If you’re unfamiliar with the YouTube comedy duo Dan and Phil, let me bring you up to speed. Phil Lester began posting videos on his channel, AmazingPhil, 20 years ago. Daniel Howell began on YouTube with the username danisnotonfire and later changed it to Daniel Howell.
The two began making videos together in 2009 with the frequently talked-about collab series “Phil is not on fire,” a title combining their two usernames. They released many renditions of this series and eventually created a joint YouTube channel: DanAndPhilGAMES.
Dan and Phil’s Channel
Throughout their time on YouTube, they gained a following that currently sits at about 3 million on their joint channel. They were among the first YouTubers to tour, with The Amazing Tour Is Not on Fire and Interactive Introverts, which were filmed and released for fans to watch.
Due to their fame, many people began to create stories about who they thought Dan and Phil were behind the camera. Fans (or “phans”/”phannies”) began to ship the two, meaning they imagined what it would be like if Dan and Phil were a couple. This, obviously, made the two uncomfortable, and they tried to avoid the topic.
In 2018, Dan announced that he would take a break from creating content due to burnout and mental health issues. Phil continued to make solo videos on his channel during this time, and many phannies thought this was the end of Dan and Phil’s content.
Dan came back briefly in 2019 to announce his official coming out with his video “Basically I’m Gay,” where he discussed growing up queer and repressed. Phil followed soon after as Dan went on a solo tour, WE’RE ALL DOOMED! The DanAndPhilGAMES channel eventually returned as a YouTube duo with their misleadingly titled video, “Saying Goodbye Forever.” They continued making content similar to what they had before their hiatus, silly gaming videos mixed with other things.
After the Hiatus
After about a year of producing their regular content, Dan and Phil decided to go on their third duo tour, The Terrible Influence Tour. This is when I joined their “phandom.” I personally attended the tour, and I can definitely say they were testing the waters with this show. It was absolutely hilarious, and I had the best time!
Throughout this time, Dan and Phil began to veer away from making gaming content and made videos along the lines of reactions to tweets from phannies or watching TikToks together from Phil’s liked videos. Slowly, October of 2025 approached, and with it came some news.
The Hard Launch
On Oct. 13, 2025, Phil tweeted, letting all phannies know that they should be online that day. Twitter exploded, and after some technical difficulties, Dan and Phil not only rebranded their joint channel from DanAndPhilGAMES (to DanAndPhil) but also announced that they were a couple and had been together the entire time they were making YouTube videos.
They began their Hard Launch podcast, which they release weekly, launched a Patreon, and eventually announced a fourth world tour. Space is their new theme, and they’ve really been getting out there as celebrities, even doing an interview with PopBase and collaborating with fellow YouTube duo Sam and Colby.
We’re now coming up on the first anniversary of Dan and Phil’s hard launch of their relationship, and many phans are excited to attend the tour if they haven’t yet (including me and some of my friends). We can’t wait to see what Dan and Phil have in store for us next!
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