
Reflecting on his career, he said, “Those moments that become legacy are all about expression and just having fun and finding the connection and really the spark.”
Usher also addressed his estranged relationship with his father, which he said “probably hurt and helped me at the same time.” He added, “They say success needs a hundred fathers” and referred to the men who stood with him on stage as “my village” that kept him motivated. He also mentioned that he felt this was “the year of the father,” where “all the fathers got to stand up for their sons, their daughters, and be the man that they need to be for them.”
While the feed continued to cut out, the end of his speech came through. “We got to be willing to forgive y’all. He who knows no sin cast the first stone,” he said. “You got to be willing to forgive. You got to be willing to be open. I’m telling you, standing before a man who had to forgive, a man who never showed up ever, and look what I made with it,” he said. “Look what I was able to usher in. But that’s what’s real, and that’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us men and women. I thank y’all.”
Usher was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and a tribute performance at the 2024 BET Awards. The problem was BET attempted to censor him when he used profanity during his acceptance speech, and ended up muting the majority of it.
The Atlanta superstar shouted out a slew of people, namely Johnta Austin, his wife Jennifer Goicoechea, his children, and even LeBron James and his son Bronny. This was about all the fans could hear, as the moment he said one curse word, nearly the entire duration of his speech was silent to the viewing audience.
One social media user posted a gif of Pharrell aggressively pressing a red button while on The Voice and wrote “The censor person in the back during Usher speech” in their caption. Another user had a similar caption, but instead used a gif of Bow Wow playing the air piano during his 2021 Verzuz.
Several fans demanded that BET make up for their blunder by uploading the unedited speech. “Are they gonna upload Usher’s unedited speech on BET+ or something, because this consistent muting is ridiculous?” one user asked. “It’s the silent acceptance speech for the viewers at home for me. Just go to commercial. Congratulations, Usher! Sh*t,” another user wrote.
One fan referenced the Source Awards, writing “Usher cussing up a storm up there like it’s the Source awards BET took away my audio can’t even hear the speech” with several laughing emojis. And while the reference was funny, this was clearly not a laughing matter for fans who wanted to hear what the “Confessions” singer had to say.
This came after a tribute performance that many fans seemingly disapproved of. Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Victoria Monet, Chlöe, Coco Jones, Tinashe, Latto, and Marsha Ambrosius performed his hits like “U Don’t Have To Call,” “Bad Girl,” “Good Kisser,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Superstar,” and “Yeah!” Fortunately, he seemed in good spirits, but the fans did not feel the same. At least he got to get a full speech in for his Best Male R&B/Pop Artist award that he received earlier in the night.
Source: Billboard, Vibe
