From Buzzfeed to creating their own company between friends, The Try Guys have been in the public eye for the last couple of years. Primarily known for their fun and quirky videos, where they live up to their name and try quite literally everything. The YouTube quartet—composed of Keith Haberberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang—have never been shy to share their lives to the public. Each Try Guy has consistently welcomed his partner into the channel. Yet, somehow the YouTubers have still managed to keep some sort of secrecy surrounding their private lives, choosing exactly what to share, and thus, keep unwanted attention at bay. That is until former-Try Guy Ned Fulmer was caught cheating on his wife with an employee and co-worker.
Just a couple of weeks ago, a few videos circulating on Reddit made their ways into everyone’s screens. Many recognized the male figure in the video as Fulmer, who appeared to be at a nightclub kissing someone other than his wife, Ariel Fulmer. Although the video itself seemed to be somewhat blurry, the person behind the shaky camera confirmed the other person to be none other than Alexandria “Alex” Herring, The Try Guys’ associate producer and member of the “Food Babies” segment in their channel. After the videos started circulating, some fans noticed an unusual pattern in the most recent videos of The Try Guys: Alex and Ned had been removed from the latest videos.
Every fan of the YouTube quartet was familiar with Ned Fulmer—loving husband (supposedly), devoted father of two children, and a family man all around—so it has come as no surprise that the news absolutely shocked the internet. Nevertheless, it seems as though many people aren’t as familiar with Alex in spite of her consistent cameos in the videos. So, who is Alex Herring, anyway?
Who is Alex Herring?
Herring is an associate producer at the 2nd Try LLC, The Try Guys’ production company. Prior to her involvement with the Try Guys, Herring studied at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo in 2014, receiving a bachelor of arts degree in communication and media studies with a minor in anthropology. Her interest in media would lead to working at Buzzfeed alongside her future employers as a Production Manager in the branded department at Buzzfeed before the quartet left to pursue their own path independently.
While working with The Try Guys, Herring and senior editor YB Chang became regulars on the channel due to their series, “The Food Babies,” which was a direct spinoff of The Try Guys’ own segment, “The Food Daddies,” starring Fulmer and Haberberger. In the series, The Try Guys were joined by The Food Babies in trying several food challenges and restaurants around the United States. The participation and exposure Herring got from the videos and her friendship with YB gathered quite the following of fans, who adored the dynamic and easy-going energy brought by the duo.
Herring is (or was) also engaged to her long-term boyfriend, Will Thayer, whom she met at the University of Hawai’i. The couple’s oldest posts together on social media date back to 2012, which point to the couple being together since at least that year. While working with The Try Guys, Herring also participated in a video entitled, “Try Guys Try Bridesmaids Dresses,” where Haberberger, Kornfeld, and Fulmer tried on bridesmaids dresses for those engaged among them, including Herring, YB, and Maggie Bustamante, Kornfeld’s fiancé.
In September, videos of Herring and Fulmer started circulating online, showing the couple hugging and kissing while at a nightclub. Not long after, The Try Guys announced they parted ways with Fulmer, who would confirm the allegations to be true, sharing that he had been in a “consensual workplace relationship.” Even though no one ever mentioned the other party to be Herring herself, most staff at 2nd Try LLC stopped unfollowing the adulterous duo, even though she has never made any official statements regarding her involvement with Fulmer. At the time of the discovery of the infidelity, Herring and Thayer would be celebrating their 11th year together.
Was Alex Herring Fired From The Try Guys?
While Herring’s future at the 2nd Try LLC is still unknown, many fans believe her time with The Try Guys has its days counted, but HR seems to disagree. A user on Reddit went to expand on the repercussions of Herring’s possible contract termination, sharing the thoughts of Alison from AskAManager, a legal advice blog.
“It’s not that it would be illegal to fire the employee—and some companies do fire both parties in situations like this—but it could increase the legal risk for the company. The concern for the company is that the employee could argue that she was coerced, subtly or not so subtly, to enter the relationship or remain in it after she wanted to end it because of the power the owner had over her job. She could argue that if she remains employed too, of course—but the concern for lawyers is often that people are more likely to approach it that way if they feel the company has mistreated them (on top of whatever else happened). And indeed, if there was any type of coercion or harassment, firing the person who was subjected to it is a really bad thing to do—for legal reasons, yes, but also for basic ethical ones. Plus, there’s the principle that the person with the power is more responsible than the person without the power.”
AskAManager
Another user on the same thread commented on the possible termination of the contract, deeming it unlikely even if entirely legal, claiming, “Can they fire? Yes. Should they? No.”
“What’s probably happening is they are securing an exit package and NDA for her,” the user explained, “and she will resign on her own (with a little pushing).” Another user also pointed out that while it is a possibility, the termination of the contract might turn into an even larger legal battle than initially anticipated. “Firing her straight up would be legal hell. Sure, she might not do anything if she was fired, but she might. You can’t predict people’s behaviors.”
As of October, Herring’s LinkedIn and Instagram accounts still haven’t been changed, and she is listed as the current The Try Guys’ associate producer.