Why Did KSI Leave the Sidemen? The Full Story

If you've ever gone down a YouTube rabbit hole, chances are you've stumbled across the Sidemen. They're one of the biggest group of content creators in the world, and KSI has always been one of the most recognizable faces in the crew. So when drama started swirling around his place in the group, fans everywhere had one burning question on their minds: why did KSI leave the Sidemen?

It's the kind of story that has everything. Friendship, tension, money, and the messy reality of what happens when a group of mates suddenly become massive internet celebrities. Whether you're new to the Sidemen or you've been watching for years, the full picture is actually more complicated than most people realize.

In this post, we're going to break it all down in a simple and straightforward way. We'll look at what actually happened, what led to the split, and how things eventually unfolded. By the end, you'll have a clear understanding of the situation and why it became such a huge talking point in the YouTube community.

Who Are the Sidemen? A Quick Bit of Context

If you've stumbled across this article wondering what all the fuss is about, don't worry — we've got you covered. The Sidemen are a group of seven British YouTubers who first came together back in 2013, originally bonding over a shared love of Grand Theft Auto Online. The core lineup includes some of the biggest names in UK online entertainment: KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, TBJZL, Behzinga, and W2S. Think of them as the UK's answer to a super-group, but for the internet generation.

Over the years, they built something genuinely massive. Their main YouTube channel alone has grown to 23.2 million subscribers, and when you add up all their individual channels and related content, the combined figure rockets past 155 million subscribers. That is not a typo.

Their content has always had a strong football flavour alongside gaming and comedy sketches, which is a big part of why their audience connects with them so deeply. Their annual Sidemen Charity Matches at Wembley Stadium have become genuine cultural moments. The 2026 event raised a record £6 million-plus for charity, showing just how far their influence stretches beyond a laptop screen. For over a decade, this group has sat right at the heart of British internet culture, mixing football passion with humour and heart in a way that very few creators have managed to pull off.

What Did KSI Actually Say About Leaving?

On May 31, 2026, KSI uploaded a video to his personal YouTube channel titled "I'm Leaving the Sidemen," and it hit the internet like a thunderbolt. He described it as the hardest video he had ever had to make, and watching it, you could feel that weight in every word. This was not a quick announcement or a casual update. It was clearly something he had been sitting with for a long time before finally going public.

One of the first things KSI made crystal clear was that there was absolutely no drama behind the decision. No falling out, no arguments, no bad blood with any of the other members. He called it "completely my own" decision and described the group as his "second family." For anyone expecting a juicy feud or a big explosive moment, this was genuinely not that story.

The real reason he gave was burnout. KSI said he had been running "at 100mph" for years, being pulled in too many directions at once across YouTube, music, boxing, business, and television commitments. He was honest that staying in the group would not be fair on the other Sidemen, the fans, or himself if he could not give 100%.

According to Forbes, the remaining six members responded with a statement saying the news "came as a surprise" but wished KSI well and confirmed the group would carry on. Sad, but respectful on all sides.

Burnout and the Pressure of Doing Everything at Once

To understand why burnout played such a central role in KSI's decision, you only need to look at his schedule. At the time of leaving, he was simultaneously maintaining a solo YouTube channel with 18.4 million subscribers, competing as a professional boxer, releasing music, serving as a permanent judge on Britain's Got Talent, co-owning brands like Prime Hydration and XIX Vodka, and managing a newly acquired minority stake in Dagenham and Redbridge FC. Any single one of those roles would be a full-time career for most people. Stacking all of them together created pressure that was, by his own admission, completely unsustainable.

KSI himself described feeling "pulled in a lot of different directions" and running "at 100mph," with barely any time left for himself, his family, or the people he cared about. Something had to give, and after months of going back and forth, he concluded that the Sidemen commitment was the one he could no longer give his full energy to. As reported by The Guardian and covered in detail by Deadline, his framing was honest and vulnerable rather than dramatic, which is a big reason why the reaction from fans leaned toward sympathy rather than anger.

