Ned Fulmer takes center stage at VidCon to talk about learning from mistakes
“Man, just imagine waking up every day and being Ned Fulmer.”
Those were the words that came out of Ned Fulmer’s mouth when he spoke at his “F*ckups, Fixes, and Lessons Learned” panel at VidCon on June 25. He was citing comments he faced after his 2022 cheating scandal that led to his exit from Try Guys.
Fulmer, who was not on the panel list, announced on Instagram on June 23 that he would be speaking about his mistakes at VidCon.
“When I heard I was invited to be on the fuck-ups panel, I was like ‘Oh my god, I’m perfect,'” Fulmer shared as the audience laughed.
In the first 20 minutes of the 50-minute panel, Fulmer spoke about his story face-to-face with Phil Ranta, CEO and founder of Stealth Talent. He shared the story that changed his life and the Try Guys forever, and was met with huge gasps from the audience.
“Oh, that person didn’t know,” Fulmer said. “They were hearing that for the first time.”
The tone of the discussion, while not exactly heated, is very different from last year’s panel of the same name, which featured three content creators talking about business mistakes they’ve made. Despite his misstep based on his personal life, Fulmer spoke about how personal and business can be combined in a creator’s line of work, pointing to his reputation as a lady’s man.
“It’s becoming more and more of a role that I’ve been playing that’s been very different from my own thinking,” Fulmer said, talking about how emphasizing the on-screen persona can be very profitable and brand-friendly.
Ned Fulmer in his controversial comeback
Ranta and Fulmer also discussed Fulmer’s innovation on his podcast, Rock Bottom. In the first episode of the show, Fulmer interviews his ex-wife.
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“I think I played second,” Fulmer joked. He went on to discuss that he knew that launching a podcast with Ariel would garner a lot of eyeballs and a lot of controversy from people on the internet. “[It] It was kind of the point, but I think and maybe [it] it was not a good strategy.”
The episode has 1.4 million views on YouTube, surpassing the 56,000 views of the second most popular video on the podcast channel. The program is owned by the media company, Fulmer Media, of which Fulmer is the CEO.
When Ranta asked how Fulmer got his name back, Fulmer replied that he didn’t know, but that his guiding force was putting his inner vision and social work in stronger alignment than in his wife’s younger days.
“If you don’t have the tenacity to say I’m doing this because I love it, or I’m working on this job because I think it’s an important idea, and I hope it can touch people, change the world the way I want to change the world — you’re anointing,” said Fulmer.
Editors appreciate Fulmer’s vulnerability
In the final 30 minutes of the panel, the three remaining panelists and the moderator, VidCon CEO Jim Louderback, joined Fulmer and Ranta on stage to talk about their mistakes.
The panel’s complete list of F*ckups, Fixes, and Lessons Learned. From left to right: Phil Ranta, Ned Fulmer, Josh Zimmerman, Ali Spagnola, Leslie Morgan, and Jim Louderback.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable
There was an echo of the sentiment Ranta shared earlier in the personal interview: admiration for Fulmer’s vulnerability and courage to share his mistakes in front of a room of people.
When business and personal collide
While the rest of the panel’s mistakes focused on their business decisions, or interpersonal business relationships, which presented challenges, Fulmer repeatedly returned to his personal situation.
When Louderback asked the panelists to think about any warning signs of their mistakes, Ned said, “Obviously when you start a romantic relationship, it starts slow and builds and builds in ways you don’t realize,” prompting a burst of laughter before continuing, “But that’s easy to imagine and irrelevant to the industry panel.
He went on to talk about the positive side of the situation, talking about his time on Try Guys: “I’ve noticed my playing is getting more and more empty and I’m feeling less and less good.”
Regarding the content he’s making today, Fulmer said he accepts when people no longer want to watch his content, especially in the competitive entertainment space.
“Why should someone choose me when I make them feel uncomfortable and have to deal with these dirty, complicated ideas of renewal or renewal or redemption? Maybe they don’t want to do that,” he said. “Maybe they want to look at someone who makes them happy because they had a long day.”
Mashable is reporting live from VidCon 2026 in Anaheim. Follow our coverage with creator interviewsThe best photos of the panel, and the biggest moments from the meeting floor.
