OCTOBER PATREON EXCLUSIVE: OK, Fine, I'll Talk About Wife Guys

Hey Sarah, if you happen to see this: I'm not quite sure if something's going on, but I hope you're okay. I don't follow twitter so I'm not sure if something happened there, but if it did, I'm sorry. It was probably cruel and unfair. You're one of my favorite youtubers and I think you're brilliant and compassionate. If something bad is happening, not sure what to say exactly, but I guess I just wish you strength.

run_away

Thing is.. he was the HR department. That, for me as an HR professional, is the worst part of the whole situation. If we go by the policies of the majority of companies worldwide, him being her employer is grounds for immediate termination. Consent cannot be confirmed in that dynamic as is, but him being head of HR adds a level of severity that genuinely frightens me. I don’t care if a YouTuber cheated, I care that he created a potentially horrific situation for his subordinates, while fully knowing that he’s supposed to be their support system against people like him.

Appreciate the reminder to be honest about what is driving my interest in this topic. I think I felt about Ned Fulmer similar to how you feel about James Cordon. He gave me bad vibes (some uncomfortable comments by him and his wife), but mostly he did things I have a deep-seated hatred of (liking NFTs, owning an AirBNB) and just annoyed me (“my wiiife”). I did get an unkind thrill about this happening. I was also very fascinated about the weirdly brazen way he cheated (attending a Harry Styles concert) when his brand was so, so tied to his marriage and he seemed to be very openly invested in growing a business and profiting of a lifestyle brand. It seemed absurd, but now I’m just hoping everyone comes out of this okay.

Samantha Toffolo

Suggest it the next time she puts a poll up. I think it’d be a lot of fun, too.

MyNameIsJeff

Wife guys aside, I would watch a whole video of Sarah presenting different teas and tea mugs—that Smurfs mug was delightful 🫖

melanee

I have never heard of a wife guy or a try guy before now. I guess I certainly learned something today!

J. Francis

Regarding the Wife Guy(tm) thing, I haven't seen the whole video yet, but if you didn't already know about it you should look into the Ryan Haywood stuff from Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter. Admittedly it wasn't so much his wife specifically as it was his family in general (usually their kids, who are admittedly adorable), but it still fits into this whole thing of this seemingly-wholesome guy who was a real bastard behind the scenes. Little different because the shit he pulled was INSANELY worse, but I think it definitely belongs in that bubble.

Jack Kavanagh

The try guys REALLY leaned into forming connection with the audience via letting the audience into their life as much as possible. Videos filmed in their homes, birth announcements, super vulnerable confessions etc as a try guy fan, this felt so wild purely because of how far they go to let the audience “in” - I think if anything it’s a good lesson in keeping boundaries with the audience

Tonya Brown

Phrases/words that I wish I could remove from the cultural zeitgeist due to their overuse destroying their meanings: Cancel Culture Gaslighting Love Bomb

James Rule

This was a pretty interesting video thanks! I think you're right to remind people that not every questionable celebrity phenomenon on the internet is related to parasocial relationships (which is a thing I kind of reproach Strucci's videos essays for...). The John Mulaney thing in particular makes me feel like a lot of people are very uncomfortable with the idea of a "good" relationship ending and that love doesn't always last forever. I feel like vilifying him is a sort of defense mechanism in that way.

Really seems like if you advertise how good of a guy you are, its pretty sus! It's impossible to know, especially at the fan level, but oof. Also these folks need better HR departments...

Peter Mountain

Fully agree re John Mulaney vs Ned Fulmer - I really don't think they can be lumped together given just how MUCH Ned made his wife his entire brand vs the internet latching on to a few of John's wife jokes. I watched the Try Guys occasionally and was actively turned off by how much Ned talked about his wife at the time - like damn dude, we get it. John's occasional mentions were nothing in comparison and he had a LOT more going for him outside of his wife.