Last Tuesday, it was revealed that Ned Fulmer, formerly one-quarter of YouTube’s now-trio The Try Guys, had cheated on his wife, with whom he shares two children. This came as a shock to many, given Fulmer’s long-standing reputation as the Try Guy who was constantly talking about his wife. But for others, this was not a shock for the exact same reason. 

This isn’t the first time that a man who publicly shares (almost to the point of excess) how much he loves his partner has been discovered to have been cheating on them. In late 2021, actor Anthony Ramos, who constantly spoke about his fiancée and behaved in an unrelentingly loving manner, was discovered to be cheating on her. These “wife guys,” as they have been dubbed by the internet, have made a brand out of their commitment to their partners, never missing an opportunity to mention how much they love them. A significant part of Fulmer’s online personality was being a man who loved his wife. Much of the content that he shared and created online centered around his personal life and family. 

Any and all cheating in a romantic relationship is disgraceful and inexcusable. In Fulmer’s case, though, the cheating was made even worse by the fact that the person he had an affair with was a younger employee of his company. Despite Fulmer’s claims that he engaged in a “consensual workplace relationship,” Kelsey Darragh, a former friend and coworker of Fulmer’s, stated in an Instagram story that, in her opinion, “there’s no such thing as a consensual workplace environment when there is a dynamic of power involved.” 

This was partly confirmed in a video released by The Try Guys’ official YouTube channel titled “what happened,” in which the remaining members of the group, Eugene Lee Yang, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld, confirmed that Fulmer had been released from the company following an internal investigation. In the video, Yang said, “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.” 

It is very concerning that a man who made loving and respecting his wife so much of his online persona is the same man who cheated on her with someone over whom he held significant power in the workplace. This affair goes against what Fulmer stood for publicly. It creates reason to question Fulmer’s morals, values, and public statements about respect and relationships. Fulmer often spoke in interviews and videos about his relationship and gave relationship advice. In one such interview, he told the interviewer that “mutual admiration and respect, as well as communication” is the secret to a great relationship. Cheating on his wife shows a clear lack of respect and communication, as does engaging in a secret workplace relationship with an employee.

Additionally, the majority of the Try Guys’ audience is made up of young women. He was respected and admired by many viewers for his unrelenting love for and commitment to his wife and how public he was about his marriage. Though he did admit that some aspects of this were played up a bit for show, he maintained that his attitude and behavior were genuine. Fulmer had a longstanding reputation outside of his primary audience as “the Try Guy who loves his wife and kids.” When I told one of my friends that he had cheated on his wife with an employee of his, their response was along the lines of, “Ned? The one who’s obsessed with his wife?” 

While it might not make a lot of sense to place a large amount of faith and trust into a man on the internet, the news of Fulmer cheating was deeply disappointing to many fans. Fulmer has had an online presence since 2014, and many people have grown up watching him wax poetic about his relationship and his wife. He set an example of what a healthy marriage looked like and profited off of that image. He and his wife even had a podcast together in which they talked about relationships and parenting. Now his commitment has been called into question as his actions behind closed doors have come to light. 

We have yet to see what will happen with Fulmer’s marriage following his egregious behavior. What is certain is that he threw away a career and a trusting audience for an inappropriate relationship. Dating one’s employee is never acceptable, regardless of the relationship status of the parties involved. This also serves as a warning to the general public: don’t trust a “wife guy.” It might just be a front.