"It’s a made-up word, It’s not something anybody really has, it’s fake": Luke Humphries defends responding to influencer claiming lack of 'stage aura' and giving in to Littler

Luke Humphries insists he is “not up there to have aura” after responding to criticism from darts influencer now also pundit Charlie Murphy, admitting the comments left him “really disappointed” despite progressing at the Belgian Darts Open.

The world number one spoke candidly following his 6–4 victory over Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Belgian Darts Open, but much of the attention centred on a social media exchange sparked earlier in the day which caused debate.

Humphries had reacted on X after Murphy questioned his confidence and suggested he was “giving in” to Luke Littler, as well as claiming he lacked “stage aura”. Asked about the situation in a separate interview with Tungsten Tales, Humphries admitted the comments affected him more than expected. “I didn’t actually read it at first, but then I clicked on the post and it made me feel even worse, to be honest,” he said.

“There was stuff about me having ‘no aura’, I don’t really care about having aura. I’m not up there to have aura, I’m up there to win darts matches, to win money, to set my family up. I don’t need to be up there having this… I mean, what even is aura? It’s a made-up word. It’s not something anybody really has, it’s fake.”

While Humphries insisted criticism of his ranking does not bother him, he made clear the tone of the comments was what stung. “I found out it was Charlie Murphy, and that was quite disappointing because I’ve always got on really well with him,” he said. "It’s not that words hurt you, it’s more the disrespect. That was the disappointing part for me, because it’s someone I’ve gotten on with really well for many years.

“I don’t really care if people say I’m not the second-best player in the world anymore, that’s fine. It was more the way he said I ‘give in’ to Luke Littler. I never give in to Luke. He’s just a bloody good dart player. It’s not like players give in to him, he’s just really good and really hard to beat.”

Humphries pointed to his recent record against Littler as evidence. “In the last three games I’ve played him, they’ve all gone to a last-leg or last-set decider and I’ve pushed him all the way. I’m one of the only players really doing that. Gerwyn Price is doing it as well but hasn’t quite got over the line, I have.”

The 2024 world champion acknowledged he may have been better off ignoring the comments, but admitted the nature of elite sport makes that difficult. “A lot of people will see it and just take it in, but when you’re in this sport, you get it all the time and it can annoy you, it really does,” he said.

“Most of the people commenting wouldn’t like it themselves. It’s something I probably could have ignored, but sometimes you just react, you have a little fuse and can’t help it. It wasn’t really about being called number two, it was about people saying I give in or don’t try. I’m trying my best out there, really trying to push him. Not many players are actually pushing him, and I am, so I’m just doing my best.”

Murphy who started life as a darts influencer before moving into punditry roles also later issued a public apology, stating his remarks had been taken out of context and that “no disrespect in any form was meant” as well amid comments made to OLBG which were then circulated and responded to by Humphries.

The off-stage controversy came after Humphries booked his place on the final day with a hard-fought win over Van Duijvenbode, a match he described as “strange” on stage with Master of Ceremonies Philip Brzezinski. “To be fair to Dirk, he did come back really well there,” Humphries said. "It’s kind of a strange period for me as a player at the moment. I’m hitting 100 averages, but I feel like there’s so much more to give, and it’s just not coming out. I’m not really worried about it. If you’re averaging 89, then you’ve got a chance to worry. But I’m still hitting 100 averages, so it’s fine. It feels like I’m not even out of second gear, so there’s something there that’s going to come out of me soon.”

Humphries raced into a 4–0 and 5–1 lead before being pegged back, something he attributed to inconsistencies in his own performance. “I didn’t expect to be 4–0 or 5–1 up. Dirk’s a classy player, but I felt some nerves from him, he was pushing his darts a bit,” he said.

“For me, it felt quite smooth at the start, and then it got a little bit worse as the game went on. That’s probably a good example of my game at the moment, the first half just isn’t good enough. If I get that first half right, I’ll be hitting bigger averages and putting in better performances. But credit to Dirk for coming back, and I’m happy I managed to close it out in the end.”