Ethan ‘Behzinga’ Payne has apologized to fans online after calling his fellow YouTube superstars in the Sidemen his “colleagues,” rather than addressing them as his friends first and foremost.
Sidemen has been one of YouTube’s most popular content creator groups for the better part of a decade now. Almost always together for their weekly Sidemen Sunday videos or various other forms of entertainment, be it GTA gameplay or simply just reaction clips, the crew of seven have been all but inseparable through their meteoric rise to internet fame.
With this growth, however, the initial friendship they all shared may have been strained somewhat as their online empire grew. At least, that’s according to Behzinga who, on a recent Sidemen podcast, explained why he views the other Sidemen members as colleagues first and friends second.
“You lot are my colleagues,” he put bluntly in conversation with Josh, Tobi, and Harry. “I said in the chat the other day, they’re not my friends anymore, they’re my colleagues.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say,” Harry responded right away as both Josh and Tobi disagreed with Ethan’s statement as well. “That’s sad,” Tobi added.
“In the capacity I see you lot now, it’s way more of a work colleague than it is a friend,” Ethan continued. “Every time I speak to you it’s about work.”
“I don’t think it’s one or the other, I think you’re both,” Ethan countered, with Josh then adding, “We’re friends who work together, it’s very different I think.”
Before long, Ethan’s argument had caught traction across social media, with many avid Sidemen fans unhappy with his outlook on the group today.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Having effectively grown up on the internet together, the content creators have all shared a bond over the past decade. Beyond the content itself, Sidemen run multiple business ventures together, including everything from XIX Vodka to their wildly successful Charity Match event, and are often supportive of one another on personal matters too, be it weddings, appearing at KSI’s fights, or anything in-between.
Addressing the backlash head-on, Ethan soon took to social media to further expand on his comments while apologizing to those who may have been upset by his ‘colleague’ discussion earlier.
“Apologies to everyone so pressed over the ‘colleagues’ comment. I would simply enjoy seeing my friends outside of a work setting more often.
“Businesses grow, lines become more blurred, and sometimes [I] miss the simple days of just laughing with the boys. [It] ain’t that deep, just miscommunicated my feelings.”
Behzinga apologizes to confused fans after revealing he views the Sidemen more as colleagues than friends pic.twitter.com/7vXjGje3V0
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) July 4, 2023
Thus, all appears to be just fine for the Sidemen moving forward. Behzinga admitted it was nothing too “deep,” and that fans shouldn’t be all too concerned with his current mindset on the group.
We’re sure to still see plenty of laughs and iconic moments in the Sidemen Sunday’s left to come in 2023, especially in the lead-up to this year’s historic Sidemen Charity Match.
