If you are like me, you used to binge the Try Guys on YouTube when you were younger.
Sitting in bed, I used to watch hours of the Try Guys’ videos on lazy weekends or free nights. I felt like I was there with Zach, Keith, Eugene and Ned as they tried random things like crocheting, baking, wearing corsets, putting on makeup, riding rollercoasters, etc.
The Try Guys started their group back in 2014. Zach Kornfield, Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang and Ned Fulmer were all employees of BuzzFeed back in the day. They started as content creators and eventually came together to make videos.
As they got bigger, the team left BuzzFeed. They gained the rights of the Try Guys brand and created their own YouTube channel in 2018.
So, Kornfield, Habersberger, Lee Yang and Fulmer were on their own. They bought an office in Los Angeles, hired their own content team, marketed their own content and started from scratch.
From their “Without A Recipe” series to Keith’s “Eat the Menu,” they have created hundreds of videos for audiences of all ages.
As they have created more content, they have created more familiarity between the viewers and the guys. Each member has gained their own quirks. Kornfield loves cats. Habersberger loves Raisin Brand. Lee Yang loves fashion. And Fulmer loves his wife.
Well, the last one might not necessarily be true.
As of Sept. 27, Ned Fulmer posted on Instagram that he had “a consensual workplace relationship.”
Like everyone else, as soon as the post was up I ran to the comment section.
User after user seemed utterly disappointed in Fulmer’s infidelity.
In the last year, social media users have responded much more aggressively to other celebrities’ scandals.
John Mulaney, stand-up Comedian and former writer on “SNL,” was rumored to have cheated on his wife. Mulaney and his ex-wife, Anna Marie Tendler, officially divorced in January. Fans of the comedian fought online over who would get their dog, Petunia.
Next, Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5 and judge on “The Voice,” cheated on his wife Behati Prinsloo with Sumner Stroh, an Instagram model. Soon after, numerous women then came forward with inappropriate direct messages from Adam Levine.
Emily Ratajkowski, a model and designer, was cheated on by Sebastian Bear-McClard. The couple has a young son together. Bear-McClard was reported to be a serial cheater, and they filed for divorce this month.
It seems 2022 is the year was cheating on your spouse.
So, Ned Fulmer seemed to join the trend. But, instead of aggression, people responded with pure disappointment.
Unlike these other celebrities, Ned Fulmer and Ariel Fulmer had been married years before he became famous. Because of their already existing relationship, Ariel has been a huge part of Ned’s internet persona and work life.
As the Try Guys rose to fame, they added a Try Wives section to their channel. In addition, the Fulmers released their own book.
Ariel was a huge part of the Try Guys, so their relationship was constantly in the public eye.
After Ned posted his statement on Instagram, Ariel posted hers as well.
Ned, who has 1.1 million followers on Instagram, received a measly 140,000 likes on his post. On the other hand, Ariel received 400,000 likes while only having around 500,000 followers.
But, who exactly did Ned cheat on Ariel with?
Alexandria Herring is an associate producer for the Try Guys. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i in 2014. And, she was engaged to Will Thayer.
Which means: the affair was between a boss and an employee. And both parties cheated on their partners in a months-long affair.
The Try Guys have always presented themselves as separate from YouTube drama. They have always been a wholesome, happy group– yet Ned ruined that image.
So, it was not surprising when the Try Guys posted on their Instagram:
The guy known for loving his wife cheated and it seems like the Try Guys’ dynamic is going to change forever from it.
The Try Guys made it known that Ned is threatening their brand. So, they decided to respond in the format that they know best: YouTube.
They created a video called “what happened.”
Throughout the video, the three remaining TryGuys look extremely upset. Eugene looks livid with a tight fist, angry glare, and tense body language. Zach looks like he is about to cry. And Keith seems defeated.
They explain how they will be editing Ned out of any future videos. They are consulting lawyers and HR representatives. And, as expected, Ned Fulmer will not be returning to the TryGuys.
The whole video feels like a pat on the back for them. They applaud their quick response and constantly apologize for Ned’s behavior.
But people are questioning the validity of their claims.
The TryGuys have always seemed genuine, but people also thought Ned was genuinely in love with his wife. So, are the TryGuys crying on camera for fame? Or are they truly to make up for Ned’s behavior?
The video has exploded over Twitter, TikTok and other social media platforms. The video gained so much traction that a skit came out on “Saturday Night Live.” The skit jokes how the TryGuys drama is all over when many people do not even know who they are.
They started making goofy videos for BuzzFeed, and now, there are jokes being made about them on “Saturday Night Live. What a difference.
While the TryGuys video was released and there’s more information than ever, it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered: Will Ariel leave Ned? What will Ned do next? What videos are the TryGuys scrapping?
We’ll have to wait and see how this YouTube drama unfolds.