BET issues apology, says Usher’s Lifetime Achievement speech was “inadvertently muted”

Usher was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards Sunday, but most of his acceptance speech was muted. While he did curse onstage, BET confirmed there was an “audio malfunction” that resulted in most of the silence.

“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. Due to an audio malfunction during the live telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted,” a BET spokesperson explained to The Hollywood Reporter.

“We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in culture’s biggest night.”

According to the network, Usher’s “full uninterrupted speech,” in which he talked about his absent father, forgiveness and more, will be available to hear on the show’s encore Monday night and across BET platforms.

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