Big Tigger to return to V-103 after Fulton County DA drops charges

Rick Caffey, chairman emeritus and former Atlanta market manager for V-103’s owner Audacy, sent a note to staff Friday reporting the news: “We’re pleased to welcome him back on Monday and look forward to him reconnecting with our listeners and continuing to do what he does best.”

The Fulton County district attorney’s office, in a court document from Sept. 4 obtained by the AJC, said: “The facts and evidence of this case have been reviewed and after full consideration of the evidence, it is the decision of the District Attorney not to prosecute.” It was signed by Simone N. Hylton an executive district attorney in the office’s domestic violence division.

Big Tigger, whose real name is Darian Morgan, was arrested June 20 by Sandy Springs police, and accused of aggravated battery against his wife, Alicia Brown, on May 9 at his home in Sandy Springs. Part of the altercation was captured on a Ring camera.

“We knew from the beginning that Big Tigger was innocent, and the dismissal of charges only affirms what he has maintained all along,” Gabe Banks, attorney for Big Tigger, said in a statement provided to the AJC on Thursday.

In the statement, Banks alleged that Brown attempted “to unjustly weaponize the criminal justice system against Big Tigger in the context of a divorce proceeding and he is grateful that the truth ultimately prevailed.” His attorney also thanked the district attorney’s office for doing a “thorough investigation and for allowing the evidence ― or lack thereof ― to speak for itself, rather than being swayed by public opinion or outside pressure.”

Brown, who was briefly hospitalized in May with a deep cut above her eye following her dispute with Big Tigger, didn’t return a text for comment Thursday.

Representatives for the DA’s office did not respond to multiple emails for comment.

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Big Tigger left the radio airwaves after his arrest in June. On Sunday, July 5, Tigger wrote on social media, “I’ve decided to step away from the mic for a while to focus on my family and give my legal team the room they need.”

During that time, “The Big Tigger Morning Show” remained on the V-103 website, and morning co-host Francesca Amiker and substitutes like Frank Ski continued to reference Tigger’s name in his absence.

Big Tigger has not directly addressed details about his dispute with his wife, who accused him on social media of having an inappropriate relationship with Amiker.

Amiker, who joined the V-103 show in May, has denied any unprofessional relationship with Big Tigger and sued Brown for defamation.

In July, Brown was arrested on I-85 in Hart County near the South Carolina border. The Baltimore County Police Department in Maryland possessed warrants for Brown related to a missing child report from 2019. Fulton County also had a warrant out on her for interference with child custody.

Last month, Brown sued Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, alleging the Fulton County warrant against her was “erroneous,” resulting in a “high-risk” traffic stop and her arrest.

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

New York native Big Tigger, 53, has worked in media since the early 1990s, building his early radio experience at 95.5 WPGC-FM in Washington D.C. and on TV on BET’s “Rap City” as a video jockey. For several years, he worked in New York City.

In 2007, he returned to D.C.’s WPGC before coming to V-103 as afternoon host in 2013. He moved to mornings in 2020 and has cycled through multiple co-hosts. Amiker replaced Jazzy McBee after working as a reporter at E! News and before that, Atlanta’s 11Alive.

V-103’s morning show ratings via Nielsen has remained strong in the midst of Big Tigger’s arrest and absence from the airwaves. In July ratings, V-103 ranked No. 4 overall in mornings and No. 2 among 25- to 54-year-olds.