Rachell "Valkyrae" Hofstetter has apologized for using African-American Vernacular English during an October 13 YouTube stream after being alerted by a knowledgeable moderator. Valkyrae moved to YouTube from Twitch a few years ago, and she has maintained a dedicated following of 3.73 million subscribers.
Valkyrae recently posted an update during a YouTube livestream in which she explained why she used an AAVE phrase, and without specifying what it was, she promised to be more aware of the language that she uses in her future streams. Given her large YouTube audience, a number of viewers noticed a questionable phrase that she used during a Valorant match, and one of her mods quickly let her know about the AAVE language. Beyond Valkyrae regularly livestreaming for her sizable YouTube audience, the content creator is also known for posting shorts and unique edited videos that often ignore the live footage.
Valkyrae stated that she plans to avoid AAVE phrases in the future after a mod sent her a document about one of the things she said during a recent stream that may be offensive. Though she didn't specify what she'll avoid saying now, some fans have pointed to Valkyrae saying "on a stack no cap” during a strategic game of Valorant. Referring to some of her friends using the phrase, Valkyrae stated that she thought it was cute but she took a moment to apologize to the portion of her audience that may have been offended by her choice of words.
Valkyrae remains part of the 100 Thieves esports organization that competes against other pros from around the world, and she goes live often without too many slip-ups like the AAVE one. Valkyrae is one of the most popular female livestreamers, topping Pokimane's statistics not long ago, and her growing audience represents a broad range of people. Because it only took a day for Valkyrae to rectify the issue, the YouTuber seems to have taken a proactive approach rather than waiting for backlash from the community which has affected some content creators in the past.
While some Valkyrae viewers have taken the opportunity to express their appreciation for the public statement and praise her for self-reflection, others suggested that the apology itself was unnecessary. Outside the controversial moment on her October 13 stream, much of Valkyrae's YouTube audience praised the apology stream.
Source: Dexerto