Earlier this week, The Try Guys announced they were no longer working with one of their members. This came after some speculation from anonymous Reddit users.
Shortly after, it was revealed the excluded member cheated on his wife with a staff member at the company the group developed to market and distribute content and promote and sell merchandise.
This caused an uproar online, with current and past fans reacting to the news.
Many couldn’t believe Edward “Ned” Fulmer would do all of this.
\u201chttps://t.co/7v8Lx3WLQI\u201d— The Try Guys (@The Try Guys) 1664303049
The Try Guys, a YouTube comedy troupe made up of Zach Kornfeld, Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang and Ned Fulmer built their following out of a series of videos on Buzzfeed trying different and outlandish experiences.
Eventually, they grew beyond Buzzfeed. Their YouTube channel has over seven million subscribers.
Among the group, Fulmer garnered a reputation of talking about loving his wife, Ariel Fulmer who occasionally appeared in the group's videos.
After it was announced Fulmer was out, he made a post to provide the clarification for why he was kicked out.
Fulmer apologized but made clear he engaged in a “consensual workplace relationship.”
\u201chttps://t.co/NDKjRBCdIY\u201d— Ned Fulmer (@Ned Fulmer) 1664306146
He added he planned to focus on his family going forward.
Speculation started when some fans noticed Fulmer wasn’t featured in recent Try Guys videos. This despite the fact behind-the-scenes photos and clips showed him there and participating in the experiences.
When it was revealed he cheated on his wife, with a co-worker, it confirmed the theories fans had been piecing together online.
Still, this news surprised many.
\u201cWhat I learned about the Try Guys on Twitter today...\u201d— St. Olaf Stories (@St. Olaf Stories) 1664320501
\u201c@Variety Ned cheating and getting kicked out of Try Guys was not on my 2022 bingo card\u201d— Variety (@Variety) 1664304072
\u201cdo you know how much of ned fulmer's life was tied to the try guys. like that man just threw away his closest friends and his OWN COMPANY so that he could cheat on his wife of 10 years & mother of his 2 children with a subordinate employee who was already engaged!!\u201d— Sarah Laudenbach (@Sarah Laudenbach) 1664331872
\u201cNah man, we need to say both they're FULL names, it wasn't a Try Guy and their employee. It was Ned Fulmer and Alexandria Herring. Ned ruined the lives of his SUPPORTIVE wife and 3 KIDS. Alex broke her FIANCE whom she was to marry. That shit ain't right and it'll never be right.\u201d— baup (@baup) 1664315730
\u201cwaiting for the fourth horseman of the cheating white wifeguy celebrity apocalypse to be named. last year it was john mulaney. last week, adam levine. today, ned try guys. who is the final member or was it prince charles all along\u201d— a hoshiumi fan acct (@a hoshiumi fan acct) 1664322867
\u201cPeak social media: your ex-employer publishing an entire article calling you out #buzzfeed #tryguys #nedfulmercheating\u201d— Ishita S. Srivastava (@Ishita S. Srivastava) 1664369061
After the news broke, many were concerned for Ariel. She had become as popular and well known as any of the Guys and was featured in many videos.
She wrote on Instagram:
“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.”
Part of the appeal of The Try Guys is the presentation of an authentic personality. The people you see on screen, are supposed to be the same as those behind the scenes.
To that end, the reveal of Fulmer’s infidelity with a subordinate—an act of workplace misconduct in most organizations—shatters this crafted persona.
For the last few days, it’s been the biggest thing to talk about.
\u201c@ProZD \u201cTry Guys\u201d why don\u2019t you try fidelity\u201d— SungWon Cho (@SungWon Cho) 1664325090
\u201cNo idea what a Try Guy is, but the kids today would absolutely melt down if they lived through Fleetwood Mac.\u201d— Mary Jones (@Mary Jones) 1664320600
\u201cThe Try Guys went from 25% gay to 33% gay and that, my friends, is a win for the LGBTQ community #tryguys\u201d— a little bug in the grass (@a little bug in the grass) 1664380368
\u201cMe: Oh my god, Ned from Try Guys cheated on his wife!\n\nHallucination of oil baron appearing to me out of severe dehydration: I reckon his misses better run out on him faster than a mule what sat on a thumb tack\u201d— matt (@matt) 1664316214
\u201cmaybe some of you GUYS should TRY adopting a dog from the nebraska humane society. is this anything\u201d— Nebraska Humane Society (@Nebraska Humane Society) 1664325188
\u201cTry guys? Hm. I think I\u2019ll try CHRIST instead\u201d— Lolo (@Lolo) 1664322907
The remaining members plan to continue as a trio for now.
At time of writing, their YouTube channel hasn’t uploaded a video since Saturday, a few days before the news broke.
Fulmer and Ariel have been seen out and about together since the incident.
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