Dan and Phil Finally Confirm 16-Year Relationship, Announce Tour

After 16 years of fan speculation, Dan Howell and Phil Lester have finally confirmed what millions of “Phan” shippers long suspected. In a 46-minute video titled “Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth,” the British YouTubers revealed they have been a couple since they started making videos together in 2009. The announcement made headlines globally and sent their 3 million followers into a frenzy.

“We fell into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are almost 16 years later,” Dan said in the video. The couple spoke candidly about the toll the secret took on them, with Dan describing the years of speculation as an “apocalyptic constant stress” that “could have killed me”. Both separately came out as gay in 2019, but had never directly addressed their relationship status until now.

Following the announcement, the pair launched the “Hard Launch” podcast, which quickly climbed to the top of the charts. Last week, they revealed a 65-date “Hard Launch” world tour starting in September, with stops across Mexico, the U.S., U.K., Europe, Australia, and Singapore. It marks their fourth tour overall but the first as an openly public couple.

“We just want to go on stage and be completely ourselves and not hold anything back,” Phil told Variety . Dan added that living with the secret created a “wall up between ourselves and the audience” that they are relieved to finally tear down . For a duo built on authenticity, the truth has finally set them free.