BuzzFeed is one of the most well-known multimedia companies of the 21st century. Due to its mastery of nearly every social media platform and its rotating cast of zany characters, the company attracts a wide audience. Its most memorable group, the Try Guys, even became so successful that they broke off four years ago to form their own company, and their success has only grown. However, the group has made headlines over the past several weeks — not for their brand of comedy and charming members — but for a scandal in which Ned Fulmer, the so-called “official dad” of the Try Guys, was caught cheating on his wife with an employee.
The tale of the Try Guys began in 2014 when the popular multimedia company posted a video titled “Guys Try Ladies’ Underwear for the First Time” on YouTube. The video starred four BuzzFeed employees: Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld and Ned Fulmer. Fans enthusiastically followed the charismatic crew as they tried out a wide variety of items and experiences. Their experiments ranged from therapy to labor pain simulation, with the latter being their most-viewed video of all time, paving the way for the gang to become BuzzFeed’s first-ever recurring series focused on the same cast.
The group became so popular that, after winning their first Streamy award in 2016, they were nominated for the Show of the Year award the following year. They then not only hosted the show in 2018, but won the award as well. The Try Guys cemented themselves in pop culture at BuzzFeed and ultimately became synonymous with the company.
Though the Try Guys were conceived at BuzzFeed, the group decided it was time to leave the nest in 2018. The group announced their split from the company that June and founded 2nd Try LLC, where they continued several successful series (such as Keith’s “Eat the Menu”), and began many others like “TryDIY” with Ned and his wife Ariel.
In an ironic turn of events, another group called the Food Babies began accidentally after gaining traction in Try Guys videos, and they eventually developed their own spinoff group. Senior video editor YB Chang and associate producer Alex Herring became known for eating all the leftovers in the aforementioned “Eat the Menu” series. After being named for the first time in a Try Guys video (“Keith’s 400 Chicken McNugget Challenge ft. The Food Babies”), the pair became a staple in the company’s videos.
In late September, fans of the Try Guys began to notice some peculiarities in the group’s posts. First of all, Ned was absent from their recent tracksuit ad campaigns, weekly podcast “TryPod” and YouTube videos — including the intro reel. Additionally, Ariel was missing from the podcast “You Can Sit With Us,” which she led alongside Maggie and Becky, Zach’s fiancée and Keith’s wife, respectively. Signs began to point toward a scandal when an Instagram post showed members of the Try Guys crew (including Ned and Alex) in Las Vegas, but neither were included in the video “Keith Eats Everything at a Vegas Buffet,” implying that they had been intentionally removed from the video.
However, the most shocking piece of news was the release of photos and videos shared by a Reddit user hamilton390. The content allegedly showed Ned and Alex acting far from professional in a New York City club; the same user claimed to have spoken to Ned’s wife, Ariel, afterward. Fans also noticed that Alex’s long-term fiancé deleted all photos with her, unfollowed her and changed his account to private, along with Alex’s friend and fellow Food Baby YB unfollowing her as well.
Finally, on Sept. 27, the Try Guys addressed the rumors and disclosed on their official Instagram account that “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with the Try Guys.” That same day, the cheating allegations were confirmed when Ned posted on Twitter that he had a “consensual workplace relationship” (tiptoeing around the fact that the relationship was with a subordinate employee), and when Ariel shared a statement on Instagram thanking fans and friends for reaching out and requesting privacy “for the sake of our kids.”
On Oct. 3, Keith, Zach and Eugene broke their silence in a YouTube video titled “what happened.” In about five minutes, the trio confirmed speculation while also providing more background information. The remaining guys explained that they became aware of the affair over Labor Day weekend when Ned and Alex were seen “engaging in public romantic behavior.” After following up with Ned and the “employee” (Alex was never named), they learned that the affair had been “going on for some time.”
This event spurred a lengthy and delicate process to remove Ned from the company, which the group addressed at the beginning of the video. They also noted that “legal issues” were barring them from sharing certain information. In their apology, they confirmed they were in the process of editing Ned out of many videos and claimed that there were many videos that could never be released “due to his involvement.”
Sharing the immense pain felt by their crew and requesting privacy for everyone involved, Eugene also addressed the sexist nature of the internet and society in general. He insinuated in vague language that Alex was receiving a disproportionate amount of hate and, in turn, asked that fans “exercise kindness.” The group also released a new podcast episode “ok, let’s talk about it,” which further detailed the scandal and included their producer, Miles Bonsignore. In the episode, the trio provided a more “emotional reaction.”
The rapid turn of events surrounding the Try Guys is unfortunate on a number of fronts. For one, it spurred a drastic change in one of the most popular groups in internet history, and the dynamic of the crew will never be the same. Second, the scandal is intertwined with the lives of real innocent people, such as Alex’s ex, Ariel and, most heartbreakingly, Ned and Ariel’s children. The scandal also reflects an interesting aspect of life with modern technology, as a central part of the allegation and the evidence-gathering process was carried out directly by the fans, and information was disseminated primarily through social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter. While the concept of “cancel culture” is incredibly controversial, there is no denying that it is an effective tool to hold celebrities accountable for their actions.
