After 10 long years in The Try Guys, Eugene Lee Yang has left the YouTube group.
He made the announcement in a 18-minute YouTube video uploaded onto the official Try Guys' channel on May 24, 2024.
The video was simply titled "Love, Eugene".
Yang joined the group in 2014 when he was working in BuzzFeed, along with three other guys — Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Ned Fulmer.
The four left the organisation in 2018 to start their own independent company, gaining all the rights to The Try Guys brand.
"It's my time"
The video starts with Yang looking visibly emotional.
He took a minute to compose himself, before beginning with: "Dear friends, it's my time."
Yang then cut to the chase.
He stated his official departure from the group, but not without expressing his "unconditional love" for his colleagues and fans.
"After 10 profoundly impactful years, my time here on YouTube has come to an end. There's no version of this announcement in which I can properly express how emotional this moment is for me, how hard it is to close such a meaningful chapter of my life," he said.
"But in the spirit of so much of my digital work, I'm gonna give it one last try."
Three guys one couch
The mood lifted when Yang invited Zach and Keith to join him on screen.
Image via The Try Guys/YouTube
"The three of us have always held a mutual, empathetic understanding about when the right time was for me to take a bow," Yang said.
Zach chimed in, saying that many fans might have "seen this coming" as Yang's schedule had become increasingly more hectic.
He wasn't leaving on a bitter note, or with any "ill will", Yang assured. "It's the furthest thing from drama."
Yang's departure comes after former member Ned Fulmer exited the group, following his affair with a co-worker.
Zach and Keith confirmed that although Yang was leaving, they weren't going anywhere.
"He's leaving, we're staying," they quipped.
Pursuing his own passions
Yang went on to explain that his heart has always been with film and literature.
He is looking forward to making his directorial debut after developing a script.
As for writing, Yang is currently working on a novel — "the first in an epic queer fantasy duology with the brilliant folks over at Macmillan Feiwel & Friends" — which will be out in 2025.
His first graphic novel with Vault comics — "a twisted horror fantasy musical titled 'Buckaroo'" — is also in progress.
Yang said these projects have been in the works for "many years" and now require his "undivided attention".
Preserving mental health
Busy schedule aside, Yang also cited his mental health as one of the motivators for leaving YouTube.
"I've come to terms with the fact that this simply isn't the right space for me," he stated plainly.
While the internet can be a "fun, rewarding, fantastic place where many creatives shine", Yang confessed that he's "experienced the opposite effect".
"Leaving will be the decision for preserving my mental health," he said.
"Friendship is forever"
Nevertheless, Yang took his leave with the same air of humour he's carried for the past 10 years, along with never-ending affection for his colleagues-turn-brothers.
"Although our time in viral videos may be over, our friendship is forever," he said.
"Even if I'll hate it when your spawn call me Guncle in the future, I shall train to become the goddamn best gay uncle in recorded human history."
Image via The Try Guys/YouTube
Top images via The Try Guys/YouTube and Eugene Lee Yang/Instagram