Frances Marsh | Comment Editor
If you spend any time on the internet, then youÔÇÖve likely heard the name Ned Fulmer in recent months. Previously a quarter of Youtube creator group ÔÇÿThe Try Guys,ÔÇÖ he went from seemingly mild and unproblematic to an internet pariah almost overnight. His online persona prior to this had been a funny guy who was madly in love with his wife. He talked about his wife so frequently that it became his ÔÇÿbrandÔÇÖ within the group. This is why it came as such a shock when it came out that he had not only had an affair but that it was with one of his own employees. The internet was quick to react with anger and he was promptly removed from the group, with pre-recorded content being scrapped or edited to remove him from the footage. Whilst this was shocking to FulmerÔÇÖs fans, this is far from the only time something like this has happened in such a public way and it’s becoming increasingly clear that people are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the ÔÇÿnice guyÔÇÖ persona many male celebrities and influencers try to put across.
“Another victim of the downfall of his persona as a ÔÇÿwife guyÔÇÖ is comedian John Mulaney.”
Prior to 2021, much of MulaneyÔÇÖs comic material focused on his wife Anna Marie Tendler and their dog Petunia. He frequently made jokes about how the dog was like a child to them and projected the image of a happy marriage, yet Mulaney shocked both fans and Tendler herself when he filed for divorce in May 2021 after a stint in rehab. He had previously been very public about the fact that he and Tendler did not want children, yet just four months after the pair confirmed their split, it was announced that he was expecting a child with new partner Olivia Munn. Many fans claimed they felt betrayed by this, as it seems that the persona of a loving family man had never existed.
“For many people, it has become clear that creating a perfectly crafted brand of the nice, family-oriented man is in some cases simply a calculated move to further a career.”
These men project themselves as lovable dorks and market themselves towards a predominantly female audience in the hopes that fans will latch onto the likeable persona theyÔÇÖve created. However, there are many examples where the brand they have created for themselves has crumbled as fast as it was built.
Image by redsoul300 via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
