Grab your iced coffees and buckle in, besties, because everyone’s fave influencer Emma Chamberlain just dropped some major tea about a past relationship that has the internet shook. During the now-deleted Jan. 3 episode of her podcast, Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, the content creator took listeners on a journey through her first romantic relationship — a nine-month romance that ultimately left her heartbroken. Though she didn’t name names, internet sleuths are convinced the unnamed ex may be former YouTuber Ethan Dolan. Her Campus reached out to Chamberlain’s team for comment about this internet theory, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Now, you’re probably wondering how fans even came to the conclusion that Chamberlain was talking about Dolan. Well, the timelines totally add up. Thanks to the pair’s early YouTube collabs with James Charles and Ethan’s twin brother, Grayson, all signs point to Ethan being the ex Chamberlain was talking about on her podcast. Need more of an explanation? Don’t worry, I got you.
During the podcast episode, Chamberlain shared her first real relationship started when she was 17 years old — a time when she was still figuring herself out. She admitted that she’d never really considered relationships up until this point due to feeling insecure about her femininity. “Not to get so deep with it all of a sudden, but I’ve always been somebody who maybe was a bit more humorous,” she said. “I think my dominant personality trait growing up was humor and silliness, not femininity… I was always very insecure about myself as a woman.”
When she found herself in a relationship with a boy she “had a crush on for a very long time,” Chamberlain considered this a huge win. “He did not like me at first, but eventually he did, and we dated, and it was this magical thing,” she said.
Like most first loves, the relationship didn’t last, and it left Chamberlain gutted. “I thought when we broke up, I was going to die. I was like, ‘I don’t know how I can survive this breakup. I don’t know how I can survive this feeling.’ I had never felt that level of loss.” After spending a few months watching Jersey Shore reruns and throwing her energy into SoulCycle, Chamberlain decided to try getting him back. But despite her wanting to rekindle their relationship, Chamberlain’s ex wasn’t looking to be exclusive again. Story of a lot of our lives.
Soon, Chamberlain and her ex found themselves in an on-again-off-again situationship that was flooded with mixed signals. After a few hookups, Chamberlain said her ex wanted to be exclusive again but didn’t want to date (whatever TF that means). She was over the moon, but before they could rekindle anything, the Chamberlain Coffee creator said he’d ghosted her. “He’s not responding to my texts. He doesn’t want to hang out. I’m like, ‘This is so odd,'” she said.
In a moment of rage, Chamberlain threw her phone at the wall, which was the wake-up call she needed to end the unhealthy dynamic between her and her ex. “I’m so grateful I had that meltdown,” she said.
Now, how does Dolan fit into all of this? Though they never publicly confirmed a relationship, many were convinced something was going on between Chamberlain and Dolan a few years back. In July 2019, when they were asked if they were dating, Chamberlain said, “Did we say it? Not yet,” which only fueled dating rumors.
After listening to Chamberlain’s podcast episode, fans were convinced she was talking about Dolan, and have taken to social media to share their reactions.
The Emma Chamberlain and Ethan lore finally dropped pic.twitter.com/pt18lciJcl
— amarah (@amarahxn) January 6, 2025
I never thought in a million fucking years Emma Chamberlain basically confirmed she dated Ethan Dolan in the year 2025 😃😃😃
— emily✧.* (@5chanluvr) January 5, 2025
never thought we would be getting ethan dolan and emma chamberlain lore in the year 2025 yet here we are
— jade♡ (@wolfiehrry) January 6, 2025
I’m going to need about 3-5 business days to fully process this lore.