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The Try Guys built a hugely successful YouTube channel as uncontroversial nice guys. Then explosive cheating rumors changed everything.

The Try Guys built a hugely successful YouTube channel as uncontroversial nice guys. Then explosive cheating rumors changed everything.

Michele Theil

The Try Guys rose to fame in 2014.Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

The Try Guys are a hugely popular YouTube comedy collective with over 7 million subscribers.
Cheating rumors about the group's "wife guy" caused a stir and tarnished their otherwise unblemished image.

YouTube comedy collective The Try Guys has become gossip fodder over a cheating scandal.

Fulmer has now left the Try Guys after eight years in the group. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

"Give me them panties!" says one of The Try Guys — before they were known by that name — in their first ever YouTube video posted in 2014.

The video, which was created for BuzzFeed, is titled "Guys Try On Ladies' Underwear For The First Time," and has over 22 million views. It sparked a new genre for BuzzFeed and a new pursuit for Ned Fulmer, Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld, who came to be known as The Try Guys.

Since launching their own independent channel in 2018, The Try Guys have racked up nearly 8 million subscribers, but it wasn't their loyal following that led them to make headlines this week. Following days of rumors swirling online in fan communities, Fulmer acknowledged an extra-marital workplace relationship and was dropped from the channel.

Having built a persona as a loving, dedicated husband the news shocked and disappointed fans, and put the self-described "wife guy" at the center of a scandal. Here's how they rose to fame and the drama played out.

The Try Guys was formed in 2014 while its members worked at BuzzFeed.

Every member of The Try Guys started out on the BuzzFeed video team. BuzzFeed

The Try Guys originated at media company BuzzFeed, when Fulmer, Yang, Habersberger, and Kornfeld joined forces to create videos showing them attempting a variety of tasks while guided by an expert, such as roller skating, getting makeovers, nude modeling, and Irish step dance.

In an interview published by Mel Magazine in 2020, Kornfeld said the four of them were "founding members of their video department when it was about 20 people or so and just starting out."

Habersberger told Mel that they were the "only dudes in the office" willing to make a video in which they tried women's underwear, and their first video "surpassed all our expectations," namely because they had "a lot of fun making it" and it seemed to resonate with viewers.

The group became hugely popular while making videos for BuzzFeed.

Between 2014 and 2018, The Try Guys' videos grew in popularity. They were nominated for Show of the Year at the Streamy Awards in 2017, and won the award in 2018.

While at BuzzFeed, The Try Guys also created a spin-off show called "Squad Wars," which was produced by the media company exclusively for YouTube Red, a subscription service now known as YouTube Premium that offers ad-free videos and access to original content by the platform.

The show lasted for nine episodes between January and March 2017 and featured various internet personalities and reality TV stars competing in a variety of challenges.

The Try Guys left BuzzFeed in 2018 as their contracts were expiring to create their own independent production company.

BuzzFeed stayed on as a representative for the Try Guys for branded content and advertising. David Livingston/Getty Images

In June 2018, The Try Guys announced they were leaving BuzzFeed to start their own production company called 2nd Try LLC, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In December 2019, the group posted a video explaining that they left BuzzFeed because their contracts were expiring and they wanted to expand The Try Guys' brand and individual pursuits.

Their production company gained the rights to The Try Guys brand, but BuzzFeed retained its position as a branded content and advertising sales representative for the group, according to The Hollywood Reporter,

In 2019, The Try Guys co-wrote a book that reached number one on The New York Times bestseller list.

The book was a self-help memoir written by the four members. Harper Collins/The Try Guys

In June 2019 the quartet released a book with HarperCollins, titled "The Hidden Power of F*cking Up."

The book was partly a memoir but also included lessons and advice, with each member of The Try Guys discussing their desire to challenge themselves and improve their lives, as well as how their failures have impacted them.

The book states that it is aimed at helping people "overcome your own self-doubt to become the best, most f*cked-up version of yourself you can be."

It made the New York Times bestseller list in the category of "self-help, advice, and miscellaneous," reaching number one soon after its release.

It was also well-received by fans, achieving a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Amazon. Comments underneath The Try Guys' tweet about their book showed a number of people eager to read it and praising the comedy collective for being honest about their mistakes and successes.

Their influencers' brand skyrocketed, and they even starred in a TV show.

By 2021, Digiday reported that 2nd Try LLC had grown to "nearly two dozen employees." The Try Guys currently have almost 8 million subscribers on their YouTube channel and have amassed more than 100 billion views on their own channel.

Following research by writer Zoë Aiko Sonnenberg into The Try Guys and their metrics, Slate reported that the vast majority of The Try Guys' audience is women.

Inspired by their YouTube series "Without a Recipe," The Try Guys also filmed a Food Network show called "No Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys." It was initially meant to be a one-off special but the release was postponed when it was ordered for a six-episode season instead.

The show premiered on August 31, 2022.

The Try Guys' partners became a big part of the group's brand.

Three of the "Try Wives" host a podcast together. Ramble/TryPods/You Can't Sit With Us

The Try Guys' partners are collectively known by their fans as "The Try Wives," and include Ned Fulmer's wife Ariel, Keith Habersberger's wife Becky, Zach Kornfeld's fiancé Maggie Bustamente, and Eugene Lee Yang's partner Matthew McLean.

They have all frequently appeared in videos on The Try Guys channel.

Ariel, Becky, and Bustamente host a podcast titled "You Can Sit With Us," on which McLean occasionally guest stars, where they "dive into female friendships, current events, and what's going on in their lives," according to the podcast's description.

In an episode of the podcast released in 2020, the group revealed that their name came from their previous group chat name, "The Buzzed Wives," which McLean changed when their partners became The Try Guys.

