What non-fans of Try Guys need to know about the scandal
People think the Try Guys’ decision to fire Ned Fulmer for cheating on his wife is an overkill and the whole scandal is too overblown. Obviously, those people are not familiar with the group; if they are, they would know how Fulmer’s infidelity actually hurts the group, both on a professional and personal level.
First, the professional level.
Ned didn’t just cheat with a random woman, he cheated with Alex Herring, one of Try Guys’ producers… AKA Ned’s own goddamn subordinate! Regardless whether he coerced her or not, the power imbalance certainly makes the company extremely prone to litigations.
Ned is also known as the wife guy. He constantly bragged about how much he loved his wife Ariel, to the point where she becomes his brand; “My wife” quickly became his catchphrase. Therefore, his infidelity is also a professional failure and it has ruined the group’s relatively wholesome image.
If the scandal already puts the entire company in a perilous position, imagine if they refuse to fire him. Considering the fans’ fiery backlashes against him, the damage would not be temporary, it would be permanent. Their subscriber and viewership counts would decline drastically and recovery would require a miracle.
They also didn’t fire him impulsively. It took them weeks of consultation with the legal and HR departments, a tiring but necessary process which ensures they arrive at a judicious decision.
Now, on a personal level.
Ned was not just a colleague of the other guys, he was a good friend. Not only that, they are also very close to his wife and two kids. In fact, in a video where Eugene Lee Yang babysat Ned and Ariel’s firstborn Wes (two years before the birth of their second child), he explicit stated that he would murder anyone who dare to hurt the baby.
I don’t know about Alex Herring’s partner Will Thayer. But, if the guys are also close with him, then there is one more personal reason to be angry.
Basically, even when their careers are not at stake, his infidelity would still infuriate them.
And yes, believe it or not, the Try Guys are humans. They have the rights to feel emotions.
Oh, and for people who agree with Dr. Todd Grande’s advices….
Even if you know nothing about the Try Guys, you should know how condescending and outright stupid his advices are.
The Try Guys should do more serious topics? They have dwelled with them for many years. Health problems, insecurity about one’s own body and even racism. Serious topics that have affect them personally have been featured in their videos.
During the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes in the beginning of the pandemic, they even stepped their projects aside to make a one-hour-long humourless video about anti-Asian racism in the US. As public figures, they realised they had the duty to speak out.
Before you suggest someone to do something, make sure they actually haven’t done that before. But then, if you are a self-righteous person, you think it is okay to assume everyone else is not as thoughtful as you.
And making a video where they interview Ned and Ariel about his infidelity? How can anyone, especially a mental health counselor, think that is a good idea?
First thing first, making such video means they are monetising on their scandal. It makes tactless and exploitative content. It is not quality content that the world needs.
Second, if they want to make such video, they have to coerce Ariel to relive her humiliation in the public, prohibiting her from recovering privately, without even more judgments from judgemental strangers.
Third, it is an unnecessary learning experience. The Try Guys can learn from Ned’s mistake and Ned can definitely improves himself without any goddamn platforms. They don’t have any obligation to facilitate his self-growth. He is an adult, he must facilitate it himself.
And for those of you who defend the SNL skits….
Here is the thing: if you want your parody or satire to hits the spot, you have to be familiar with the topic in hand. You need to get the facts and full context right, ensuring you mock the deserving people and not making false assumptions about anyone.
If you know the facts and whole context of this scandal, not only you would acknowledge how a big deal Ned’s infidelity is, you would actually praise the group’s handling of the controversy. You would realise how nonsensical it is to mock the Try Guys and letting Ned off the hook.
So what if SNL is a comedy show? How does that invalidate the criticisms? Surely, it is reasonable to criticise comedians when their jokes miss the marks.
Oh, and it should be pointed out that Ned has a friend who works as an SNL writer. While the friend might or might not be involved in that particular sketch, it is still an important piece of information to divulge.
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Some people believe the guys had known about Ned’s infidelity from the very beginning.
That’s a possibility which Try Guys fans like me have to acknowledge. But, unless there are solid evidences to back such claim, it will stay as a baseless accusation.
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