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For anyone who’s spent a significant time on the internet in the past decade, it’s nearly impossible to not be at least a little familiar with The Try Guys. Since 2014, the group of four men (Keith Habersberger, 35, Zach Kornfeld, 32, Eugene Lee Yang, 36, and Ned Fulmer, 35) have gone viral and gained an audience for their popular videos where they do just what their name says: try different things in hilarious and informative videos.
The Try Guys announced they were parting ways with founding member Ned Fulmer on September 27, following an accusation in a now-since-deleted post on Reddit that Ned cheated on his wife. “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,” the group said in a statement. And on Oct. 3, the group released a new video announcing that they are working to remove Ned from their videos and merchandise.
“We immediately removed Ned from work activities and engaged an HR professional to conduct a thorough review of the facts. We also opted to remove Ned from our releases, pending results of that review,” Zach said in the clip. “That’s included removing his section from videos, digitally removing him from others and choosing not to feature him in our merch throws. Honestly, I want to give major props to our editing staff for how deftly they’ve handled that.”
He also made sure to clarify that because Ned’s presence was more dominant in some content, they’ve opted to not use those at all. “There are several videos that we’ve deemed as fully unreleasable,” Zach added. “You will never see them and that is due to his involvement. That’s a decision that cost us lots of money. We will not be able to recoup that money, but it’s a decision we stand by proudly.”
Ned addressed the split from the group and offered an apology to the group and his wife Ariel in a statement on Twitter on Sept. 27. “Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship. I’m sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel. The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I am going to focus my attention,” he wrote. His wife also released a statement on Instagram thanking those who reached out for their support. “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,” she said.
Find out more about The Try Guys and the content they’ve made for the internet here!
The group started in 2014 with Buzzfeed
While the group have done so much with their popular content over the past eight years, The Try Guys got their start back in September 2014, when they were all working for the popular internet media company Buzzfeed. The first video they published was simply titled “Guys Try On Ladies Underwear For The First Time.” Their early videos weren’t made under the moniker of The Try Guys, but as they started accumulating millions of views, they were given the title. Some of the videos that they made during their time with Buzzfeed, included viral hits of them trying things like UFC fighting, drinking the legal alcohol limit, and undergoing a labor pain simulation.
The Try Guys went independent in 2018
After four years with Buzzfeed, the Try Guys launched their own YouTube channel and production company in June 2018. They also launched a Patreon account for fans to contribute to them directly. “The four of us have been hard at work building an independent production company together,” Ned said in a channel announcement.
Despite being independent, the group did announce that they would still partner with Buzzfeed for their ventures. “BuzzFeed has been a great home these past four years, and we look forward to a continued strategic partnership as we enter this new chapter,” they said in a statement at the time to TubeFilter. The independent Try Guys channel currently has 7.8 million subscribers and over 2 billion views across videos. Some of their most popular videos included having their bones cracked and baking a pie without a recipe.
They co-wrote a book together
The Try Guys released their debut book The Hidden Power Of F**king It Up in June 2019 through HarperCollins publishers. The book is part comedic and part self-improvement, and it details the groups philosphy behind trying new things, which can be applied to different aspects of their lives outside of YouTube. “They’ll share how four shy, nerdy kids have dealt with their most poignant life struggles by attacking them head-on and reveal their – ahem – sure-fail strategies for achieving success,” the book’s description stated.
They hosted a Food Network show
Some of The Try Guys’ most popular videos involve them trying different types of food, but they also have a hilarious series called “Without A Recipe,” where the guys prepare different dishes sans instructions on how to make them to see just how well they do! They’ve made all sorts of confections such as cookies and pizza to dishes that may seem more complicated like hand-pulled noodles. Given how great they are with their food-based content, it’s no surprise that they were perfect candidates for a show on the Food Network, called No Recipe Roadtrip. The series debuted on August 31, and it featured the men going to different towns across the country and trying to cook the restaurant’s signature dishes, from huckleberry doughnuts to vegan burgers.
They’ve recapped their experiences on the TryPod
With nearly a decade on the internet and so many experiences that so many people could only dream of, The Try Guys have their fair share of stories to tell. Back in 2019, the group launched a podcast called The TryPod, where they go back and discuss their experiences on their popular internet show. Their podcast has released over 180 episodes as of September 2022, and it’s available to listen to on any podcast platform. The group have released video versions of their podcast as well as other shows, which feature the Try Guys, on the TryPods YouTube Channel.