Fans were left scratching their heads after Usher's BET Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech got the heavy censor treatment. The singer, honored during Sunday’s ceremony on June 30, also bagged the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and snagged three other nominations.
But viewers couldn’t quite catch what he was saying when he dropped a bomb referencing his estranged father, prompting BET to bleep him out. The Twitterverse erupted, with many fans either venting their frustration or poking fun at BET. Journalist Philip Lewis nailed it, wondering aloud why the US is "so weird about curse words."
Fortunately, Usher’s tribute performance was loud and clear, featuring an all-star ensemble covering his biggest hits. The set included Childish Gambino with "U Don’t Have To Call," Keke Palmer on "You Make Me Wanna," Tinashe bringing it with "Nice & Slow," and Latto hyping up "Yeah!"
Usher took to Twitter to gush about the tribute, calling it “amazing” and giving a big shout-out to everyone involved in creating the moment. BET has since uploaded the full, uncensored speech on YouTube, so fans can finally catch every word of Usher’s candid moment.
This isn’t the first time Usher's had to navigate some on-stage hiccups. Just last month, Latto came to the rescue during his performance of "Superstar" at 107.9’s Birthday Bash in Atlanta, Georgia, proving once again that even superstars need a little help sometimes.
Meanwhile, Usher is gearing up for a massive North American tour starting next month and a UK and Europe tour next year. He kicks off his US and Canada run with three dates at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena from August 14, wrapping up with three nights at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, at the end of November.
His UK and Europe tour starts on March 29 with the first of eight shows at The O2 in London and closes out with two more dates at the same venue on May 6 and 7, with stops in Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin in between.
Photo: MICHAEL TRAN/AFP VIA GETTY
