The three remaining members of the Try Guys have issued a lengthy statement following the departure of Ned Fulmer.
Keith Habersberger, Zach Komfeld and Eugene Lee Yang appeared in a new video uploaded to their YouTube channel on Tuesday 4 October) – their first since it emerged that Fulmer had been cheating on his wife.
Fulmer admitted last week that he was involved in a “consensual workplace relationship” and was the subject of an internal investigation.
“I’m sorry for any pain that my action may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel,” he said in a statement. “The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I’m going to focus my attention.”
The scandal came to light on Labour Day (5 September) in the US. Last week, the Try Guys confirmed that Fulmer was “no longer working” with them following the results of a “thorough internal review”.
In their latest statement, the three YouTubers told their nearly eight million subscribers how they felt about the scandal and the process of cutting ties with their former colleague.
Habersberger said they “had no idea this was all going on” and that the accusations were “just as shocking to us as all of this has been for” their fans.
According to Yang, they began a “three-week process” of speaking to lawyers and HR professionals to “make sure we were taking all necessary steps”.
“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,” he 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.”
Komfeld confirmed that Fulmer has since been removed from their YouTube sections and videos, as well as from merchandise.
He praised their editing staff for “how deftly” they removed Fulmer from the numerous videos on the Try Guy channel.
“There are several videos that we’ve deemed as fully unreleasable,” Komfeld added. “You will never see them and that is due to his involvement. And that’s a decision that has cost us lots of money. We will not be able to recoup that money, but it’s a decision we stand by proudly.”
The five-minute long video also detailed how “obviously incredibly shocked and deeply hurt” the Try Guys and their staff were by Fulmer’s actions. The trio also reminded fans that “there’s just also a family at the centre of this”, referring to Fulmer’s wife Ariel and their two children, Wesley and Finley.
Yang urged fans not to engage in gossip and said: “Look, I get that when stuff like this happens, there’s going to be speculation and gossip and we ask that you respect the privacy of the family members and employees who may be caught up in this.
“We also want to remind you that the internet has a tendency to be a lot harsher towards women than men. So please, we ask that you exercise kindness.”
The Independent has contacted Fulmer’s representative for comment.
