The Try Guys Drama, Explained

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The Try Guys, a YouTube group known for their experiments with sperm count, karate and raising toddlers, as well as their willingness to shave their legs and wear crop tops, have officially been taken down as a Guy. Ned Fulmer is one of the titled Guys and he is leaving the group immediately.

By the time the guys announced Mr. Fulmer’s departure on Tuesday, many on social media were already divided into two distinct camps. The first: those who were familiar with the Try Guys and the infidelity leading up to this sudden announcement; and the second: those who were bewildered by the first group’s buzzing, and wondering, “What am I missing?’”

Do not be afraid if you fall under the second category. We'll try to explain.

BuzzFeed's video producers were Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld. They started a new series in 2014. The name was very literal. They were guys who would try things. In their first video, they tried on panties from Victoria’s Secret. “It feels like somebody put some string in my butt,” Mr. Habersberger says in the video after trying on a thong. The group tested a machine that simulates labor pain in a 2015 video. Imagine a lot of screaming. Roller derby, baking bread with no recipe, skiing in Speedos and ballet, fast food galore - they'll try it all.

In 2018, the group quit BuzzFeed and started its own production company, 2nd Try. Digiday reported in 2021 that the company had nearly two dozen employees. The group’s Food Network show, “No-Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys,” premiered in August 2022.

Seemingly no part of the guys’ lives was off limits. Here’s an office tour from Architectural Digest, if you’re so inclined. Mr. Fulmer’s wife, Ariel, who is an interior designer, helped design the space. Architectural Digest also has a tour of the Fulmers’ home, if you’d like to see that, too. This detail will be helpful later.

Ms. Fulmer is well-known as one of the Try Wives. She appeared in videos on YouTube's Try Guys channel where 7.8 million people follow the group. She was also a popular face among the franchise's fans. The Fulmers co-wrote “The Date Night Cookbook” in 2021.

The short answer is: social media. The longer answer is social media. However, there are a few more words. Online, fans had begun to notice that Mr. Fulmer had not appeared in the group’s most recent videos. He had also not appeared in the group’s most recent Instagram posts. On Twitter and on the Try Guys subreddit — a Reddit community devoted entirely to the group — rumors swirled that Mr. Fulmer had been engaging in an affair with a co-worker. Tuesday afternoon saw statements from Mr. Fulmer and the group that seemed to confirm the rumors.

“As a result of a thorough internal review we do not see a path forward together,” the group said in a statement posted on Tuesday afternoon to its official Instagram account, where it has 1.5 million followers. “We thank you for your support as we navigate this change.” Mr. Fulmer also posted a personal statement on Instagram apologizing for what he described as a “consensual workplace relationship.”

Ms. Fulmer also posted a statement on Instagram, thanking everyone who reached out to her. “Nothing is more important to me and Ned than our family, and all we request right now is that you respect our privacy for the sake of our kids,” Ms. Fulmer wrote.

Until Tuesday, a tweet about the cookbook was pinned to the top of Mr. Fulmer’s Twitter feed. It has been replaced by the same statement that Mr. Fulmer posted to Instagram.

It's hard to know why this site has exploded in such a dramatic way. The Try Guys have millions upon millions of followers and an eight-year career online, which is a remarkable feat in a space where attention is fleeting. But it’s more likely that a certain millennial population was already on high alert for such personal infractions. Earlier in September, Twitter users had a field day making memes about direct messages Maroon 5’s Adam Levine reportedly sent to a woman who is not his wife, the former Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo. “It is truly unreal how hot you are,” Mr. Levine is said to have written, using an expletive that is not fit for publication. “Like it blows my mind.”

“A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air,” Mr. Levine wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram story that has since expired. “I used poor judgment in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner.” He denied having an affair.

In other marital news, the Boston Celtics suspended their coach, Ime Udoka, for the 2022-23 season over a reported “intimate relationship” with a colleague, according to The Athletic.

Oh, right. This is only in the sense that it should serve as a warning to all internet users about the dangers of sharing too much information. If you search Mr. Fulmer’s tweets for the word “wife,” you’ll find no shortage of tweets related to his adoration for Ms. Fulmer. This type of person is often called a "Wife Guy" in internet parlance. On at least two occasions, Mr. Fulmer referred to his wife as “a saint.”

It happened online is a column in which we explain very particular bits of news enabled and amplified by social media.