The Try Guys Try Adultery

Fans spotted 35-year-old comedian and Try Guys member Ned Fulmer having an affair with a producer in New York over Labor Day weekend. The video and images of them engaging in clearly romantic behavior spread like wildfire online. The resulting internet response was overwhelming: millions of current and former fans were outraged at the notion of someone they once looked up to completely betraying the trust of his wife and best friends. The self-described “wife guy” was the last person I expected to be at the center of such controversy and was just another example of how we should be careful idolizing YoutTube stars.

When I first heard what happened, I was at a loss for words. The Try Guys have been making videos for over eight years and were once a big part of my life; I naively saw each of them as role models at one point or another. Immediately, I went down a rabbit hole of rumors and aggressively worded criticism addressed to all of the guys, not just Fulmer. It was a lot. I couldn’t shake the fact that he had been so publicly committed to his spouse, then would do something so careless as to not only cheat, but cheat in public.

“It is ironic that someone who has committed to entertaining us for so long can’t even commit to his own wife,” said senior Mia Vaughn, and I have to agree. Fulmer was extremely dedicated to the Try Guys channel, so seeing him lose that dedication in a different aspect of his life was shocking. It just proved to me once again that YouTube influencers are almost never the people you think they are, and the way they portray themselves to their audience could be a complete front.

The details finally came out into the open when the remaining Try Guys (Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld and Eugene Lee Yang) posted a video to their YouTube channel titled “what happened.” While they kept it brief and professional, their anger and disappointment was evident, mirroring that of their audience. “We were obviously incredibly shocked and deeply hurt by all of this,” said Lee Yang in the YouTube video. The look on his face spoke volumes beyond what he could legally say.

It is unlikely that this will blow over any time soon. The Try Guys have meant a lot to thousands of people and Fulmer’s betrayal will prevent subscribers from ever seeing them the same. I hope this will serve as a lesson to fans to be cautious when idolizing YouTubers.