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The Try Guys, a YouTube channel founded by content creators Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, and Zach Kornfeld, have recently said goodbye to one of their members: Ned Fulmer. The group started their series at Buzzfeed in 2014, forming their own company, 2nd Try LLC, in 2018. Their YouTube channel, with over 8 million subscribers, has a wide variety of content consisting of several popular series such as Without a Recipe, Try Beauty, and Eat the Menu.
However, on September 27, the Try Guys disclosed that Fulmer had been cheating on his wife with an employee, who was revealed to be their associate producer Alex Herring. Many subscribers of the Try Guys were in shock when the scandal hit the internet. Fulmer was commonly known on their channel as the “Wife Guy” because of his frequent mentions of his wife in Try Guys videos. His wife, Ariel Fulmer, has made several appearances on the YouTube channel, and the couple also published “The Date Night Cookbook”.
After 8 years as a Try Guy, Fulmer officially left the group. Upon his resignation, the Try Guys released the following statement on all social media platforms: “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”.
Roughly a week after the incident was reported, the Try Guys uploaded an uncut apology video regarding the cheating scandal, explaining the measures that would be taken in response to the situation. Yang stressed the need for transparency in the video, saying “we were acutely aware of just how contrary this was to the values of the company we built and everyone who works here. This was something we took very seriously. We refused to sweep things under the rug. That is not who we are and is not what we stand for.”
Despite the scandal, many subscribers of the Try Guys showed their support for the members, especially praising their transparent and urgent response to the situation. A tweet by @Paigerkismyname wrote “not #tryguys putting out a better apology for something that they didn’t do, than most creators that have done one.”
ISM senior Joaquin responded to the apology video saying, “While I haven’t seen many other apology videos from other YouTubers, I thought that the video produced by the Try Guys was much more genuine. The video didn’t appear to be particularly polished and appeared to have been shot in one take.” He also noted that “other similar apologies seemed much more scripted and emotionless” making “the Try Guys’ apology very convincing”. Sadly, a genuine apology video seems to be rare within the YouTube community.
Ironically, most apology videos from other YouTubers seem to add more fuel to the fire. An infamous apology video by James Charles, now deleted from his channel, is one such case.
The YouTuber posted a video in 2021 entitled “holding myself accountable”, apologizing to his subscribers in regards to accusations of grooming. In the video, the beauty guru claimed that the two minors involved in the situation had lied to him, claiming they were actually 18. However, one of the victims reported to Insider that Charles had never asked him how old he was. Not only did Charles lose 100,000 subscribers the month following these allegations, but a petition was also made to remove his nomination for the 2021 Teen Choice Award for Best Male Social Star.
When asked whether or not influencers need to take responsibility for their actions, Jaime (11)
said, “while, certainly, they are free to do as they please, these influencers need to understand the position they are in with the perception and following they have garnered over the years. By not taking responsibility and apologizing for their actions in light of a scandal (especially if it is highly publicized), they are effectively condoning these forms of problematic behavior to their fans, some of whom are naive enough to the point where they themselves cannot discern decent behavior from problematic ones.” Having young target audiences, especially for YouTubers and TikTok influencers, comes with the necessary obligation to not only create unique content, but also be good role models both on and off camera.
Life as an influencer is clearly not all as glamorous as it may seem; it often comes with responsibility and transparency in order to maintain a long term career in the field. But is it really that difficult to make an apology video? It seems that YouTubers are being canceled left and right for both their behavior and their responses to that behavior. But after countless controversies, viewers finally seem glad to see a sincere apology posted on the internet.
Works Cited
Haylock, Zoe. “James Charles Says He’s Sorry He ‘Flirted’ With Underage Fans.” Vulture, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2021, http://www.vulture.com/2021/04/james-charles-apology-video-grooming-allegations.html.
Lisitza, Alexa. “24 Reactions To The Try Guys’ ‘What Happened’ Video That Range From ‘If Looks Could Kill’ To Eugene’s ‘Revenge’ Outfit.” BuzzFeed, BuzzFeed, 4 Oct. 2022, http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexalisitza/twitter-reacts-try-guys-what-happened.
Santos, Francisca. “Try Guys: ‘The Best YouTube Apology Video Ever!’.” We Got This Covered, We Got This Covered, 4 Oct. 2022, wegotthiscovered.com/social-media/try-guys-the-best-YouTube-apology-video-ever/.
“Twitter Is Losing It Over The Try Guys’ Video About Ned Fulmer.” Her Campus | HerCampus.com Is the #1 Global Community for College Women, Written Entirely by the Nation’s Top College Journalists from 380 Campus Chapters around the World., 4 Oct. 2022, http://www.hercampus.com/culture/try-guys-ned-video-tweets-reaction/.