Try Guys Try Infidelity

graphic by Sophie Sternkopf

Shocker! Your favorite “Internet White Boy” turns out not to be the perfect character that he portrays himself to be. Move over, Adam Levine, John Mulaney, and just about 65% of all household name influencers these days... there’s a new resident “disappointment” in town. Because, truly, when isn’t there?

I think it’s time we finally discuss the glorification of internet personalities, especially regarding our favorite so-called wholesome, wife-loving white men. Society has long fueled an unhealthy obsession with online personalities and romanticized them to become larger-than-life characters that we see on the big screen. Actors, comedians, musicians, and all sorts of other public figures have all played their roles so well, that sometimes we lose sight of the fact that they are, after all, just people.

So now arises the adultery scandal that has everyone talking, involving none other than Ned Fulmer (GASP!). Yes, you heard correctly. Ned Fulmer, former Buzzfeed it-boy and now-former member of the Try Guys. And if you’re surprised that the Try Guys are still around... honestly, we are too. The Try Guys first became cult-favorites on the Buzzfeed YouTube channel in the mid-2010s, and eventually split from Buzzfeed in 2018 to begin their own company and independent channel which became massively successful, amassing 8 million followers in just four years.

Rumors first arose on a Reddit thread earlier this September exposing Ned out at a club in NYC kissing none other than Alexandria Herring, an associate producer for the Try Guys – most notable for being one of the “Food Babies,” a spinoff series for the channel. This discovery led to an intense social media-led investigation, and more and more incriminating evidence seemingly appeared overnight. People noticed that Ned was being edited out of recent videos, numerous Try Guys employees unfollowed both Ned and Alex on Instagram, and more and more photos began to rapidly emerge of the pair together. Let’s just say it got real messy, real fast.

But the big question remains...why is this such a big issue? The key here is that Ned Fulmer belongs to a niche but distinct group of media personalities that the internet has deemed the dreaded “wife guy.” A “wife guy” is, naturally, all about his partner, raving about her at any possible chance, and basically making his devotion to his spouse his entire personality – usually capitalizing off of it in some way. Think of the coined Adam Levine’s gushy love songs, and of course, Ned’s CONSTANT talking about his wife, Ariel. But are we seeing a common theme amongst these so-called “wife guys”...? Yup, it’s infidelity.

So if we can’t trust men who publicly love their partners, then who exactly can we trust? The answer...NO-ONE! This underlines the problem that is far too prevalent in our society these days. We need to stop putting our trust in people that we only know behind a screen. And for that matter, we should stop celebrating men for loving their wives in the first place – why should basic appreciation for your partner grant you financial gain or influence when it should just be the expected standard?

Nowadays, there is no clearly defined boundary on the expectations that we impose on these media personalities. We all need to collectively take a step back, and realize that the real lives behind the screen often are not at all what is advertised. Time and time again, it’s proven that these men are not the ideal “wife-guy,” picture-perfect partner that they appear to be. They are, quite literally, just some guy.