On Oct. 13, 2025, internet-famous YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester posted a video confirming they have been in a relationship since 2009, when the two first met.
Dan and Phil first started posting on YouTube in the early 2000s, when Phil first posted in 2006, and Dan followed in 2009. The pair has faced an overwhelming amount of attention from Gen Z. This attention gave way to the two being one of the most popular internet ships.
Shipping, as described by USA Today, is the act of fans pairing people, and or characters together in a romantic relationship. However, this shipping, as Dan described in their video, eventually gave way to fans wishing they could be dating in real life. Fans began to try to find evidence that they were dating. They began being stalked and photographed in real life.
Even though both Dan and Phil came out in 2019, they never addressed their relationship. Dan focused his coming out video on the effects of homophobia and bullying he experienced in school, and then, in turn, on the internet, by their own fans.
The news isn’t that they’re dating; it’s about the impact Dan and Phil had on Gen Z and the queer community. The “Phan” community, a self-appointed fandom name that combines both Phil and Dan’s names, has always found a safe space in their content, even before the two came out as gay.
Integrative studies senior Ainsley Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, has been a fan since their middle school years, and has been keeping up on the Dan and Phil news.
“They were my [childhood] entertainment,” Miller said. “I would come home from school and watch their videos.”
Miller describes how welcoming the community always felt. For them, it wasn’t just about the content, although that played a huge part in the fandom’s popularity.
“They weren’t necessarily openly gay, but they were big allies for the gay community,” Miller said. “And so that made me feel a lot safer as a closeted gay.”
During their “hard launch” as Dan and Phil are calling it, they not only addressed longtime rumors and speculation, but they also were clear to set boundaries to help protect their peace and privacy, while still allowing fans to have fun.
Both creators touched on how the constant speculation and invasion of privacy affected them personally. While there were rude comments made towards the speculation of the two being in a relationship, they also recognized that younger fans were getting carried away with the idea of their two favorite YouTubers being in a relationship.
Near the end of their forty-minute video, Dan went into depth about how deeply this fan behavior had affected him. After setting boundaries that both let fans show their creative side and excitement over the news, Dan forgave fans for their past toxic behavior.
“[Dan] is right, the people who were doing those things were kids. We did not understand our actions at that point. It’s not something that’s easy to forgive people for, and I felt that was very big of Dan,” Miller said. “It is important for the community to see and hear.”
For some fans of Dan and Phil, it isn’t just about queer representation, it’s about rediscovering the joys of being unapologetically yourself.
Digital television and media junior Kayla Muter also found a safe space within Dan and Phil’s content because they helped shape her into who she is today.
“All of the YouTubers I watched in 2016 were just weird in general, not in a bad way; they were just cringe and free. It made me realize that I can say weird stuff and be funny. They would be like me if they went to school, not the popular kids. [Dan and Phil] are silly, but lots of people adore them. Watching them made me want to learn more and lean into media and content creation,” Muter said.
Muter also stressed the importance of queer representation in the media, especially regarding the current political climate. It can be easy for many people to get lost and overwhelmed by all the negativity in the media and how this might impact the current younger generation.
“It’s especially important for younger kids right now who are hearing some horrible things that it’s not okay to be who they are,” Muter said. “To have people to look up to and watch on the internet to say it’s okay.”
Now that the hard launch is out, Dan and Phil will be continuing to make content that will likely only grow the safe space that is the “phan” community.