Eugene Lee Yang bid his official farewell to The Try Guys and Youtube on Thursday with a heartfelt, 18-minute goodbye video in which he announced his retirement from influencer life.
“The internet can be a fun, rewarding, fantastic place, where many creatives shine, including my colleagues who are so talented at what they do,” Yang said. “In truth, more often than not, I have experienced the opposite effect, and leaving will be the best decision for preserving my mental health.”
The creator also cited the 2022 scandal involving former Try Guy Ned Fulmer — in which he was caught having an affair with a female employee — as a turning point in his relationship to social media fame.
Expressing the mental toll being an “online personality” has had on him in the time since, Yang said, “I was enduring more anguish, especially after involuntarily going viral for something so agonizing and demoralizing, demand for my openness only grew. If I am unable to satisfy those expectations while staying true to myself, then maybe it’s just not right.”
The Try Guys are a widely known social media group with over 8 million subscribers on YouTube garnered over 10 years of social fame. While always popular in online circles, the formerly four-member group went viral following Fulmer’s affair in 2022. Ever since the scandal, The Try Guys company underwent a lot of changes, including the slow departure of Yang from their videos and being a face of the brand.
Keith Habersberger and Zach Kornfeld, the two remaining original figures of The Try Guys group, announced Yang’s planned departure in a video of their own on Tuesday and also shared news of a new cast and the launch of their new streaming service 2nd Try. They said at the time that a formal announcement from Yang was expected Thursday.
According to Yang, he felt that none of the attributes required of being an online persona come naturally to him, and he’s no focusing on writing and directing. “I already contend with a complex relationship with my identity, so to have to casually discuss and publicize them at length, often in a positive and humorous manner, was exceptionally tough,” he said.
He thanked the team and the audience for their support over the years, despite the hard times they endured together and individually. He wrapped up the video by assuring viewers that his departure had nothing to do with the fans. “You, all of the fans, and all of you here at 2nd Try, could never be the reason I left. Because you are all the reason I stayed,” Yang said.
“This is my official sign off from the internet for the last time as a Try Guy, and as a guy who still has much to try, I know we’ll meet again. Love, Eugene,” he concluded.
Watch Yang’s full exit video in the embed above.
