Ned Fulmer Reemerges: From Scandal to Second Chances with Rock Bottom Podcast

Three Years in the Shadows: The ‘Wife Guy’ Faces the Music

In September 2022, the digital world watched as the Try Guys—one of YouTube’s most recognizable creative teams—fractured under the weight of a personal scandal. Ned Fulmer, celebrated among fans as the group’s self-declared “Wife Guy,” was revealed to have had an affair with a colleague. The revelation sent shockwaves through their loyal audience, not only for the breach of marital trust but for the way it clashed with Fulmer’s carefully cultivated public persona.

The fallout was swift and dramatic. The remaining Try Guys—Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang—addressed the situation in a somber video that quickly became a viral moment in its own right, even parodied by Saturday Night Live. Within days, Fulmer was removed from the group’s content, social media, and business operations. The man who once filmed nearly every aspect of his life vanished from the internet, leaving fans and critics alike to dissect the story’s many layers.

Silence, Reflection, and the Path to Repair

For three years, Ned Fulmer’s absence was as complete as his previous online omnipresence had been. The decision to step away, he says now, was a matter of survival. “For a long time, I wanted nothing to do with social media or the internet. I didn’t think it was particularly beneficial to my mental health,” Fulmer told People in his first interview since 2022. The relentless pace of speculation, memes, and judgment was a harsh counterpoint to the curated positivity that had defined his and the Try Guys’ brand.

But the damage was not limited to his public image. The most painful reckoning, Fulmer admits, was personal. His wife, Ariel Fulmer, had been an integral part of the Try Guys’ extended universe, beloved by fans in her own right. “That was most devastating to work through and to realize—how much pain I had caused her,” he said, reflecting on the months that followed the scandal’s eruption.

The couple chose to confront the crisis head-on. They entered couples therapy, a process Fulmer describes as “brutal at times.” There were moments, he says, when reconciliation seemed impossible. Yet, over time, therapy helped them rebuild a sense of trust and establish what Fulmer calls a “much clearer sense of boundaries.” He credits these hard-won lessons for making their marriage “stronger than it was before,” a transformation he openly acknowledges came at a steep emotional and financial cost: “Every cent that we spent on therapy was worth it for the improvements in our family life.”

Reintroducing Ned Fulmer: A New Chapter with Rock Bottom

This September, Fulmer is stepping back into the public eye—cautiously, and on his own terms. His new project, a podcast called Rock Bottom, is both a personal reckoning and a creative pivot. The show’s premise is as unvarnished as its title: conversations about the lowest moments in people’s lives, and the paths they take to climb out.

The first episode is as intimate as it gets. Ariel Fulmer joins her husband in a conversation that, by his own admission, was sometimes so raw that “we wanted to get up and walk out of the room.” It’s a calculated risk: airing the most painful chapter of their marriage to a public that has already witnessed so much. Yet Fulmer says this “brutal but rewarding” dialogue is essential—not just for their relationship, but for anyone seeking to understand what happens after public disgrace.

“It’s made me a lot more interested in other people’s challenging times,” he says. “When someone does something that they’re really ashamed about or that is deeply traumatizing, life goes on. So what happens next?” With Rock Bottom, Fulmer hopes to answer that question—not just for himself, but for a broader audience navigating their own setbacks and recoveries.

The Try Guys Aftermath: Ripples Across Digital Culture

While Fulmer’s exit was headline news, it also left a lasting impact on the remaining Try Guys. In a 2024 interview, Zach Kornfeld reflected on the ordeal: “It’s not a great feeling to go viral for someone else’s misdoings. While the media circus surprised us, I know we remain incredibly proud of how we navigated an unfortunate situation. We certainly as individuals, and as a team here, paid the price for something we didn’t bring upon ourselves.” The group has since continued as a trio, adapting their content and public image to reflect both the rupture and their resilience.

The broader conversation about workplace boundaries, power dynamics, and internet accountability has also evolved. Fulmer’s affair, coming as it did from someone who championed family values, became a flashpoint for debates about authenticity in influencer culture. For many fans, the scandal felt like a betrayal not just of Ariel, but of the parasocial trust built over years of shared content.

Fulmer does not shy away from this irony. “I was presenting myself as a wife guy who talked about his adorable relationship,” he told People. “It was something fans seemed to resonate with and I leaned into consciously. I understand that that’s why it was such a big scandal—because it’s ironic and it feels like a rug pull to people.” The public fallout, he acknowledges, was “really painful and devastating to viewers.”

What Now? The Long Road from Scandal to Self-Acceptance

As the first episode of Rock Bottom launches, questions remain. Will Fulmer’s candid approach win back skeptical audiences? Can public vulnerability compensate for past mistakes? The answers are likely to unfold in real time, as listeners tune in and Fulmer navigates the delicate balance between personal growth and public accountability.

For now, Ned Fulmer stands as a case study in the complicated aftermath of viral disgrace—and the possibility of redemption when the cameras start rolling again.

Assessment: Ned Fulmer’s reemergence offers a rare glimpse into the messy, nonlinear process of repair after public failure. By refusing to hide from the full consequences of his actions—personally and professionally—he reframes his story from that of a fallen influencer to one seeking hard-won authenticity. Whether this honesty will restore his reputation remains uncertain, but his willingness to confront the pain he caused, and to let others learn from his lowest moments, marks a notable shift in the influencer playbook. Sources: Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, The Cut.