Gabby Durden says she won’t be a part of the 2024 LCS broadcast team

After finally making her debut as a permanent member of the LCS broadcast team this year, Gabby Durden will no longer be a part of the league in 2024, she announced today.

The North American play-by-play announcer said she wanted to wait until the LCS season was officially over before speaking to the public and thanked all of the people who supported her throughout her time as one of the primary voices for the game.

“I’m grateful to League of Legends esports for inspiring my pursuit of this career nearly a decade ago,” Durden said on social media. “Since then, I’ve been so grateful to spend my time immersing myself in the many communities brought together through gaming. I’m stoked to stay connected with everyone as a broadcaster and music artist.”

Durden was given her first chance with League esports back in 2019 when she was invited to host the Collegiate League of Legends World Championship and, later that year, host interviews during the LCS Summer Split. Eventually, her efforts helped push her to the main stage, where she made her first foray into the world of play-by-play alongside iconic voices like Isaac “Azael” Cummings-Bentley, Barento “Raz” Mohammed, and Joshua “Jatt” Leesman.

Her time in the LCS has been plagued by a few difficult moments, though, including one controversy where the LCS ran a segment around the feud between TSM and superstar AD carry Doublelift. The star AD carry was just making his return to pro play after retiring in 2020, but the broadcast featured Durden speaking about the alleged abuse of TSM players and staff members in what many fans considered an “unprofessional and tone-deaf” segment.

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In the wake of that backlash, Durden decided to step away from the broadcast for a mental health break after receiving multiple hate messages from anonymous people in the community.

Even still, Durden showed poise and class in every situation that she found herself in, along with a ton of potential in a very difficult role. She will now move forward to explore the next steps in her career, whether it’s in esports or beyond.