Burnout among major creators is not a new conversation, but it has become increasingly visible between 2024 and 2026. Studies suggest that over 60% of full-time content creators experience burnout symptoms, and many high-profile YouTubers have quietly stepped back from long-running projects during this period. KSI's situation fits that broader pattern closely.

His experience also highlights a challenge that creator collectives inevitably face over time. When a group forms, everyone is at a similar career stage. Thirteen years later, individual members have built separate empires, and the original shared focus naturally starts to pull apart. The official Sidemen statement confirmed they were surprised but supportive, which speaks to how maturely these situations can be handled when there is genuine respect involved.

Was It a Prank? Addressing the 2017 Comparison

Given KSI's history of high-energy content and elaborate pranks, it's completely understandable that a chunk of his fanbase didn't immediately take the announcement at face value. Many viewers were quick to draw comparisons to a 2017 incident involving a staged Sidemen departure that turned out to be entirely fabricated for views and engagement. Reddit threads lit up with skepticism, and social media was flooded with fans pointing to KSI's track record of stunts as reason enough to wait and see.

But this time, the evidence quickly stacked up on the side of it being completely real. KSI's spokesperson confirmed the decision as genuine to the BBC, shutting down the prank narrative almost immediately. The Guardian and Deadline both covered the story as verified news within one to two days of the announcement, treating it as a legitimate career development rather than a content stunt. Sidemen member Vikkstar123 even commented publicly that it was "not a prank, sadly," which carried a lot of weight coming from someone inside the group.

Perhaps the most convincing element was KSI's tone throughout the video itself. Anyone familiar with his usual content knows he brings enormous energy, humour, and confidence to almost everything he puts out. This video was strikingly different. He was subdued, reflective, and visibly emotional, describing it as the hardest video he had ever made. That shift in delivery alone told a story that was hard to dismiss.

Understanding this distinction really matters. Separating genuine personal and professional evolution from content theatrics is essential to making sense of what happens next for KSI, because this departure signals a real change in direction rather than a temporary storyline.

So What Is KSI Doing Next?

Leaving the Sidemen is not the same as stepping back from the spotlight. Not even close. KSI has made it clear that this departure is about creating space, not disappearing. If anything, his schedule going forward looks just as packed as ever.

His immediate focus includes his boxing career, ongoing music releases, and his new role as a judge on Britain's Got Talent for Series 19 alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, and Alesha Dixon. On top of that, he continues to run and grow a collection of businesses that span drinks, food, clothing, and now even football club ownership, following his ~20% minority stake acquisition in Dagenham and Redbridge FC in March 2026. His goal? Taking that club to the Premier League. As a football fan, that is a storyline worth watching.

The key thing to understand is that KSI has built a multi-platform empire that exists completely independently of the Sidemen brand. His personal channels alone carry tens of millions of subscribers, and his audience will follow him wherever he goes next.

This kind of transition is not unique to KSI either. Long-running creator groups almost always reach a point where individual members begin prioritising solo paths, driven by personal growth and shifting ambitions. You can read more about how KSI confirmed his plans going forward across his various ventures. The Sidemen chapter may be closing, but the KSI story is very much still being written.

KSI and Dagenham and Redbridge FC: The Football Angle

Of all the things KSI has on his plate right now, his involvement in football is probably the most exciting development for fans of the beautiful game. Back in March 2026, KSI acquired a roughly 20 percent minority stake in Dagenham and Redbridge FC, a club currently competing in the National League South, which sits at the sixth tier of English football. The announcement was described by the club as its "most significant strategic partnership to date," and it instantly sent ripples through both the YouTube community and the football world.

What makes this particularly interesting is the scale of KSI's ambition. He has publicly stated his goal of taking Dagenham and Redbridge all the way to the Premier League, drawing direct comparisons to the story of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney transforming Wrexham AFC from a non-league club into a global phenomenon. As KSI put it himself, he wants Dagenham and Redbridge to become "a team that everyone will know worldwide." That is a bold statement for a club sitting in the sixth tier, but bold statements are very much on brand for KSI.

This is where the football angle connects directly to his Sidemen departure. Rather than retreating from public life, KSI is doubling down on projects like this one. Football is clearly an area of increasing focus, not one he is stepping away from. You can read more about the investment over at BBC Sport's coverage of the deal.

