Fan's fans have never been happier.
Dan Howell and Phil Lester, the duo behind a YouTube channel with nearly 3 million subscribers, have confirmed that they are in a relationship. video published on October 13.
The couple has been uploading videos to YouTube for over 15 years, and some fans have always hoped they were a couple, calling the ship a combination of their names, Fan.
In the video titled “Dan and Phil in a Relationship?” Howell and Lester get straight to the point.
“Okay, let's get this out of the way: Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?” Howell opens the video.
“Yes,” says Lester.
“Okay, bye! Oh, sorry, you wanted more, didn’t you?” Howell asks. “Well, you'll have to watch a little longer.”
Howell and Lester recount Fan's origins in the 46-minute video, explaining that it began as a ship that exploded into internet obsession, including fan fiction and more.
But eventually people started hoping it was real and kept asking the couple, even pushing some of their family members.
They recall how they avoided talking about their relationship status over the years, which in turn turned it into a fan frenzy online.
Fans' obsession, combined with some anxiety, led them to keep their relationship a secret – until now, they say.
“It’s a scary time in the world right now, let’s be honest. It felt like things were going backwards because the fight for what was important was going too well,” Howell says. “But I think that's why it's more important than ever that we be, you know what, hey, here we are, gay. And what?”
He adds: “We got into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are, almost 16 years later.”
So yes, Fan is real. And it has existed since 2009.
The couple met online in 2009 when they had separate YouTube channels and later moved in together. They created a joint YouTube account in 2014, although it took a few years off in 2018.
