Love, Eugene

- [Rachel] You ready?

(Eugene sighs)

- Dear friends, well, it's my time.

I've wanted to have this heart to heart with y'all

for quite a while now.

It is with immense gratitude

and unconditional love for Zach, Keith, our partners,

our staff, and all of you who have supported us

that I'm announcing my official departure from The Try Guys.

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.

But in the spirit of so much of my digital work,

I'm gonna give it one last try.

I want to preface this by giving my heartfelt thanks

to Zach and Keith, my bespectacled baby brothers,

my tall and tiny nerd.

I have no idea how we ended up

on this wild journey together,

but I couldn't have asked for better, smarter,

weirder, funnier, and above all kinder individuals

to have ridden alongside.

It's been a great irreplicable honor

that I will always treasure.

And though our time in viral videos may be over,

our friendship is forever.

Even if I'll hate it when your spawn call me Guncle

in the future,

I shall train to become the best goddamn gay uncle

in recorded human history.

Keith, you are such a shining light,

truly the most physically gorgeous specimen alive

with those long legs and huge mouth.

After today, you are undeniably the hottest Try Guy.

Zach, you're an absolute rock star.

Every opinion you have is 100% correct,

and I want to proclaim on record

that I am the Letty Ortiz to your Dom...

Guys, come on. I'm not saying all of this.

- No, this is so much better than I ever imagined.

Keep going, keep going.

- Yes, the more emotional you get,

the more everyone's gonna be okay with it.

- Can you cry on cue?

That would be so good for this.

- Oh my gosh. Crying in the thumbnail.

That'd be tits!

Give it to us!

(everyone laughs)

- Rachel, will you please make them stop?

- Yeah, you can't do this.

It's a sincere video.

You can't make him fake cry.

- Okay.

- Make him take off his shirt

so we can objectify him one more time.

- You being naked would be tits!

(Zach laughs)

- If y'all are gonna keep doing this,

then just come over here

and join me in presenting a few points.

- Okay. So should we do the whole three guys one couch?

- Absolutely not.

- Dang.

- Kind of invented the couch, but, okay, whatever.

- That being said,

the three of us have always held a mutual,

empathetic understanding about when the right time was

for me to take a bow.

- Some of you may have seen this coming for a while,

as Eugene's schedule has gotten busier

over the past few years.

We thank you for your patience

regarding a formal clarification.

We wish we could have told you sooner,

but certain circumstances

outside of our control kind of challenged the three of us

to come together in solidarity,

and I'm very glad that we did.

- Me too.

So I'd like to reiterate, in case anyone misinterprets this

as some kind of interpersonal ill will,

that this is the furthest thing from drama.

We have been through the worst version of that together.

And all of my decisions have been made

in consideration of what we built.

And these two will always have my undying support,

even if it happens to be from afar.

- As you've witnessed with other notable goodbyes this year,

there's a myriad of motivations for YouTubers to step away.

Some are retiring, others are burnt out.

Many have issues with the platform itself,

as you've heard us talk about before.

But again, our shows, they're not leaving YouTube at all.

- Yeah, we're staying.

I mean, he's leaving. - He's leaving.

- I'm leaving. They're staying.

But it's still a very personal decision for me,

which I'll expand on later in this video.

Rest assured the three of us have been discussing

and planning these major changes together

for a very long time now.

- Of course, there's really no perfect time for this.

This was always gonna be bittersweet, and we know that.

We agreed though that now makes the most sense

considering all the exciting new things

that are happening at the company and in our lives.

- Speaking of which,

I just wanna say that I'm so, so, so proud of these two

and our staff for your vision.

Did I just elbow your stomachs?

- Yeah, elbowed my belly.

- I'm trying to express affection.

- It was good. - You're almost there.

- What do I do instead?

If I go down...

- If you go down it will be less affectionate

or more affectionate,

depending on the type of affection you like to give.

- You were telling us how proud you are.

- I was. Okay.

Speaking of which,

I am so, so proud of these two and our staff

for your vision and hard work for the next era of 2nd Try.

Now one of our long-term goals has always been

to use the privilege of our platform

to expand into a wider cast of diverse voices.

- So we like to think that we're not really losing Eugene,

but we're gaining so many more perspectives

that deserve the opportunity to shine.

However, we cannot let Eugene go

without filming one last season of classic Try Guys videos.

- And you can watch those episodes starting tonight

at 2ndtry.tv.

They're also gonna be here available on YouTube

for free at a later time.

Either way, I'm gonna miss you, buddy.

- Yeah, 'cause, you know, we love you.

- Oh. I love you all too.

Come here. Come here.

- Okay.

- Come here.

- Let's go for it.

- This is a real one.

- This is nice.

