Overview

• In a video posted on Oct. 13, the longtime collaborators said they have been romantically involved since 2009, never formally labeled the relationship, and ultimately lived together.
• They asked fans to respect limits by not digging into unshared details or leaking private information, framing the disclosure as a “clean slate.”
• Howell described an extremely homophobic upbringing and fear of career blowback as key reasons for keeping the relationship private, with both noting concerns that their work would be overshadowed.
• They announced the Dan and Phil podcast as their next joint project and stressed they will not pivot to overt couple vlogging or on‑camera romance.
• The pair acknowledged normal ups and downs in their partnership, as years of ‘Phan’ shipping gave way to widespread online reaction to the confirmation.