The Try Guys Posted Their First Video Since Ned’s Cheating Scandal
Their expressions say everything.
A week after The Try Guys released a brief statement announcing they would no longer be working with longtime partner Ned Fulmer following his cheating scandal, the group’s remaining members — Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang — explained the ousting in a new YouTube video.
In addition to outlining their handling of the workplace and public scandal, the trio announced that they’re removing Fulmer from much of The Try Guys’ upcoming projects. (Although he might still appear in some branded content.) The trio’s video about Fulmer’s firing started trending at No. 1 on YouTube shortly after being posted on Oct. 4. It also racked up over five million views in less than 24 hours.
In the video, Kornfeld said the group “immediately removed” Fulmer from “work activities” after he confirmed the affair weeks ago. Fulmer has also been edited out of recent videos.
Although Habersberger said they can’t share details of the results of that review, the group agreed that Fulmer “had engaged in conduct unbecoming of our team,” which is why they removed him as a manager and employee of their company, 2nd Try LLC.
As for why the trio posted a video outlining the scandal, Kornfeld said they wanted to give fans “some transparency” into their decision to remove Fulmer. However, before diving into specifics, he said “legal issues” prevented the trio from discussing all details related to the controversy and Fulmer’s firing.
Habersberger then admitted The Try Guys became aware of Fulmer’s cheating scandal weeks ago. “On Labor Day weekend, multiple fans alerted us that they had seen Ned and an employee engaging in public romantic behavior,” he said. “Ned confirmed the reports and since confirmed that this had been going on for some time, which was obviously very shocking to us and we just want you to know that we had no idea this was going on.”
Since the scandal involved Fulmer and an employee of 2nd Try LLC, Yang said the group began a “three-week process” of talking to employment and corporate lawyers, as well as HR and PR consultants, to discuss moving forward with the situation.
“From the jump, we were acutely aware of just how contrary this was to the values of the company we've built and those of everyone who works here,” Yang said. “This is 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.”
Habersberger said the trio held off on making a statement about Fulmer’s cheating scandal to respect the privacy of those involved. “We chose not to rush into the announcement for a few reasons,” he said. “Namely, there are real people who have been affected, and while we consider this a company matter, there’s just also a family at the center of this.”
Yang continued by saying the group is “deeply hurt” by the situation. “This is someone who we'd built a brand and a company with for eight years,” he said. “We feel saddened, not just personally, but on behalf of our staff and our fans who believed in us.”
In a Sept. 27 tweet, Fulmer confirmed he “had a consensual workplace relationship” while married. He apologized to his fans, The Try Guys, and his wife, Ariel Fulmer, for his behavior. “The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I am going to focus my attention,” he said. Ariel also addressed the cheating scandal on Instagram. She thanked everyone for their support and asked the public to respect her and Fulmer’s privacy “for the sake of our kids.”
In The Try Guys’ video, Kornfeld appeared emotional while discussing their fallout with Fulmer. “We're losing a friend, we're losing someone we built a company with, we have countless memories with,” he said. “I'm sure many of you feel the same way. It's weird. We're sorry that this ever happened and we don't know what more to say.”
The Try Guys ended their video by telling fans that, although it will be hard to continue as a trio, they’ll try their best to deliver even better content in the future. “We look forward to introducing you to the next era of The Try Guys ahead,” Kornfeld said.
