Eugene Lee Yang reveals why he’s leaving the Try Guys & announces directorial debut

Eugene Lee Yang of Try Guys fame has explained his decision to step back from the YouTube group in an emotional goodbye to fans, revealing he’s cooking up his first feature film.

On May 22, internet-famous YouTube collective ‘The Try Guys’ revealed they were going from a trio to a duo, with founding member Eugene Yang announcing his departure from the group in an interview with Rolling Stone.

A day later, Yang expounded upon his reasons for leaving the Try Guys in a tear-jerking YouTube video, where he explained that his busy schedule was keeping him from being able to film with the rest of the group on a consistent basis.

“Working full-time here became untenable, and it’s evident that I can’t continue keeping one foot in,” he said. “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.”

“We decided to establish a clean break, because clean breaks are ultimately better for the healing process. I sincerely hope to guest star in future videos, and I don’t want to risk them being tainted by an embitterment.”

Yang also said that the Try Guys had been discussing his departure, as well as their new content subscription model, for a “very long time now” — but that wasn’t the only bombshell he dropped in his video.

Eugene also revealed that he’s currently preparing for his directorial debut, making him the the latest YouTuber to direct and write their very own feature film after YouTube star Markiplier announced his own movie, Iron Lung, set to release in theaters “soon.”

While Yang said that he can’t share any more information about the film just yet, he described the project as an “unbridled expression of my soul,” saying he has “never been more determined or inspired.”

Yang’s video follows the announcement of another big shakeup for the Try Guys, who revealed they would be uploading content to a subscription-based platform called 2ndTryTv. However, they assured viewers that they would still be getting regular Try Guys content for free on YouTube, and their 2ndTry videos will be uploaded to the site at a later date.

Eugene will also stick around for one final season of “classic” Try Guys content, which 2ndTryTV subscribers can watch starting May 23, 2024.

“You, all of the fans and everyone here at 2ndTry, could never be the reason I left, because you were all the reason I stayed,” Yang said, fighting through tears. “I hope you 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.”