The Try Guys, an Internet Comedy Group, Say Ned Fulmer Is Out Amid Cheating Allegations

Mr. Fulmer, 35 years old, said in a statement that he had a consensual workplace relationship, confirming speculation that began on Reddit about a connection he had with an employee at the Try Guys’s company.

“Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus,” he wrote, adding that he apologized to the group, their fans and his wife.

Mr. Fulmer; his wife,

Ariel Fulmer

; and a representative for the Try Guys—which also include

Keith Habersberger,

Zach Kornfeld

and

Eugene Lee Yang

—didn’t immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.

Ms. Fulmer in a statement thanked everyone who reached out to her.

“All we request right now is that you respect our privacy for the sake of our kids,” she said.

Mr. Fulmer hadn’t appeared in any of the group’s YouTube videos since Sept. 3. Some fans began raising questions after a Reddit user posted what appeared to be screenshots showing him at a New York bar with a producer at the group’s company. The screenshots quickly circulated on other social media platforms, and Mr. Fulmer’s name trended on Twitter Tuesday.

For fans of the Try Guys, which formed in 2014 while they worked at BuzzFeed Inc., the news came as a shock. Mr. Fulmer was known in internet parlance as a “wife guy,” which is someone who builds his internet persona around how much he loves his wife.

Mr. Fulmer created a brand in part around his marriage, discussing his wife and two boys in videos. He co-wrote a book with his wife last year called “The Date Night Cookbook.” Ms. Fulmer also appeared in the group’s podcasts and videos.

Others on the internet had never heard of the group, which was most popular on YouTube in the years before TikTok became a leading video platform.

The Try Guys filmed more than 100 videos for BuzzFeed’s YouTube channel from 2014 to 2018, many of which went viral. They mostly documented themselves taking on challenges like trying on women’s underwear or transforming into drag queens.

Back when the Try Guys worked at BuzzFeed, the company’s YouTube videos at the time regularly gained millions of views. Many of the company’s producers, who starred in videos on the channel, were well-known on the internet, especially the Try Guys.

Most of the well-known producers have since left the company and parlayed their YouTube fame into social-media careers.

The Try Guys left BuzzFeed in 2018 and formed their own media company, 2nd Try LLC, around their personas as everyday funny guys. Their YouTube channel Wednesday had around 7.8 million subscribers. In 2019, the group went on an international comedy show tour and published a New York Times bestselling book.

The group turned one of their most popular series, “Without A Recipe,” into a Food Network show called “No-Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys.” The TV show, which premiered last month, builds on their video concept as they recreate dishes without instructions.

Food Network didn’t immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

The conversation surrounding Mr. Fulmer’s infidelity was similar to the internet gossip in recent days about

Adam Levine,

the Maroon 5 frontman, and Boston Celtics head coach

Ime Udoka.

Earlier this month, a woman said in a widely circulated TikTok video that she was “involved” with Mr. Levine, who is married. He denied on Instagram that he had an affair but said, “nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”

The Celtics last week suspended Mr. Udoka for the 2022-23 season for what the team described as “violations of team policies.” The team didn’t specify the violations but other reports said he had been in a consensual relationship with a female colleague. Mr. Udoka apologized to the Celtics in a statement last week. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation,” he said.

Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com

Mr. Fulmer, 35 years old, said in a statement that he had a consensual workplace relationship, confirming speculation that began on Reddit about a connection he had with an employee at the Try Guys’s company.

“Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus,” he wrote, adding that he apologized to the group, their fans and his wife.

Mr. Fulmer; his wife,

Ariel Fulmer

; and a representative for the Try Guys—which also include

Keith Habersberger,

Zach Kornfeld

and

Eugene Lee Yang

—didn’t immediately return requests for comment Wednesday.

Ms. Fulmer in a statement thanked everyone who reached out to her.

“All we request right now is that you respect our privacy for the sake of our kids,” she said.

Mr. Fulmer hadn’t appeared in any of the group’s YouTube videos since Sept. 3. Some fans began raising questions after a Reddit user posted what appeared to be screenshots showing him at a New York bar with a producer at the group’s company. The screenshots quickly circulated on other social media platforms, and Mr. Fulmer’s name trended on Twitter Tuesday.

For fans of the Try Guys, which formed in 2014 while they worked at BuzzFeed Inc., the news came as a shock. Mr. Fulmer was known in internet parlance as a “wife guy,” which is someone who builds his internet persona around how much he loves his wife.

Mr. Fulmer created a brand in part around his marriage, discussing his wife and two boys in videos. He co-wrote a book with his wife last year called “The Date Night Cookbook.” Ms. Fulmer also appeared in the group’s podcasts and videos.

Others on the internet had never heard of the group, which was most popular on YouTube in the years before TikTok became a leading video platform.

The Try Guys filmed more than 100 videos for BuzzFeed’s YouTube channel from 2014 to 2018, many of which went viral. They mostly documented themselves taking on challenges like trying on women’s underwear or transforming into drag queens.

Back when the Try Guys worked at BuzzFeed, the company’s YouTube videos at the time regularly gained millions of views. Many of the company’s producers, who starred in videos on the channel, were well-known on the internet, especially the Try Guys.

Most of the well-known producers have since left the company and parlayed their YouTube fame into social-media careers.

The Try Guys left BuzzFeed in 2018 and formed their own media company, 2nd Try LLC, around their personas as everyday funny guys. Their YouTube channel Wednesday had around 7.8 million subscribers. In 2019, the group went on an international comedy show tour and published a New York Times bestselling book.

The group turned one of their most popular series, “Without A Recipe,” into a Food Network show called “No-Recipe Road Trip with the Try Guys.” The TV show, which premiered last month, builds on their video concept as they recreate dishes without instructions.

Food Network didn’t immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.

The conversation surrounding Mr. Fulmer’s infidelity was similar to the internet gossip in recent days about

Adam Levine,

the Maroon 5 frontman, and Boston Celtics head coach

Ime Udoka.

Earlier this month, a woman said in a widely circulated TikTok video that she was “involved” with Mr. Levine, who is married. He denied on Instagram that he had an affair but said, “nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”

The Celtics last week suspended Mr. Udoka for the 2022-23 season for what the team described as “violations of team policies.” The team didn’t specify the violations but other reports said he had been in a consensual relationship with a female colleague. Mr. Udoka apologized to the Celtics in a statement last week. “I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation,” he said.

Write to Alyssa Lukpat at alyssa.lukpat@wsj.com