League of Legends broadcaster Gabby “LeTigress” Durden has apologized for the monologue she delivered on Friday night’s LCS broadcast prior to the game between 100 Thieves and TSM.
The segment, which LeTigress delivered on the official LCS stream, recapped much of the history between 100 Thieves AD carry Doublelift and his former organization prior to his first match against TSM since his return.
The piece also covered Doublelift’s off-the-Rift relations with TSM management, which much of the League community found to be an unnecessary addition.
During Doublelift’s two years away from the league, he remained in a constant, public feud with his former org, specifically the franchise’s owner, Reginald. While the LCS’ broadcast segment was meant to create intrigue and add fire to the matchup, many fans reached the agreement it was in poor taste to air the segment.
Last year, a full-blown investigation into Dinh’s behavior was conducted by Riot Games, with the findings resulting in a $75,000 fine for the TSM owner as a result of his “practice of disparaging and bullying behavior towards TSM players and staff members.”
The investigation into Dinh came about following an investigative piece published by Mikhail Klimentov of the Washington Post in May 2022 in which dozens of TSM employees recounted their experiences with the owner. Since then, the franchise—which has been held in high historical regard, particularly in the League sphere—has been attempting to rebuild its image. Many LCS fans felt uncomfortable with the premise of the league taking shots at an org clearly looking to dust itself off in 2023 after a disastrous 2022.
“I understand how polarizing the piece is and that there are people who are hurt by my involvement,” LeTigress said in an apology posted to Twitter on Feb. 5. “You have a right to voice your opinion and I appreciate those who do so respectfully. I’m reflecting on this moment to inform how I approach content in the future.”
LeTrigress also mentioned how she has been receiving a slew of “harassment and vitriol” as a result of the segment. “Please remember I am a human, not an object to throw your hatred and anger toward because of one mistake,” she added.
In addition to LeTigress’ comments, LCS commissioner Jackie Felling also issued a statement on the official League subreddit, saying the league is addressing the matter internally. “We do feel like this was a miss and not in the direction we have been wanting to take LCS in terms of lifting up our teams and our new fun/entertaining approach,” Felling said in her statement. Both she and LeTigress echoed each other’s statements that the piece missed its mark.
Beyond the league, though, many current and former TSM members are still unhappy with the way the league has been handling the situation. Former TSM executive Leena Xu replied to LeTigress on Twitter, saying it is “weird for [her] to turn a traumatic experience that 25+ people went through into a “both sides” drama piece.”
Doublelift himself also made a recent comment on LeTigress during a Twitch stream, claiming she’s “not very good” as a broadcaster.
TSM has not made any official comment on the controversial LCS segment, although staff members and franchise fans have made their thoughts known on social media.