For football fans, this is genuinely one of the most compelling storylines to follow as KSI moves into this new chapter. If his Dagenham journey has sparked your curiosity about lower-league clubs and the kits that come with them, a mystery football shirt box from mysteryshirtinabox.com is a brilliant way to discover clubs from leagues you might never have explored before.

What Happens to the Sidemen Now?

The short answer is: the Sidemen are not going anywhere. The remaining six members, Simon (Miniminter), Josh (Zerkaa), Tobi (TBJZL), Ethan (Behzinga), Vik (Vikkstar123), and Harry (W2S), released an official statement confirming they will carry on making content together. Their exact words were reassuring: "This doesn't change anything for the rest of us. We're still committed to creating the best content, events and shows that we can for you all... we've got lots of exciting stuff planned that we can't wait to share." That is about as clear a signal as you can get.

It also helps to remember just how much the Sidemen have built over 13 years. Their main YouTube channel sits at around 23.2 million subscribers, with billions of views across multiple channels, a streaming platform in Side+, and business ventures that operate completely independently of any single member. This is a brand with serious infrastructure behind it, not just a group of mates messing around with cameras.

History also gives fans plenty of reason to feel optimistic. Creator collectives rarely collapse when one member steps away; they adapt and evolve. The Sidemen have been through turbulent moments before and came out stronger each time.

Perhaps the biggest proof of the group's lasting power came from the 2026 Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley, which sold out a 90,000-capacity stadium and raised a record £6,218,875 for charity. Events like that demonstrate a loyal, passionate fanbase that shows up regardless of lineup changes. Expect more charity football events and major collaborative projects to follow.

Creator-Owned Football Clubs Are Changing the Game

KSI's move into Dagenham and Redbridge is not a one-off curiosity. It sits inside a much bigger shift that has been gathering pace across English football for several years now. Celebrities, creators, and public figures have been buying into lower-league and non-league clubs at a growing rate, drawn by the storytelling potential, the community connection, and the ability to build genuine audiences around smaller clubs that previously flew well under the radar.

The most famous example of this trend is Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's takeover of Wrexham AFC in 2021. The two actors acquired the Welsh club and documented the journey through a widely watched documentary series, transforming a club that most casual football fans had never heard of into a global phenomenon. Wrexham shirts started selling worldwide. Fans in countries with no obvious connection to north Wales began following results every Saturday. The club earned promotions and the wider football world took notice. It proved that the right combination of creator energy and genuine sporting ambition could turn a lower-league club into something much bigger.

What these investments do brilliantly is open up football to new audiences. Younger fans who follow a creator on YouTube or social media become curious about their club, start watching matches, and eventually want the shirt. That commercial interest in kits from outside the Premier League has never been stronger, and for football shirt collectors, it creates a genuinely exciting reason to look beyond the usual big clubs.

This is exactly where a mystery football shirt box from Mystery Shirt in a Box fits in perfectly. Their curated boxes give fans the chance to discover shirts from clubs they might never have considered, including from the lower leagues where creator-owned clubs are making waves. It is a brilliant way to stumble across something unexpected and fall in love with a kit that carries a real story behind it.

Final Thoughts

So, to bring it all together: KSI left the Sidemen after 13 years because he was honest enough to admit he could not give the group what it deserved. Burnout, an overloaded schedule, and a genuine desire to protect his own wellbeing pushed him to make a clean break rather than quietly disappear. That kind of transparency deserves respect, and it seems both sides are moving forward without any bitterness.

The Sidemen are continuing, their charity football matches remain some of the most exciting events on the creator sports calendar, and KSI is building something genuinely interesting with Dagenham and Redbridge. Football is clearly going to play a bigger role in his identity over the coming seasons, and that crossover between creator culture and the beautiful game is only getting more exciting.

For fans sitting at that intersection, right now is a brilliant moment to lean in. Whether you are following lower-league clubs, discovering new kits, or just enjoying the ride, places like Mystery Shirt in a Box make it easy and fun to celebrate your love of football with a surprise kit delivered straight to your door.