After years of speculation, the comedy duo finally answered their fandom's most pressing question: “Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?”
In a video uploaded to their shared YouTube account, the duo confirmed that they are, in fact, dating.
They said that they have been dating since 2009 and came out with the news because "We can’t live in fear anymore."
After sixteen years of fan theories and speculation, YouTube’s most enduring comedy duo — Dan Howell and Phil Lester — have finally confirmed that they’re in a relationship.
In a new 46-minute video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth”, posted Tuesday, 14 October 2025, the pair spoke openly about their history, ending what Dan called “the apocalyptic constant stress of the Dan and Phil dating conspiracy.”
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” the video began. “Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?” Dan asks. Phil replies, “Yes.”
The confirmation marks the end of years of curiosity from fans who watched the duo grow from awkward early vloggers into global internet figures. Together, they’ve hosted a BBC Radio 1 show, toured the world, and shared the Best Vlogger award at the Radio 1 Teen Awards in 2016. Their videos, filmed largely in the home they share, built a loyal community that long wondered whether their partnership extended beyond the screen.
“This is like gay independence day,” a fan said about the announcement.
Their journey started in when they first met in 2009. They were both content creators frequently appearing in each others content. But it was in 2011, when the duo began living together, that their online presence exploded. They quickly gained a cult following across YouTube and Tumblr – their content touching the hearts of girls, gays, and emo teens the world over.
Their current YouTube bio reads “two british guys yapping”, which is an apt summary of their content. The two were known for their vlogs, their quippy repertoire on all things pop culture, and most importantly, their chemistry. Rumours surrounded their relationship from the very beginning, but the duo themselves never confirmed anything.
In 2014, they started their shared YouTube channel – Dan and Phil – which ran for four years before they stopped producing content altogether. The fandom grew up but never forgot them. It would be five years before any new Dan and Phil content came to light.
Both Dan and Phil came out as gay in 2019, but this is the first time they’ve spoken directly about their relationship. “We fell into it hard and fast in 2009,” Dan says in the video, “and here we are almost sixteen years later. We can’t live in fear anymore.”
In the video, Dan describes the toll that public scrutiny took on him. “Having all of these people trying to out us, and being so hostile to me when I tried to hide it, was so triggering,” he says. “Honestly, it could have killed me.”
He explains that growing up in an “extremely homophobic childhood” made him fear openness. “In my mid-20s, I felt we had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was — from my friends, my family, myself,” he says. “Phil was my safe space. He was my first boyfriend, a literal ray of light in my life back then.”
Dan also reflects on moments of exhaustion and doubt during their rise to fame. “I felt like someone put a curse on us,” he admits. “We’d have huge success, but half the time it would suck for years — panic attacks, anxiety, sleepless nights.”
After a recent therapy session, he realized he had been “in a cycle of never-ending closets” and needed to break it. Phil, sitting beside him, calls the announcement “a big, scary deal”, almost like “another mini coming out.”
Their openness has been met with an outpouring of affection from fans. Even though it is years later and everyone has grown up, the news seems to have brought everyone back to their teenage years.
“Big day for girls who were on Tumblr from 2012-2015,” wrote a fan, while another said, “There's at least 20 people I haven't spoken to in seven years that I need to call RIGHT NOW.”
Someone commented about the situation. “I've finished my bachelor's, master's, med school, and a PhD by the time they hard-launched their relationship.”
Dan ends the video with a quiet smile: “It’s a scary time in the world… but that’s why it’s more important than ever to say, ‘You know what? Here we are. Gay. And what?’” [Rh/DS]
