Why Did Ned Fulmer’s Cheating Go so Viral? There Are a Couple of Reasons
Ned Fulmer has been ousted from The Try Guys after an internal investigation revealed that he carried on an affair. Following the company’s statement, Ned released a personal statement confirming that he had a workplace relationship and would be stepping back to focus on his family. The news went viral, with multiple media outlets covering it. A subreddit dedicated to The Try Guys saw a marked uptick in subscribers. So, why is everyone so focused on Fulmer’s personal indiscretion? There are a few reasons.
Ned Fulmer’s entire brand revolved around his love for his family
Every internet personality seems to have a gimmick or a specific persona they are trying to portray to their fans. It is true for the four men who made up The Try Guys, too. Keith Habersberger is the funny one. Eugene Lee Yang is the effortlessly cool one. New York transplant, Zach Kornfeld, represents the “average Joe.” Ned Fulmer made being a “wife guy” his entire personality. Ned was sickeningly sweet about his relationship for years. He was the guy who loves his wife.
The decision seemed like a good one early on in his career. It did, after all, endear him to fans. There is a danger in using your relationship to bolster your brand, though. When things go wrong in your relationship, things go bad in your business, too. It is one of the reasons why his cheating has left fans fuming and has destroyed his entire brand, at least for now. Fulmer isn’t the first person to bolster his online image with his relationship, only for it to turn problematic when there is trouble in the relationship.
Fans of ‘The Try Guys’ like Ariel Fulmer
Ned, once upon a time, had fans. After news of his cheating broke, he has fewer fans than before. If we are being honest, he wasn’t ever the group’s most popular member, though. Even before the cheating scandal, he was consistently ranked as fans’ least favorite Try Guy. When he wasn’t ranked dead last by fans, it was largely because of his wife. Ariel Fulmer, for lack of a better description, was depicted as angelic. Serving occasionally as an unofficial fifth try guy, she is truly beloved by fans of the content creators.
Ned’s cheating feels particularly harsh to fans because of how sweet and well-rounded Ariel Fulmer seems. There is nothing about Ariel that makes her unlikeable. She was dedicated to her marriage, but in a far more reasonable way than her husband. It never felt performative. She has shown herself to be smart, funny, and kind during her time on both YouTube and You Can Sit With Us, the podcast she co-hosted with Becky Habersberger and Maggie Bustamante, Keith and Zach’s respective partners. Ariel was the far more relatable partner in her marriage to fans, so Ned’s decision to cheat feels especially painful.
The employee aspect of Ned Fulmer’s cheating scandal makes things especially icky
Fans of Ned and the other try guys might be feeling particularly bothered by the cheating scandal because of Ned’s persona and their personal feelings for Ariel Fulmer. There is another aspect of the situation that should be addressed, though. It’s likely why 2nd Try LLC opted to part ways with Ned instead of dealing with the scandal as a team.
Ned didn’t cheat with just anyone; he had at least one hookup with an employee of the company he partially owned. If internet rumors are to be believed, it was more than a simple hookup. Rumors suggest Ned had a long-term relationship with one of his subordinates. A random hookup would have been terrible for Ned’s brand but likely would have left 2nd Try LLC largely unscathed. The fact that he cheated with a staff member adds an additional layer to this issue. It’s exactly why an investigation was launched, and Ned was likely forced to step down from the company.
How this will play out moving forward is anyone’s guess. The remaining three team members have yet to address the situation personally. Ned and Ariel have issued just one statement each and appear to be keeping a low profile. Ned’s alleged affair partner, however, seems to be still employed with 2nd Try LLC. She has not made a statement about the situation.
