NINA BANKS
campus editor
nina.banks@my.tccd.edu
I remember exactly where I was when it happened, a normal Tuesday morning like any other. After getting out of the shower, I opened my phone to discover the most heart wrenching news – Ned Fulmer had cheated on his wife.
Granted, I hadn’t watched the “Try Guys” since my Buzzfeed phase during middle school and had only seen the occasional video since. The 12 year old inside of me was absolutely shocked.
The Try Guys are a YouTube channel based on four men who try different things. Each of the men have distinct personalities that often make their interactions with one another so entertaining.
Although, the rest of the members are either married or in a relationship – Ned has made a conscious effort to base his personality on being a family man. Don’t believe me? There are compilations of Ned saying “my wife.”
So when everyone discovered that the man who made his entire personality about being a family man and loving his wife cheated on said wife – the internet blew up. Articles, news outlets, tea channels and investigative Tik Tok accounts began reporting right away.
But this seems to be a phenomenon becoming all too familiar these days. Celebrities cheating or celebrities being caught cheating per se. There has never been a shortage of cheating scandals in history. But it seems the 2000s have brought a renaissance of cheating.
Prior to Ned’s scandal, another seemingly wholesome wife lover was outed: Comedian John Mulaney. Whether he cheated or not is alleged, however, his scandal is eerily similar to Ned’s. Mulaney’s style of relatable jokes and PG-13 topics made him a popular comic for young audiences. The topics of his jokes featured a wide variety, from his childhood, and you guessed it, loving his wife.
Mulaney’s routines were littered with adorable anecdotes between himself and his wife. So when news released they had separated and Mulaney started dating actress Olivia Munn, of course fans were upset.
The intrigue of these scandals, however, shield a very real issue. In both affairs, the women involved received loads of hate messages. Though “home wrecking” is not justifiable, the ramifications for women cheating or being the “other woman” are far harsher than men. For one, there isn’t a male equivalency to the “other woman.”
Time and again, we have seen women held responsible for cheating, regardless of a power or age imbalance. Monica Lewinsky is a classic example. The former president engaged in a relationship with Lewinsky, despite being her boss and 27 years older. Lewinsky was subjected to extensive amounts of hate and immediately being associated with the scandal.
Cheating isn’t going away anytime soon. Observing our reactions to these scandals and understanding why we feel the way we do towards these people can uncover a lot about our biases towards groups of people, Though. Hopefully, the next time a scandal happens – society can act accordingly.
