Fans react to YouTubers Dan & Phil revealing they’ve been in a relationship for 16 years: “Phan confirmed real”
Years after fans shipped YouTubers Dan and Phil, the pair confirms that they were in a relationship the whole time. The internet reacts to the announcement, which comes 16 years after the start of their career.
Are Dan & Phil in a relationship?
In a video with over 4.7 million views, Phil posts a TikTok of the pair sitting in front of the camera. The clip comes from a YouTube video posted on Oct. 13, titled "Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?"
"Dan and Phil, was it always gay?" Dan asks the camera. Phil responds, "Yep. The whole time."
Dan continues that the couple fell "hard and fast" and have maintained an unlabeled romantic partnership for the duration of their YouTube careers.
"Whatever you are thinking of right now, yes, it has happened," Dan jokes at the end of the clip.
The news was confirmation for fans of the YouTube duo, who garnered a large following on social media platforms like Tumblr. Fans shipped them under the name "Phan" for years, though neither Dan nor Phil had ever confirmed the relationship until now.
In fact, many couldn't believe that they were seeing at first.
How did fans react to the announcement?
Across social media, longtime fans of the duo reacted to the announcement with excitement. Many say the video confirmed longtime speculations.
One TikToker exclaims, "You're telling me Phan is and was real?"
@shagisabadword I was right when I was 13
♬ Chopin Nocturne Op 9 No 2 - ChrisTune
The caption reads, "I was right when I was 13."
Others say they appreciate being able to rewatch the duo's older videos with the new knowledge that they were dating.
"The fact that I get to rewatch every single Dan and Phil video knowing they were together the whole time," one X user posts with a clip of Carrie Bradshaw appreciating the Eiffel Tower.
Another X user writes, "watching Dan and Phil discuss the parasocial nature of their shippers while I was watching phan truthers videos at 10."
Some say the announcement gave them closure after years of wondering.
"How I'm going to bed knowing Dan and Phil are boyfriends," a Dan & Phil fan account says, along with a gif of a cartoon snuggling into bed.
Another wrote, "phan confirmed and real… together for 16 years… dan's first and only was phil… this soulmatism."
It certainly wasn't on anyone's 2025 bingo list, as one user notes.
One user referenced how little has changed in a decade with a Miranda Cosgrove meme.
However, the most prevalent online reaction has been one of celebration.
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