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If you’ve been on the internet in the past week, you may have questions about what happened with Ned from The Try Guys and what he did for his ex-members to fire him from their company.
Ned Fulmer was one of four members of The Try Guys, a YouTube channel and brand founded under the production company 2nd Try LLC, by Ned and three former BuzzFeed employees: Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfield and Eugene Lee Yang. In September 2022, The Try Guys announced that Ned had been fired from the company after he cheated on his wife of 10 years, Ariel Fulmer, with an associate producer for the brand, Alex Herring. Ned and Ariel married in 2012 after two years of dating. They welcomed their first child, Wesley, in 2018, and their second child, Finley, in 2020. “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys. As a result of a thorough internal review, we do not see a path forward together,” The Try Guys said in a statement at the time. “We thank you for your support as we navigate this change.”
A week later, The Try Guys released a video on their YouTube channel explaining what happened with Ned and what he did to his firing. “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys. Now, we’re assuming you’ve seen the Reddit threads and TikToks and tweets and news articles, we want to give you a timeline of what’s transpired and some transparency into our decision-making throughout this video,” Zach said in the video. “There will be things that we want to say or go into further, but as I’m sure you’re aware, there are some legal issues we have to consider as we go through everything.” So…what happened with Ned from The Try Guys and what did he do? Read on for what we know about what happened with Ned from The Try Guys and what he did to lead to his exit.
What happened with Ned from The Try Guys?
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What happened with Ned from The Try Guys? Ned Fulmer was fired from The Try Guys on September 27, 2022, after he cheated on his wife, Ariel Fulmer, with The Try Guys’ associate producer, Alex Herring. In a YouTube video titled “what happened.” on October 3, 2022, The Try Guys members, Eugene Yang, Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld, explained that The Try Guys’ production company, 2nd Try LLC, removed Ned as a founder after they learned of Ned and Alex’s affair over Labor Day weekend in September 2022. “On Labor Day weekend, multiple fans alerted us, that they had seen Ned and an employee engaging in public romantic behavior. We reached out to check on that employee,” Keith said. “Ned confirmed the reports and since confirmed this had been going on for some time, which was obviously very shocking to us. We just want you to know we had no idea this was going on. All of that information was just as shocking to us as all of this has been for you this week.”
Eugene explained that Ned and Alex’s affair led to a three-week investigation involving employment lawyers, corporate lawyers, human resources and public relations departments into what to do next. “From the jump, we were acutely aware of just how contrary this was the values of the company we’ve built,” Eugene said. “And those of everyone who works here. This is something we took very seriously. We refused to sweep things under the rug that is not who we are and it’s not what we stand for.”
As Ned and Alex’s affair was review, Zach explained that Ned was removed from “work activities” with The Try Guys, as well as edited out of pre-recorded videos. “We immediately removed Ned from work activities and engaged in HR professional to conduct a thorough review of the facts. We also opted to remove Ned from our releases pending the results of that review. Over a few weeks that’s included: removing his section from videos, digitally removing him from others and choosing not to feature him and our merch throws,” Zach said. Zach also revealed that The Try Guys decided to note release several pre-recorded videos with Ned due to how heavy his involvement was in them, a decision that cost the company “lots of money.” “There’s several videos that we’ve deemed as fully unreleasable, 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,” Zach said.
Once the review was completed, Eugene, Keith and Zach removed Ned as a manager and an employee of 2nd Try LLC, on Friday, September 16, 2022. “We found that Ned had engaged in conduct unbecoming of our team and we knew that we could not move forward with him,” Keith said. “So on Friday, September 16th, the three of us signed written consent of the members of Second Try, LLC approving the removal of Ned as a manager and an employee. We chose not to rush into the announcement for a few reasons. Namely, there are real people who have been affected, and while we consider this a company matter, it’s just also a family at the center of this.”
A week and a half later, The Try Guys announced Ned had been removed as a member of the group in a statement on their Instagram on September 27, 2022. “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys. As a result of a thorough internal review, we do not see a path forward together,” the statement read. “We thank you for your support as we navigate this change.” In the October 2022 video, Eugene explained that the statement came earlier than the group expected due to speculation at the time around Ned’s status with The Try Guys. “Now, we were always planning on a public statement and we’re working towards that with our team. But in light of rapidly, accelerating speculation, we knew we couldn’t wait any longer,” Eugene said. “We were obviously incredibly shocked and deeply hurt by all of this. This is someone who we’d built a brand and a company with for eight years. With this, we feel saddened not just personally but on behalf of our staff and our fans who believed in us.”
Zach added, “I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to fully articulate the pain. We feel this moment. It’s hard to rewatch old videos that we love and are proud of. We’re losing a friend. We’re losing someone we built the company with. We have countless memories with. We just made a TV show together…It’s weird. We’re sorry this ever happened.”
