For All The Awkward Kids Who Shipped Dan & Phil In Secret: Our Dreams Came True

Remember Dan and Phil: The British YouTube duo who ruled the 2010s internet with their awkward humor, matching side parts, and suspiciously good chemistry? Well, the rumors were true. In a new YouTube video, the pair just confirmed they have been in a romantic relationship the entire time. “We fell into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are almost 16 years later,” Dan said. Phan is real. The fans knew it all along. But ironically, that fan speculation is one of the reasons it was so difficult for the couple to go public in the first place.

On October 13, Dan and Phil posted a video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship?” After over a decade of intense speculation on the relationship status of Dan and Phil, they were finally ready to address the ever-present dating conspiracy on their own terms. Starting off the video with Dan saying, “Let’s get this over with. Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?” and Phil simply replying, “Yes.” The video continues with information about their status as unofficial-official boyfriends, and all the tea on why it took so long to publicly confirm their romance.

According to Dan and Phil, the shipping got overwhelming. “We signed up to be professional entertainers, to create content for you to enjoy,” said Dan, “We wanted the focus to be on what we were doing,” not as the gay couple, but as a comedy duo. He explained that the constant speculation made things complicated. “Sometimes I felt like when I looked at Phil, I saw the gaze of these people in my head.”

On top of fandom pressure, Dan was navigating his own tense coming-out journey. “In my mid-20s, I felt we had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was to my friends, family, myself,” he said. “This is why all of the digging from people online hit a nerve, because Phil was my safe space. You were my first boyfriend… You were a literal ray of light in my life back then…What we had was the most important thing to me, and I wanted to protect it, so when other people tried to grab it and drag it into the light, I felt completely violated.”

Despite years of intrusion, both creators say they hold no grudges. ”It’s human nature to be nosey,” says Dan, “I understand and I forgive. I want to make peace with it.” “We don’t want any civil wars of discourse about this,” says Phil, “We want a clean slate. Immaculate vibes only.” 

Along with confirming their relationship, the pair also announced their new Dan and Phil podcast, where they will be spilling stories they have kept under wraps over the past 16 years. Naturally, the internet is losing its collective mind, with tears, memes, and nostalgia flooding every corner of social media.

Dan and Phil’s announcement isn’t just nostalgic, it’s a reminder of how creators deserve privacy and agency. Thankfully, after 16 years, Phan has entered the canon, on their terms, and it was well worth the wait.