YouTubers Dan and Phil reveal they have been dating for 16 years

British bloggers Dan Howell and Phil Lister – known for their gaming and comedic lifestyle videos – are taking ownership of their long-rumored romance after more than a decade of constant “shipping” to fans online.

The longtime collaborators revealed Monday that they’ve been dating for more than a decade, pretty much since they gained popularity in the late 2000s. The YouTuber confirmed that it was an item in a file 46 minute video Titled “Are Dan and Phil In a Relationship?”

“We fell into this thing hard and fast in 2009,” Howell, 34, said. “And here we are almost 16 years later.”

Before Howell and Lester, 38, spoke about the duo’s origins, the YouTubers — who… out Gay In 2019 – they spoke extensively about why they waited to go public with their relationship. First, they addressed the obsessive behavior of some fans.

Howell and Lester began appearing in each other’s YouTube videos in late August, and eventually, in 2014, released their joint games channel -This page currently has 2.95 million subscribers. Howell explained in the video that the couple documented their life together, opening the door for fans to speculate on their relationship and foster a parasocial connection. Among the most prominent Internet personalities of the time, Howell and Lester often became the subject of fan fiction and fan fiction Edits on Tumblr.

“Some people think that shipping people in real life is a problem. I believe that humans cannot stop this natural trend,” Howell said, later adding that “boundaries are crossed” when fan speculation turns into investigation.

The duo recalls fans combing through their old social media posts, reaching out to loved ones and photographing them in the real world. “If all this research and investigation had been small, it could have been ignored,” Lester said.

“The problem is that this became so big that we couldn’t ignore it,” Howell continued.

Howell and Lester also recall fans dissecting their interactions on camera and spreading romantic rumors during live events. Eventually, the rumors became “too loud to ignore,” Lester said.

Howell said he was cautious about how the announcement about Lester would affect their professional dynamic and spoke openly about how his struggles with his sexuality affected their relationship.

“I had a very homophobic childhood,” Howell said, adding that constant pressure from fans to address the rumors had a negative impact on his mental health. He said that as he and Lester gained popularity, he felt he “had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding my identity to my friends, my family and myself.”

He said online chatter did not help and “hit a nerve.” Howell said Lester was “like a literal ray of light in my life at that time” and committed to protecting their relationship.

“So when other people tried to grab her and pull her into the light, I felt completely violated,” Howell continued. “Having all these people trying to get rid of us and being so hostile towards me when I tried to hide it was very triggering. Honestly, it could have killed me.”

“It’s sad because those times should have been the happiest times of our lives. It was absolutely fantastic and we were having a lot of fun on a personal level,” Lester added.

Howell said aggressive fan behavior hung over their success “like a curse” and led to anxiety and panic attacks. Lister also noted a “breaking point” in their relationship where a personal video leaked on YouTube and spread across the internet, with the new posters refusing to take it down.

Acknowledging the negative impact of some fans’ aggressive behaviour, the YouTubers said they do not hold a grudge. The skeptics “were just young people who had absolutely no idea of ​​the effects of their actions,” Howell said.

“In the same way that we all want the people in our lives to give us patience and grace and the benefit of the doubt if we make a mistake, I have to offer that to the world in regards to this story,” he added. “So I understand and forgive.”

Howell and Lester, whose work also includes BBC radio shows and numerous live tours, end their video announcing the launch of a new podcast.