Ned Fulmer was removed from the Try Guys entertainment group that makes satiric YouTube videos,on Sept. 27, raising dramatic implications for the 8.4 million subscribers the group has accumulated since May 2018. Social media was in an uproar, as Fulmer committed an wrongdoing that many find repulsive considering his character in most of the  Try Guys videos. 

The Try Guys, consisting of Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Fulmer,  first came together in 2014 at the media outlet Buzzfeed. They made similar content to what they make now on their own Youtube channel: comedic videos which show the guys failing or simply laughing at each other. Sometimes they did add elements of awareness to their videos which many appreciated. For example, they tried driving under the influence of marujuana and alcohol to depict the dangers of driving under the influence through their platform. 

The group split from Buzzfeed in 2018 when their contract expired. They were inactive on social media for about a year until they dropped their group YouTube channel independent from Buzzfeed. According to How We Left BuzzFeed, from 4 Different Perspectives by The Try Guys, they mention that they were confined by Buzzfeed policy and felt like they didn’t have autonomy over their own projects. 

Their split from Buzzfeed did connect viewers with The Try Guys more personally and made that connection seem so much more genuine. This is why Fulmer’s mistake was so impactful on Try Guy’s audience. 

Fulmer allegedly had an intimate and romantic relationship with an employee. The employee is supposedly a member of the Food Babies, employees within the company that are featured in mainly muchbang (food eating) videos. Food Baby Alexandria Herring was spotted with Fulmer at a Harry Styles concert where the two were acting intimate. Images of the incident were shared by a Reddit user who posted on The Try Guys Reddit page. 

The reason people are rightfully raged is because Fulmer has a 10-year marriage with his wife, Ariel Fulmer. Additionally they have two children together which makes this affair so much more deep. Ms.Fulmer is also featured in a podcast with the other Try Guy’s wives called You Can Sit With Us. This only makes Fulmer’s betrayal more heart wrenching for Try Guy fans. 

Many theorize that this scandal has been going on for longer than just when The Try Guys announced Ned’s ban from the group. There are many stories that claim that Fulmer is very  flirtatious with other women on his nights out. Others claim that they saw Herring and Fulmer having dinner together. While most of these theories are unproven, the pattern would fit as Fulmer was very comfortable acting romantically in public with Herring.

As mentioned before, the group released a message on Twitter that stated that, “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 firing of Fulmer sent the message that Yang, Kornfeld, and Habersberger not only disapproved of Fulmer’s alleged affair, but also his use of his position to gain a relationship with Herring.

Fulmer did write an apology on Twitter as well, but not many offered up forgiveness in response. Fulmer claimed he “… had a consensual workplace relationship.” Many disliked this statement as his position of power may have caused Herring to force herself into this relationship to keep her job or advance in it. 

That being said, many Fulmer fans point out that it takes two to cheat, so Herring isn’t completely innocent. To make matters worse, Herring has a fiance of 10 years. 

The Try Guys eventually released a video going into more depth about the removal of Fulmer from the group. For legal purposes they couldn’t speak on all matters, but they did inform fans of what they could. They clarified that Fulmer will not be featured in any of their upcoming videos, but will not be edited out of their past content. 

To conclude, Fulmer’s deplorable entanglement left him in an unhealthy state as social media is very unlikely to ever forgive him. Many fans are hurt, because The Try Guys are so unique from other YouTube groups, so losing a member such as Fulmer seems like losing a core part of their group, leaving many fans feeling betrayed and hurt.