TikTok livestreamers apologise for vulgar rant after mock apology sparks backlash — in 2 separate videos
Two TikTok livestreamers have come forward to address their vulgar rant directed at customers, after an earlier mock apology sparked further backlash online.
Winnie Heng, who is part of the VedaWin livestreaming team, first addressed the controversy in a TikTok video on Aug 21 while fellow livestreamer Vadalene Eng shared her side of the story in a separate video on Aug 22.
Both videos come after the pair were criticised for their response to customers who apparently cancelled orders following a livestream.
They initially doubled down on the controversy in a mock apology video posted on Aug 17, in which Heng pretends to cry. In it, she says: “You wait long long for limpeh will say sorry.”
Winnie Heng admits she ‘scolded too much’
In her latest video, however, Heng takes a different tone.
“I admit that I really scolded too much at the time,” she says in Mandarin, adding that she should not have used “foul language” or cursed customers.
Heng explains that several things beyond her control had affected her mood during the livestream, which was conducted in an auction format that differed from the team’s usual livestreams.
Each product had only one unit available, and Heng says customers were repeatedly reminded not to place orders if they were uncertain about their purchases.
However, she says some customers placed orders before retracting them afterwards.
According to Heng, the cancellations affected the livestreamers, the team working behind the scenes and other customers who had wanted to buy the products.
“My anger has a reason... but that doesn’t mean I can express myself in this way,” she admits.
Heng also addresses other livestreamers who criticised the pair for losing their tempers, saying they were not in the same position.
She adds that if she had been an observer herself, she might also have found it easy to criticise their behaviour.
In the video, Heng says she will make “good improvements” to her “vocabulary” and thanks those who have continued to support her.
“We will definitely continue making progress,” she says.
In the caption accompanying the video, Heng wrote: “I was extremely frustrated that day but that does not justify the things I said.”
“Those words were wrong, and I take responsibility for them. I should have handled my emotions better.”
She added that she would learn from the incident and do better moving forward.
Speaking to Stomp, Heng said VedaWin will handle future customer disputes “professionally”, moving away from the livestream where necessary “rather than addressed emotionally in front of viewers”.
Vadalene Eng: ‘I should have stepped forward earlier’
Meanwhile, speaking in English in her video, Eng says she had been debating whether to share her side of the story for some time.
“I’m sorry to everyone who has been disappointed, hurt or affected by everything that has happened recently,” she says.
Eng admits that the situation could have been better managed, regardless of the pair’s intentions.
She goes on to detail her long-term working relationship with Heng, adding that she has always preferred to stay in the background.
However, as Heng’s business partner, Eng says she should have “stepped forward earlier”.
Like Heng, she acknowledges that there was room for them to improve and hopes they can “slowly show it through our actions moving forward”.
Heng’s video has garnered more than 113,500 views, 440 comments, 1,140 likes and 3,800 shares, while Eng’s video has amassed more than 82,900 views, 110 comments, 770 likes and 1,660 shares.
Netizens divided over apologies
Despite the more serious tone of both videos, some viewers remained unconvinced.
On Heng’s video, one commenter said they might have believed her response if not for the earlier mock apology, suggesting that the latest video came only because the backlash had become too intense.
Another wrote that Heng was apologising because the backlash was “too heavy to handle”, rather than because she genuinely acknowledged the harm caused.
Others focused on Heng’s failure to use the word “sorry” in her video.
“Throughout the whole video still no ‘sorry’,” one commenter wrote.
While Eng apologised multiple times in her video, some viewers remained sceptical. One questioned whether her apology was “sarcastic”, while another called for Heng to explicitly apologise as well.
However, there were also commenters who took a more balanced view, saying the incident should not completely overshadow the work Heng and Eng had done over the years to build their business and community.
“I’ve been your customer for quite some time and I’ve seen how much effort you put into your community. You’ve stayed up late, worked long hours and tried your best to take care of your customers.
In response to such critiques, Heng told Stomp:
Sincerity is not determined solely by whether the word ‘sorry’ appears in a video.
She clarified: “My intention on Aug 21 was to address the matter honestly and take responsibility for my actions rather than put out a statement simply because people expected one.”
Addressing the mock apology, she said it was made in a “different context” and recognises that some have found it “inappropriate or misunderstood its intention”.
She also accepted that it was not well received.
“What happened was wrong, but I hope people can also remember the person we’ve known all these years,” the commenter wrote on Heng’s video.
Another TikTok user reminded Heng: “Always stay humble, no matter how successful we become.”
Eng, meanwhile, received several comments praising her more direct apology and encouraging her to do better.
“Good that you started with the most important part — to say you’re sorry,” one commenter wrote on her apology video.
“I hope you will change and be better person 👍 You need to learn new things so people like you and love you too. Be happy always 😊,” another user told Eng.
Heng understood that the public is “entitled to their own opinions”.
“I can only take responsibility for my own actions, learn from the experience, and ensure that I handle similar situations more professionally in the future.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect comments from Winnie Heng.
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