Keith explained that, though Ned is no longer a part of The Try Guys, he will be in some sponsored videos that the group had already committed to. “Now there are videos that were shot ahead of all this, right? We’re going to be editing that out, like the new season of ‘Without a Recipe,’” Keith said. “We’re working with our editors and finding creative solutions to the footage. We also have some brand new videos that we’ve already committed to. So when you see a video that’s sponsored in a few weeks and you’re like, ‘Oh that’s kind of weird.’ Yeah, it is kind of weird at. This is just how things are and that’s why.”
Zach, Eugene and Keith also explained what the future of The Try Guys will look like without Ned. “Things will change here but we hope is that within this,” Zach said. “Tthere’s also the opportunity for positive growth and better videos ahead. It’s going to be hard. This whole thing is going to be really fucking hard.”
Keith added, “We imagine you have lots of questions, a lot more questions right now and we’re going to have more to say in the future. Just right now, we’re focused on bringing the best content possible between now and the end of the year and then figuring out what the future of this channel looks like from there.”
The Try Guys then ended the video with a message to their fans: “That’s it. For now, again more to come some things may change. We are just sort of figuring it out all one day at a time,” Eugene said. Zach concluded, “Thank you for your support. We appreciate you. And we look forward to introducing you to the next era of The Try Guys ahead.”
What did Ned do?
Image: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images.
What did Ned do? The Try Guys Ned Fulmer confirmed in a statement on his Instagram on September 27, 2022, that he cheated on his wife, Ariel Fulmer, with The Try Guys’ associate producer, Alex Herring. “Family should have always been my priority but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship,” his statement read. “I’m sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel. The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that’s where I am going to focus my attention.”
Ariel also issued a statement on her own Instagram. “Thanks to everyone who has reached out to me – it means a lot. Nothing is more important to me and Ned than our family, and all we request right now is that you respect our privacy for the sake of our kids,” Ariel wrote in her post, which she captioned with a black heart. She also tagged Ned and The Try Guys.
Rumors of Ned and Alex’s affair started in September 2022 after a Reddit thread (and an eventual Twitter thread) noted that Ned was missing from The Try Guys’ past three videos and intros, as well as the group’s podcast. Ariel was also missing from her podcast, You Can Sit With Us, which she hosts with the partners of The Try Guys members. Fans also theorized that there was drama between Ned and The Try Guys when Ned and Alex were seen in an Instagram photo with The Try Guys promoting Keith’s “Eat the Menu” series at Caesar’s Palace’s buffet in Las Vegas, however, Ned didn’t make the final cut of the video. The rumors continued when a Reddit user claimed they saw Ned and Alex kissing at a club in New York City and posted alleged messages from Alex’s fiance, Will Thayer, about the affair. “So basically I went out to niagara the club last night and saw her making out with ned from the try guys, i have videos if needed,” the message to Will read. The message continued, “she was wearing a red dress idk if that helps.” The user also claimed they talked to Ariel for an hour about the infidelity.
Fans also noticed that many of The Try Guys employees including Keith, Zach, Eugene and senior editor YB Chang unfollowed Alex and Ned on social media. Will also unfollowed Alex on Instagram and removed all photos of them together, as well as made his account private.
Who did Ned cheat with?
Who did Ned cheat with? The Try Guys’ Ned Fulmer cheated with his employee, Alex Herring. Alex, whose full name is Alexandra, was an associate producer at The Try Guys and starred in the channel’s YouTube series, “Food Babies,” with senior editor YB Chang. The series is a spinoff of The Try Guys video, “Food Daddies” which starred Ned and Keith as they made eating videos. Alex’s Linkedin also lists her as an Associate Producer at 2nd Try LLC, The Try Guys’ production company. She was promoted to the role in August 2020. She started at the company as a Production Manager in August 2018. Before that, Alex worked with The Try Guys as a Production Manager in the branded department at BuzzFeed. She also worked as a Production Coordinator at Lock & Valentine and a Production Coordinator at DNA Inc. She graduated from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo in 2014 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in communication and media studies. She also graduated from West Ranch High School in Stevenson Ranch, California, in 2009.
According to her Instagram, @aaherring, Alex had known her ex-fiance, Will Thayer (whom she cheated on with Ned), since 2012, when she posted a photo of them with face masks on with the caption, “Cleansing our pores 😄 #itburns #canitakeitoffnow.” Will and Alex met at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. In 2012, she shared a photo of them at school. “Working hard or hardly working … @whtree #finalscansuckit #notreallyilovestudyingforfinals #hashtag,” she captioned the picture.
The two started dating in 2011 and celebrated their five-year anniversary at Disneyland in June 2016. “5 year anniversary at the happiest place on earth 💕 #areyoufeelingitnowmrkrabs,” Alex captioned an Instagram photo of her and Will. At the time of Alex and Ned’s cheating scandal, Alex and Will were engaged and together for 11 years. Since the cheating scandal, Will has also unfollowed Alex on Instagram, as well as removed all of their photos together. Alex, for her part, has limited her comments on her Instagram, though her account remains public.