- All right, now, if you would be so kind,

I'd like to spend my last moments here

with our beautiful, incredible audience.

- Makes sense.

- Cool.

- [Zach] Okay.

- I...

(Keith and Zach giggle)

- [Keith] Wee!

- [Zach] Woo!

Where do you wanna get lunch?

- I'm the one leaving.

This doesn't make sense.

- [Zach] Oh, it's so bright.

- [Keith] Oh my god.

- It's fine. Okay.

I'll wait till their bit's done.

How are they gonna get back inside?

I want to be fully transparent

about my reasons for leaving YouTube.

And some of these have been difficult

for me to find the confidence to express,

but y'all deserve a comprehensive explanation.

Well, first, in regards to my time,

which is the primary issue we've cited,

yes, I have become enormously inundated with work.

I'm the busiest I've ever been in my entire life,

and I'm so, so thankful to be committing my blood, sweat,

and tears into projects that mean the world to me.

Projects that have been in rigorous development

for many years, which I'll elaborate more on in a bit.

Now, as you know, once they required my undivided attention,

I couldn't appear as often as I used to in videos.

And it hasn't gone unnoticed

how much my gradual withdrawal has upset some of you.

And I am truly sorry for that.

To express this as simply as possible,

working full-time here became untenable,

and it's evident that I can't continue keeping one foot in.

So this amorphous arrangement

where people end up asking the very fair question,

"Is Eugene even a Try Guy anymore?"

that will only disappoint all parties involved,

especially you, the viewers who have stood by us.

So for clarity's sake,

we've decided to establish a clean break

because clean breaks are ultimately better

for the healing process.

And I sincerely hope to guest star in future videos,

and I don't wanna risk them being tainted

by any embitterment.

I want us to collectively look forward

to those reunions with joy.

Now onto what I've been working on.

My primary passions are writing and directing

in the film and literary spaces.

And my focus has always been on fiction,

behind the camera and the pen.

And that has never changed.

And to hope to achieve any success in those spaces,

gosh, it requires a lifetime of commitment.

And first, my feature film.

I've been writing and developing

what will be my directorial debut for some time now.

And we are in the active stage of packaging,

and I am thrilled to be bringing it to life.

The incomparable creatives at Killer Films

believed in my script

and have been working tirelessly with me

for the past few years to get to this critical point.

And I can't share more yet, but believe me when I say

that it is the unbridled expression of my soul,

and I have never been more determined and inspired.

Now if you're unfamiliar with the industry,

it's an exceedingly rare and blessed opportunity

to be able to, one, get a movie produced at all,

and two, gain the trust of others as a filmmaker.

It requires 110% of my investment,

both physically and emotionally.

And I'm finally at a place in my journey

as an artist to tackle this

with unwavering conviction in my vision.

And on top of that,

the same can be applied to the literary world.

I hold tremendous reverence for the writing process

and am committed to proving myself as an author.

So many aren't afforded this extraordinary opportunity,

and I really don't want to squander it.

As some of you know,

I've been hard at work writing my novel,

which is the first in an epic queer fantasy duology

with the brilliant folks

over at Macmillan and Feiwel & Friends.

Due to certain unforeseen circumstances,

we've had to push the release date.

So you can expect it to be available next year in 2025,

and I cannot wait for you to read it.

Separately, I've also been writing my first graphic novel

with Vault Comics,

a twisted horror fantasy musical titled "Buckaroo".

And you can expect more news about that

and many other developments I can't mention yet

in the very near future.

My devotion is to creating original stories

that will fundamentally thrive in other mediums.

This all brings me to a crucial message

that I humbly want to emphasize.

While yes, these projects are time consuming,

I haven't necessarily prioritized them

because I view the digital space as somehow beneath them.

No, no.

I have worked here online proudly for a decade

and will always champion how profound

and spectacular this medium can be.

But after this past decade of work,

of being invited into your homes,

of having the privilege of getting to know so many of you,

I've come to terms with the fact

that this simply isn't the right space for me.

The internet can be a fun, rewarding, fantastic place

where many creatives shine,

including my colleagues who are so, so talented

at what they do.

In truth, more often than not,

I've experienced the opposite effect

and leaving will be the best decision

for preserving my mental health.

Now it makes me wildly uncomfortable to divulge all of this

as I don't want to come off like I'm complaining.

I can never stop repeating how deeply fortunate

and thankful I am to have ever, ever been on this platform.

But I'm going to try to open up as eloquently as possible

because I really do care about all of you watching

who might have come to care about me.

I was always a private person,

which has continually been at odds

with the demands of being an online personality.

Relatability, vulnerability, accessibility,

all keywords you're familiar with

about what makes a great YouTuber.

Unfortunately, these weren't second nature to me,

even though I tried my best.

I really tried.