Slate's Zoë Aiko Sonnenberg wrote of The Try Guys, "Their wives' and partners' presence serves a purpose beyond simply creating the illusion of a personal connection, too: They help frame the guys as a certain kind of nonthreatening, aspirational men."

As their popularity grew, so did interest in their private lives and relationships — Fulmer's in particular.

Many of the Try Guys' videos included references to their private lives or footage of their homes, partners, and friends.

In March, the group gave a tour of their office and studio — which was in part designed by Ariel —to Architectural Digest.

Fulmer and his wife Ariel in particular shared their lives and relationship with fans, opening up their California home to Architectural Digest and launching a series called "Date Night" featuring both Fulmer and his wife "recreating some of the top-rated chefs' recipes."

The Fulmers also co-wrote "The Date Night Cookbook" in 2021, which was promoted on the Try Guys channel, and co-hosted the podcast "Baby Steps," where they talk about parenting, from 2020 to 2021.

Fulmer cemented his brand as an internet 'wife guy.'

The pair have been married since 2012. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Fulmer and Ariel wed in 2012 and the pair have two children. They regularly post photos and videos of their family on social media, with much of their content revolving around their lives and Fulmer's role as a husband and father, helping to cement his brand as a family man.

In a documentary called "Behind the Try" which followed The Try Guys' live tour, Fulmer said, "I never imagined I would lead my family life so closely with my career. I became kind of known for my own relationship, and then we did more of it."

He added, "I just kind of do it because digital media and YouTube culture is, I don't know, kind of showing who you are a person."

Though all of the Try Guys are very publicly in relationships, it is Fulmer's wife who is most often associated with The Try Guys brand. Fulmer frequently referred to her as "my wife," which became his signature catchphrase, spawning compilation videos and official merchandise.

He refers to himself as "@arielfulmer's Husband" on Instagram.

In September 2022, fans began to notice that Fulmer had been absent from many of the group's recently published videos.

Fulmer had been absent from the Try Guys' Instagram posts for a while. The Try Guys/Instagram

In recent days, online fan communities began to discuss why Fulmer was noticeably missing from the Try Guys' most recent videos and Instagram posts.

Fans also noted that the regular intro to The Try Guys' videos had changed and no longer featured Fulmer, and that his wife Ariel was not present for the last two episodes of her podcast "You Can Sit With Us."

In various Reddit threads and tweets seen by Insider, fans speculated that Fulmer had cheated on his wife, and was having an affair with a coworker.

Then on September 27, the Try Guys released a statement to say that Fulmer would no longer be part of the group.

A post shared by The Try Guys (@tryguys)

After days of rumors, the Try Guys finally responded to fan speculation about a possible rift between Fulmer and the rest of the group.

It read, "Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys. As a result of a thorough internal review, we do not see a path forward together. We thank you for your support as we navigate this change."

The official Try Guys accounts changed their profile pictures from an image showing cartoons of each member to their company logo of a triceratops.

Their Twitter and Instagram accounts also unfollowed Fulmer and their bios have been updated to remove Fulmer's handle.

Fulmer released an explosive statement apologizing to his wife and fans for what he described as a 'consensual workplace relationship.'

An hour after the Try Guys' official announcement of his departure, Fulmer issued a Twitter statement that read, "Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship."

The statement included an apology to the Try Guys, his fans, and his wife. It said, "I'm sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel."

He said he wanted to focus on his marriage and children in the wake of these revelations. Fulmer did not confirm who the relationship was with.

On September 28, Ariel asked for "privacy" on Instagram. She wrote, "Thanks to everyone who has reached out to me – it means a lot. 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."

Paparazzi captured the couple laughing and smiling while taking a walk in Los Angeles on September 29, two days after Fulmer's statement, with Metro reporting that "they seemed to be putting on a united front."

The Fulmers did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Social media reactions to the news largely condemned Fulmer, and ignited a discussion around 'wife guys.'

Many on social media have condemned Fulmer's behavior, with many accusing him of "cheating" and "having an affair," although he has not described the relationship as such.

Fans expressed disappointment in Fulmer, and shock by what they considered to be the downfall of Fulmer's "wife guy" persona.

A "wife guy" is internet parlance for a man who posts about and idolizes their wife on social media, and particularly men "who make themselves famous for things their wives did or qualities their wives have or had," New York Magazine explained.

On September 20, another perceived "wife guy," Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, addressed cheating rumors after an Instagram model named Sumner Stroh posted a viral TikTok saying she had an affair with him while he was married. Levine denied the affair but said he "crossed the line."

The two stories in quick succession led to a heated social-media discussion about the fall of the wife guys. Scaachi Koul wrote for BuzzFeed that the parasocial relationship The Try Guys built with their audience contributed to the strong reaction to news about Fulmer's relationship.

"Isn't the point of being a Wife Guy to get everyone to think you're a good guy — so good, in fact, that you would never step outside the confines of your traditionally monogamous marriage that you've been in since your mid-20s, especially not with an employee?" she wrote. "If the Wife Guys are cheating, is anyone loyal? Who can you trust if not the men who are effusively, publicly, and industrially talking about how much they love their wives?"

The future appears uncertain for the three remaining Try Guys.

After the news that Fulmer would no longer be a part of the group, the remaining members announced a brief hiatus from content creation.

A tweet from The Try Guys official account said, "The TryPod will be taking a week off, and returning next week on October 6," referring to the group's weekly podcast where they recap their experiences trying different things.

"We wanted to take some time to formulate our thoughts before recording the episode. Thanks for being patient," they added.

They have not posted on Instagram or YouTube, and it's unclear whether the group will continue with just three members or find a replacement for Fulmer.

The Try Guys did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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