Breaking up is hard to do — especially when you do it in front of millions of people. But for popular YouTube couples, breakup videos have become the new norm. YouTubers in relationships tend to make their partners (many of whom are YouTubers themselves) an integral part of their vlogs. And of course, it's weird not to explain the sudden absence of their partner when a relationship goes south, so publicizing the split to followers has basically become an expectation. Some vloggers share the news solo, but IMO, the worst breakup videos on YouTube are on ones where ex-partners deliver the bad news together.
While the couples don't tend to actual break up on camera, they'll often come together days, weeks, or even months after splitting to explain their decision to their millions of faithful subscribers. A few popular YouTube duos have gone strong for years (like Zoella and Alfie Deyes), but others (like David Dobrik and Liza Koshy) shocked fans when they revealed their ship-worthy union was a thing of the past. (Dobrik and Koshy's video currently has well over 60 million views. Just saying.) Here are nine couples whose viral splits have left followers devastated over the years.
Jesse Wellens & Jeana Smith
After spending a decade together, Jesse Wellens and Jeana Smith — the masterminds behind PrankvsPrank — filmed a joint video called "A NEW CHAPTER," which they uploaded to Youtube in May 2016. In the video, they shared that tension had been brewing behind the scenes, and they needed to take a break from YouTube, as well as from their relationship.
"A lot of stuff goes on that we don't record, of course," Wellens explained, "'cause we only want to show the positivity and awesomeness of our lives and we don't show a lot of the hardships... or we try not to." He explained that the daily vlogging had put a strain on their relationship, and Smith added, "I 100% wish that it were different."
Cammie Scott & Shannon Beveridge
After four years of dating, vloggers and LGBTQ+ advocates Cammie Scott and Shannon Beveridge announced their decision to split in a breakup video called "we why broke up," which was uploaded to Beveridge's channel in July 2016. The two explained how, even though they were happy in their relationship, they'd lost their own senses of self over time.
"Even though we love each other, we were not feeling happy within ourselves and with our personal growth," Scott explained. "And the only way to discover that and to reach that personal growth was individually."
Lucy Sutcliffe & Kaelyn Petras
Long-time, long-distance couple Kaelyn Petras and Lucy Sutcliffe (i.e. Kaelyn & Lucy) dated for six years before tearfully telling their followers in a heart-wrenching video (fittingly entitled "The End") that their relationship had reached its conclusion. Though the video was uploaded in Sept. 2016, the two confessed they'd broken up nearly two months before sharing the news.
"We don't want you guys to stop believing in love just because we didn't work out," Sutcliffe emphasized. However, they noted that, after several life changes, their personalities no longer felt compatible, and they were better off breaking up than trying to make their relationship work.
David Dobrik & Liza Koshy
Though David Dobrik and Liza Koshy didn't become Instagram official until Feb. 2016, their relationship seemingly began sometime around Nov. 2015. They became one of YouTube's most popular pairs, but after more than two years together, the pair uploaded an emotional video in June 2018 entitled "We Broke Up." In the viral video, they explained their decision to part ways (which actually happened six months before they posted the video).
"It wasn't healthy for us to continue to be together, for now," David explained, later adding, "Liza broke up with me because she felt like we've been kind of distant because we've just been so busy. Period. And, as much as I hate to admit it, I was feeling that on my side, too." However, the two expressed that they hoped to remain good friends (and all that Dobrik x Koshy content is still just as funny as it was before their breakup).
Lauren Riihimaki & Alex Wassabi
Lauren Riihimaki (i.e. LaurDIY) and Alex Wassabi were together for nearly three years before they shared a heartbreaking video in Sept. 2018 called "we broke up", which announced the end of Laurex. In the video, they explained why they mutually decided to go their separate ways.
"Basically, we just feel like we both need specific things and we're not fully on the same page and we need to take time apart," LaurDIY explained. "So for us to come back better and stronger, we have to take time and focus on ourselves." Wassabi even suggested they might get back together some day — saying Laurex wasn’t "dead" but simply "taking a nap" — but the two have yet to (publicly) rekindle their romance.
Lance Stewart & Lizzy Wurst
High school sweethearts and long-time collaborators Lance Stewart and Lizzy Wurst told fans they were going their separate ways in a joint video called "we broke up," which was uploaded to Stewart's channel in Dec. 2018. Together, they explained that they'd been arguing for the past six months and mutually decided it was for the best to take a break.
"I will always have a love for him, and I believe that this is for the best," Wurst told the camera. "I believe that us separating is going to help us find who we are as an individual." They clarified that there wasn't any anger or resentment involved, and Wurst even said she was relieved they were ending their relationship on "a good note."
Lizzy Capri & Carter Sharer
Lizzy Capri and Carter Sharer first met back in 2012, and the two became frequent collaborators after Capri joined YouTube in 2017. In Aug. 2019, the former couple posted a tearful video, entitled "I BROKE UP WITH CARTER," confessing to fans that they'd made a mutual decision to take a "short break."
"I think it's just the best decision for both of us," Capri explained after an adorable photo montage, revisiting their relationship over the years. Luckily, the two have kept their promise to remain friends, and they're still creating content together. They even launched a new brand, Team RAR, which also includes other popular YouTube personalities Ryan Prunty and Stove's Kitchen.
Melissa Estrella & Logan Beell
Melissa Estrella and Logan Beell created their joint YouTube channel, Melissa & Logan, in Dec. 2016, after they'd already been dating for almost a year. After years of creating prank videos together, they uploaded their last-ever video in Nov. 2019, entitled "we broke up." In the video, they explained to their Mello Fam (as they called their followers) what led to their split.
"The reason we keep saying, you know, 'We're really cool,' and 'We're really good friends,' is because that's what it became," Estrella said, with Beell adding, "It just became more of a friendship than a relationship." As they explained, their partnership had begun more like a job than something romantic, and so they decided to leave both their relationship and their joint YouTube channel behind.
Alexis Carrasco & Tatiana Mendoza
Alexis Carrasco and Tatiana Mendoza (i.e. Lex and Tati) first debuted their relationship on YouTube in March 2019, explaining they'd found each other on social media in 2018 and eventually met and clicked IRL. Soon enough, Mendoza became a fixture on Carrasco's YouTube page — that is, until Dec. 2019, when Lex and Tati shared the news of their breakup. In the video, they spoke about how they'd lost their sense of individuality since becoming a YouTube couple.
The two revealed they'd been living together since the very beginning of their relationship, and they felt it was time to give themselves some space. "We made a choice and we were just going, and I feel like ever since then, life has just been such a fast-paced... like, we can never just breathe," Carrasco explained. "And on top of that, we put social media on our shoulders."
The 2010s were the decade of the YouTube Couple (as well as the YouTube Couple breakup video), and I have a feeling this heartbreaking trend is only going to grow in popularity. In the meantime, I'll be over here waiting for exes Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul to finally share a post-split explainer video.
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