By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
On Oct. 13, longtime YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester shocked the internet when they posted a video titled, “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth.” The description states, “Is ‘Phan’ real? One of the biggest conspiracies in the history of the internet. We’re gonna talk about it.”
In the 46-minute video, Howell and Lester answer questions that fans have had for years about the nature of their relationship, such as if they really are dating, why they have never mentioned it before, and why they are finally addressing the topic. With a humorous tone, they talk to the camera while sitting on a bed that viewers will recognize has Phil’s iconic old bedsheets on.
Filmed in a style that combines a vlog and a documentary, the video goes back and forth between their conversation, footage from older videos with a voiceover narration, clips of them parodying reporters trying to dox them, scientists explaining why the “Phan” ship was so beloved and even extreme shippers.
The British comedy duo talked about how they are not strangers to dating rumors or shipping culture, with people speculating the status of their relationship for much of their online careers. They brought up the fanfictions and edits that many have made about them and jokingly brought up how they recently won a shipping poll against Jesus and Judas.
On a more serious note, they mentioned parasocial relationships and how the both of them were affected by the intensity with which many looked into their lives. They went in-depth about how filming with each other since the day they met and shooting such private and domestic parts of their lives fueled people’s desire to know more about them. Because they were being authentic online, it invited both positive and negative attention to their accounts.
On the note of why they had kept their relationship a secret, they spoke about their right to privacy and how revealing their dating status would have taken away from their focus on building themselves up as a comedy duo.
In addition, they mentioned how there would have been tons of homophobic people who would not have watched their content and instead, would have scrutinized their relationship. Howell makes the important note that if there were troubles in their personal life, it would have the potential to ruin their career as well.
Howell and Lester also discussed the pressure and stress they felt from so many people trying to out them for years. In particular, Lester mentions a Valentine’s Day video he had made privately for Howell that had ended up being shared due to a glitch. They both expressed how it felt like a violation to have viewers try to explore more of their lives than they wanted to share.
They shared their boundaries with their audience and explicitly stated they want their content to remain comedic and not revolving around their relationship. In a symbolic gesture, Howell and Lester got rid of the bed and entered a new studio, announcing a new era of the Dan and Phil YouTube channel where they can be fully genuine with their fans.
Howell and Lester ended the video by announcing the Dan and Phil podcast, which will release episodes every Monday on their channel.
