Cue the nostalgic gasp heard around the world: Phan is real.
Yes, after over a decade of playful teasing and an internet-wide guessing game, YouTube icons Dan Howell and Phil Lester have finally confirmed that they are, in fact, a couple. And in true Dan and Phil fashion, their big reveal wasn’t some flashy tabloid headline or grand red carpet moment—it was a cozy, cheeky, deeply self-aware 46-minute YouTube video titled simply:
“Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth”
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The description of the video read, “Is ‘Phan’ real? One of the biggest conspiracies in the history of the internet. We’re gonna talk about it.” And talk they did.
From the very first seconds, the tone was perfectly chaotic. “You want the juice? The tea, the blood, the tears, the—oh my God,” Dan jokes before Phil interrupts with his trademark giggle. “Dan, you’re gonna have to watch a bit longer.” What follows is a rollercoaster of jokes, awkward pauses, and heartwarming honesty as they peel back the curtain on what has been one of the most speculated relationships in YouTube history. (Side note: their banter truly is adorable to watch and the fans seem to be excited that their fan theories have come true).
After years of keeping their private lives, well, private, the pair finally said it outright—they’ve been together since 2009. That’s sixteen years of love, friendship, and chaotic domestic bliss.
“We fell into it hard and fast in 2009 and here we are almost 16 years later,” Dan shares, adding, “It was so fast that we never labeled it. We just ended up living together and here we are.”
If that doesn’t make every millennial YouTube fan clutch their chest, nothing will.
For context, Dan and Phil first met online in 2009 before finally meeting in person that October. By 2011, they were living together in Manchester, and by 2012, they had moved to London—where their shared apartment became the backdrop for countless videos, Tumblr gifs, and fan edits. In 2021, they even announced they had designed and bought a home together, practically confirming what fans had suspected all along: these two were endgame.
Both came out as gay in 2019 on their respective YouTube channels, though neither elaborated on their romantic status back then. Dan’s coming-out video hinted at a past romance between them but kept things respectfully vague, saying he wanted to protect what was “beautiful and personal.” Fans respected it—but secretly, they were still hoping for the confirmation we just got in 2025.
And honestly? It feels like the internet has come full circle.
For the generation that grew up watching AmazingPhil and danisnotonfire banter over memes and existential crises, this reveal feels both surreal and incredibly validating. It’s like your favorite TV show couple finally getting together after 10 seasons—except this one’s been playing out in real life for sixteen years.
While Dan and Phil have pursued their own projects in recent years, they reunited creatively in October 2023, proving that their partnership—both on and off screen—is still as strong as ever.
It’s rare for an internet moment to feel pure, but this one does. It’s nostalgic, it’s iconic, and it’s a celebration of love that quietly endured all the noise.
So yes, Phan was real all along. They didn’t just break the internet—they healed a part of it.