The Try Guys is a YouTube channel. Its main cast is four guys who used to work together on Buzzfeed. They now make videos, either as a group or as individuals. They founded and jointly own the company.
One of the four is Ned Fulmer. In the show, a lot of mention has been made of his marriage. His wife has appeared on the show many times and they have two young children.
Background over
It has recently come to light that Fulmer has been having an affair with a woman who works for the channel (and is therefore his employee). When this affair became public, Fulmer left the channel. The remaining three members have just released a video discussing this.
Now I do not condone adultery. I am, in fact, pretty opposed to it. But I was a little surprised by the reaction to what happened. The other three appear to be reacting to Fulmer’s affair as if he had been arrested for rape or murder. They acted as if him continuing to work on the channel was unthinkable. They discussed how they will be editing out his appearances on the channel. Which surprised me as plenty of people have cheated on their spouses, been caught, and gotten divorced in the public eye without changing careers. Especially in show business.
Am I missing some aspect of this? Is there something I haven’t heard? Is it because the woman was his employee?
Is it possible that the others disliked Fulmer for other reasons, and the affair is just a convenient way to channel their ire? (I wouldn’t know, but it seems like an obvious possibility.)
It sounds like this guy made his marriage part of his role, presented it as genuine, and then turned out to be lying not just to his wife, he was also lying to his audience.
I think part of their brand was how into their partners they all were, so Ned’s philandering blew up that image. Also, the fact that he was screwing around with an employee exposes the company to legal liability, I’d be pissed, too.
It’s clear they are treating this as more than just simple adultery. It’s an employer-employee relationship. That creates huge legal implications.
For their own defense, they have to unambiguously demonstrate how seriously they are taking the situation (or at least they believe they do). Compare past entertainment-industry shenanigans which were handwaved aside with a shrug and a wink. In today’s legal climate, that no longer flies.
Maybe they’re overkilling on it, maybe they’re being more performative than genuine, who knows. But the legal context escalates this way beyond an extramarital misjudgement.
This article does as good a job of any as explaining, although it’s still just one person’s (well-informed) opinion. It’s less about the legal issues and more about their entire image as “nice guys” and devoted husbands.
In a series deeply rooted in personal growth, the characters blended with the real men behind them. Their wives’ and partners’ presence serves a purpose beyond simply creating the illusion of a personal connection, too: They help frame the guys as a certain kind of nonthreatening, aspirational men…
The Try Guys had to act quickly when Ned’s character as a devoted husband and father fell apart and breached an essential contract with the audience. (The involvement of an employee in the affair added another unfortunate layer.) Perhaps the guys learned from others who broke this “understanding” with fans. Consider YouTuber David Dobrik, whose charmingly boyish persona was marred by allegations of sexual assault and bullying, or John Mulaney, whose divorce from Anna Marie Tendler and subsequent child with Olivia Munn turned millions of fans against him.
I used to follow them more closely than I do now, started watching them while they were still working for Buzzfeed. It’s a brand thing, I think. Their whole schtick is that the were genuine, frank and sincere guys. Very much what you see is what you get, no pretense. Their whole thing was 4 good friends who work together with their families-- an you-make-your-own-family vibe. This really mars that image. Especially doing it with a co-worker.
They’re hoping this doesn’t kill it and ruin the illusion.
Well, what are the legal aspects in a situation like this? Putting aside the particular situation and looking at the general situation. A man and a woman are having a consensual affair. The man is married. The woman is not. The man is the co-owner of a small business and the woman works for him.
Who has legal grounds to file a lawsuit in this situation? What circumstances would need to be present to create a legal liability? What are the liabilities on the company and the other co-owners as opposed to those on the man as an individual?
Of the more than 7.5 million subscribers to the Try Guys YouTube channel, the vast majority of the audience is women—nearly 80 percent. The age demographic skews young, particularly women in their late teens and early 20s. One fan told me that her attraction to the channel is specifically because of who the guys are, or at least present themselves to be. As she put it, “The Try Guys are just themselves.” She said she was drawn to the channel because she wanted that authentic quality in her life.
A predominantly female audience looking for authenticity is likely to react strongly to a cheating, lying husband.
I don’t think they need more of a reason than, “Nobody wants to watch your cheating ass on our show any more.” If keeping him on the show means their numbers tank, that’s all the reason they need to kick him off. It’s not like “adulterer” is a protected class, and there’s probably a public scandal clause in his contract that lets the show cancel it if he fucks up his public image.
It’s not about the reason being good enough or not, he is part owner and founder of the company. I think it would take more than just not wanting him there any more to get rid of him, something like serious legal concerns about his position of power over the person he had an affair with.
I don’t know why y’all don’t believe me. It’s the brand and what he did is waaaay too off brand to be salvageable. Especially after finding out who their audience is. Ned was not a comedian on Buzzfeed, he was a producer and their boss. But Buzzfeed saw the chemistry between them and built an audience with them doing. . . stuff together. Apparently he’s the type of boss who likes getting personal with his employees-- wink, wink nudge, nudge.
Fulmer most likely voluntarily stepped away from the show. He likely still owns a chunk of it, and he knows that if he’s seen as still working on/with the show in some capacity is just going to damage the show’s success, meaning less money for him in the long run.
I wonder if he does. There was a few weeks between the breaking of the news of the affair and the other Try Guys’ video. That leaves enough time for the Try Guys to negotiate a buyout. Sadness and disappointment at the revelation might be expected but one of the Try Guys in the video seemed deeply angered. I wonder if whatever relationship they had was further abraded by the exit negotiations.
I can see this. I was actually wondering if this was a joke when they said Ned Fulmer had been cheating on his wife; he had wrapped so much of his image up in being a husband.