When KSI announced he was leaving the Sidemen over the weekend, the immediate reaction from fans was disbelief. Speculation spread quickly that the departure might be staged, a prank engineered for views in the tradition of the group’s long history of elaborate setups. KSI moved swiftly to put that theory to rest, confirming through a follow-up statement that the news is entirely real and that his decision to walk away from the YouTube collective he helped build over 12 years was made with full sincerity.
The 32-year-old, whose real name is Olajide William Olatunji, had already addressed his 18.4 million subscribers in a video that drew nearly three million views, stating clearly that nothing negative had occurred between him and the other members and that the choice was entirely his own. The follow-up statement went further, speaking directly to the six people he is leaving behind.
KSI on the grief inside the group
In a post shared to Instagram that included a collection of photographs spanning his years with the Sidemen, KSI acknowledged that the departure has landed differently for different members of the group. Some, he said, are processing it with anger. Others are struggling to accept it. Some may feel a more personal kind of hurt. He did not shy away from the weight of those reactions but addressed them with what read as genuine tenderness rather than defensiveness.
His message to the group was one of reassurance. He framed his exit not as an abandonment but as a necessary step for someone who had been stretched in too many directions for too long. He reminded them that they have something rare, an audience of tens of millions who have grown alongside them and who remain deeply invested in what they create. That loyalty, he suggested, does not disappear because one member steps away. It belongs to the group and to the work they continue to put out.
KSI also encouraged a forward-looking mindset, urging the remaining members to approach the next chapter with optimism rather than grief. His confidence in their ability to carry the Sidemen forward without him appeared genuine rather than performative.
KSI looks back on what they built
Alongside the message, KSI shared memories from across the years, noting that looking back at the journey had stirred real emotion in him. He described his time with the group as one of the most significant and fulfilling experiences of his life, a run that took them from a small corner of the internet to sold-out stadiums and Netflix productions that reached audiences far beyond their original fanbase.
He thanked each of the six remaining members individually. Simon Minter, Josh Bradley, Vikram Barn, Tobi Brown, Ethan Payne and Harry Lewis were each named in his original announcement as people who deserve someone capable of giving the project everything. That framing, placing the group’s needs above his own desire to stay connected to it, has been consistent throughout the way KSI has chosen to discuss his departure.
His broader life has pulled him in multiple directions over recent years. Boxing has become a serious and high-profile pursuit. He holds a minority ownership stake in Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club. He serves as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent. Each of those commitments carries its own demands, and the cumulative weight of running at full speed across all of them is what he has cited as the central reason for stepping back.
What comes next for the Sidemen
The remaining members have not yet publicly responded to KSI’s most recent message, though an earlier group statement acknowledged that the news came as a surprise and expressed genuine well-wishes for his future. The group also signaled that they have plans in development that they are eager to share, suggesting the Sidemen intend to continue building rather than wind down.
For KSI, the door appears to remain open in spirit even if his day-to-day involvement is over. His message made clear that the friendships forged over more than a decade are not something he considers finished. He described the other members as friends for life, and the tone of everything he has said since the announcement suggests he means it.
