Earlier this month, British YouTube stars Dan Howell and Phil Lester addressed long-standing relationship rumours, confirming they have been together since 2009.
“We fell into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are almost 16 years later”, announced Dan in a 45-minute-long video to their 13 million collective followers.
In the first episode of their new podcast ‘Hard Launch with Dan and Phil’, Dan said that “posting that video felt like a huge relief”
“I just felt like a weight had been lifted”, he added.
The pair had previously come out as gay in separate videos in 2019, although left the details surrounding their relationship status undisclosed.
Dan said a session with his therapist, in which he was encouraged to “rip the plaster off”, was what led them to finally reveal their status as a couple.
Toxic ‘Phandom’
‘Phan’, a portmanteau of Phil and Dan, was the unofficial couple name used by followers who speculated on their relationship, with the community as a whole being called the ‘Phandom’.
The dating conspiracy, which for many went hand-in-hand with being fans of the pair, exacerbated pressure on the closeted couple.
Dan addressed the years of speculation directly, saying he “felt completely violated” by the behaviour of fans.
This was compounded by an “extremely homophobic childhood”, which left him “deep in the closet”.
A glitch on the platform meant a private Valentines video from the beginning of their relationship was leaked, with Dan describing the reposts and refusals to take it down as feeling like “an assault”.
However, he went on to clarify that the pair do love their audience: “Dan and Phil followers are the funniest fandom. So creative. They’re good people”.
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Parasocial relationships
With social media connecting famous personalities with their audiences like never before, Dan and Phil were at the forefront of the rise of parasocial relationships and extreme fandoms.
Nowadays, global TV and film stars, as well as stadium out-selling musicians are seeing more extreme and intrusive fan behaviour, especially around their sexuality.
Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes called rumours surrounding his sexuality “an intrusion on something very personal to me”, and Stranger Things star Noah Schapp recalled interviewers and journalists asking if he was gay at just 12 and 13 years old.
Although addressing the rumours has meant the couple – and fans – can be more relaxed on the issue, this may not always be possible for many closeted stars.
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