I already contend with a complex relationship

with my identities,

so to have to casually discuss and publicize them at length,

often in a positive and humorous manner,

was exceptionally tough.

This is an unscripted comedy channel after all,

and that is why I removed myself completely from podcasting.

I was trying to find ways to set boundaries

and protect myself.

But as someone who heavily saturated your screens

for so many years, it might have come off

as me growing distant and disinterested.

And if you have ever felt that way

and if my colleagues have ever felt that way,

then please know that that was never ever my intention.

In all honesty, I was enduring more anguish,

especially after involuntarily going viral

for something so agonizing and demoralizing.

Demand for my openness only grew.

Strangers have been quick to tell me

that I owe them my feelings

and that I owe them my time to appear in content

and that it's all just part of the job.

Now contrary to the brave face I try to put on,

I've always been profoundly aware of others' expectations.

And if I'm unable to satisfy those expectations

while staying true to myself,

then maybe it's just not right.

And many of you watching

have probably experienced something similar

in your own lives,

that poignant moment when you know deep down

that it's time for a change.

Even if it hurts and even if it's hard, you know what?

That change can be wonderful for everyone involved.

And that is why I know

that this simply isn't the right space for me

and that that should be okay.

I sincerely hope that it will be okay for all of you.

And how I best express myself

has been through narrative projects

and ones that I can be fully immersed in,

ones that can be guarded and intentional,

long-term and precious,

because that's where I'm most comfortable and energized,

when I'm translating my identity, cultures, family history,

and demons into work that can be dark

and radical and strange and provocative.

And while I also have made so, so many memories here

that I'll always cherish, in the end, I can't stay.

I wish I could be better at all of this for you

and for my friends here at 2nd Try.

I wish I found an alternative way to make this work

because many YouTubers manage to flourish

while protecting their peace.

But the best, brightest version of myself

is the me that can disappear behind my work,

and that should be okay.

I chalk some of that up to how I've always had

to navigate my privacy and presentation,

which tends to be an integral part of the queer experience.

It's why I've always relished experimenting with fashion

as it's a way for me to transform

into an alternate higher version of myself

that's dazzling and powerful and self-possessed.

You witnessed me learning how to paint my fantasies

through clothing in real time.

I bring this up

because I don't want the summary of my issues

to diminish the countless occasions

where I have genuinely felt growth, connection,

and happiness.

A vital aspect of my time with y'all online

was my coming out journey.

That was undeniably raw and real.

And I have grown so much louder and prouder

about such a controlled, buried part of myself

that was largely due to how emboldened I became

because of so many of you out there,

and I am eternally grateful for that.

I've also become uncompromisingly secure

and appreciative of my representing of Asianness,

of my Asianness.

So much of that is thanks to the climate

I was incredibly lucky to be a part of online

where we carved out spaces to show more multifaceted,

nuanced aspects of our unique backgrounds.

To even be considered a voice in our community

is an honor I hold dear every waking moment

because I was someone

who had always felt so voiceless before.

Fuck! I'm not supposed to cry.

Overall, I've undergone an invaluable kind of education

that could only happen through social media.

It's inspired me to champion progressive values

even when the world tries to stamp them out.

I fully embrace the power of activism,

and I'm more dedicated than ever to lead projects

that explore and employ underrepresented talent.

My time here with you has helped shape those principles,

and I aim to never ever lose that energy.

And although I've confessed the more stressful facets

of my 10 years on YouTube,

if I ever happened to make you smile or laugh or cry,

then please know that you were instrumental

in keeping me going 'cause you inspired me.

Because regardless of the platform,

to be able to share essential parts of myself,

to garner an emotional response,

and to have a spirited discourse,

all of that qualifies as art.

It constituted a meaningful relationship between us.

And it ended up making me learn how to smile

and laugh and cry too.

And you, my dear friends, have my profound thanks

for the opportunity and privilege

to have been a part of your lives.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In conclusion,

I want you to take away this one incontrovertible truth.

You, all of the fans, and everyone here at 2nd Try

could never be the reason I left

because you were all the reason I stayed.

Well, that's it.

I hope y'all enjoy my final season of videos ahead,

but this is my official sign off from the internet

for the last time as a Try Guy.

And as a guy who still has much to try,

I know we'll meet again.

Love, Eugene.

- That's a cut and that's a wrap on Eugene Lee Yang.

(everyone applauds)

Wait.

Come hug him.

- No!

- [Rachel] Yes!

- [Keith] We did.

- No.

- We didn't order you a lunch though.

Are you cool with that?

- One last time. - Taco salad.

- Congrats.

- I love you all.

Now just the hugs to the camera.

(everyone laughs)

- [Rachel] Miss you most of all.

- [Eugene] I'll miss you most of all.