As of writing this, Alex also still has photos of her and Will on her Instagram. In November 2021, she shared a photo of her and Will at Tunnels Beach in Haena, Kauai Hawaii with the caption, “Our favorite beach 🌺” She also shared a photo of her and Will at the Rosenthal Winery in Malibu, California, in October 2019 in honor of his birthday. “Birthday to my bb boi 🥂🎉 Love you chode ❤️” she captioned a photo of her and Will holding a cake that read, “Happy bday Will.” Alex also shared a photo of her and Will dressed up in retro attire in October 2018. “Happy birthday to my chode,” she captioned the photo. Alex also still has photos of her with Try Guys employees Keith and YB on her Instagram, as of writing this. She and Ned no longer follow each other.
Are Ned and Ariel still together?
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Are Ned and Ariel still together? As of writing this, the answer is yes. The Try Guys’ Ned Fulmer and Ariel Fulmer confirmed they were still together on September 28, 2022, when they were photographed walking side by side with their weddings rings still on in Los Angeles. Ned was seen in a green T-shirt, black jeans and sneakers as he held a food container, while ariel wore a gray T-shirt, blue jeans and a water jug. Both could be seen with wedding bands around their fingers. Ariel was also seen later in the day in a black tank top and leggings also with her wedding ring still on. (See the photos here.)
The photos of Ned and Ariel came a day after Ned confirmed he cheated on Ariel with Alex. Ned’s wife, Ariel Fulmer (née VandeVoorde), is an interior designer, stylist, author and host of the podcast “You Can Sit With Us,” which she hosts with Becky Habersberger (the wife of The Try Guys’ Keith Habersberger) and Maggie Bustamante (the fiance of The Try Guys’ Zach Kornfeld.) Ned and Ariel share two children, sons Wesley and Finley.
Ariel also hosted the parenting podcast “Baby Steps” with Ned, however, the podcast hasn’t released a new episode since June 2021. Ariel and Ned are also the authors of the 2021 cookbook, The Date Night Cookbook, which includes recipes of their favorite date-night meals. Ariel is also the owner of Fig + Stone Designs, a vintage styling firm she founded in 2015.Before she founded Fig + Stone Designs, Ariel worked as an Assistant Category Manager in the vintage and market finds department for the retail company One Kings Lane, according to her Linkedin. She worked at the brand from 2013 to 2015. Before that, Ariel worked as a Conservation Assistant at The Newberry and a Registrar at The Conservation Center. She graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology. She also studied art, art history and design at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, France, as well as at The American School in London.
an episode of her podcast, “You Can With With Us” in 2020, Ariel explained that she and Ned met a mutual friend’s birthday party in December 2009 after they had both first moved to Chicago. By April 2010, they had moved in together. “We were fresh out of college. Ned was taking improv classes and did not have a job, but he had a friend who was going to give him a job at the Chicago tourism agency,” Ariel said.
Ariel explained that she 23 years old and working at a private art conservation company at the time as a registrar assistant. At her job, she her now good friend, Rebecca, who had also just moved to Chicago with her boyfriend of eight years from New York. The two talked and Rebecca invited Ariel to her birthday party but warned her that she didn’t have many girlfriends as most of her girlfriends were in New York and mot of her friends in Chicago were men. “I was like, ‘That is absolutely not a problem for me. I am very single. I have many single friends.’ I was very much looking forward to this party,” Ariel said.
Ariel arrived at the party with her friend, Annalise, who, by coincidence, was taking improv classes at the same theater Ned was. “Ned described the moment as he saw me when I walked into the party and there was nobody else and I’m like, ‘Really? Because I’m pretty sure you were talking to my friend Annalise the whole time,’” Ariel said. “Ned always tells the super romantic version of love at first and never seeing anybody else. I remember Ned walking into that party with half a bottle of tequila and being like, ‘Happy birthday! I brought you half a bottle of tequila!’ I was like, ‘Who is this guy? Don’t bring half a bottle of tequila to a birthday party.’
Annalise and Ned realized they may have had too much in common, which led to Ariel and Ned talking to each other. “It got to the point where the two of us were dominating the conversation and were just trying to talk to each other during the evening,” Ariel said. In the elevator with Annalise after the party, Ariel remembered asking Annalise about her interest in Ned. “I was like, ‘So that Ned guy was pretty cute, right?’ She was like, ‘I guess? I wasn’t that interested. I don’t know,’” Ariel recalled. “So I was like, ‘Cool! You’re totally not interested? That’s me then.’ And apparently he did the same thing with his friend. He was like, ‘Aw man, I should’ve gotten that girl’s number.’”
A week later, Becca invited Ariel and Ned to trivia, where Ned saved her a seat at a busy bar. Ariel arrived at the bar with her roommate Lucy, who tried to take the empty seat before Ariel swooped in. “I did a swimming move because Lucy walked in first and she was headed to the empty seat, and I was like, ‘Nope!’ And I walked in before and sat down,” she said. The two dated for four months before they moved in together. “That was December and we moved in together in April and never looked back,” she said.
Ned proposed to Ariel in 2011 and the two married on June 16, 2012. They welcomed their first child, a son named Wesley James, in 2018. Their second child, a son named Finley, was born in 2020.
