For 16 years, fans have speculated that YouTube stars Dan and Phil might be dating.
Now there's confirmation.
Dan Howell and Phil Lester shared the news in a message to fans on October 13.
According to the BBC, the two have built quite a media empire over the years, extending into best-selling books and a show on BBC Radio 1, in addition to their millions of followers on social media.
The video with the relationship reveal racked up more than 1.5 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours. "Are Dan and Phil in a Relationship? The Truth," it's titled.
"Okay, let's get this over with. Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?" Howell started the segment by asking as the pair sat together on a bed. The pair is known for comedic and gaming videos.
"Yes!" responded Lester.
"Alright, bye," Howell said.
"Oh, sorry you wanted more, the juice...the blood, the tears," he added.
"I think a lot of people want to know everything," said Lester.
The relationship was known as "Phan" to fans. "IS PHAN REAL? one of the biggest conspiracies in the history of the internet - we’re talk about it on YouTube now," they wrote in the caption with the video, which was also shared to their Instagram page.
"We fell into it hard and fast in 2009, and here we are almost 16 years later," Howell said in the video, indicating that the pair decided they didn't want to live in fear.
Howell revealed that they held back on the confirmation for years in part because of his "extremely homophobic childhood," which kept him in the closet for years.
"In my mid-20s, I felt we had to hide the relationship because I was still hiding who I was to my friends, family, and myself," Howell revealed.
"This is why all of the digging from people online hit a nerve, because Phil was my safe space. You were my first boyfriend," he said to Lester.
Howell spoke about the difficulty of dealing with fan scrutiny over the relationship.
He called it the "apocalyptic, constant stress of this Dan and Phil dating conspiracy."
Lester explained that confirming the relationship is "a big scary deal for us, it's kind of like another mini coming out."
Fans responded positively in the YouTube comment thread.
"You didn’t ever have to announce this. We aren’t owed anything. But clearly it’s something you’ve done for yourselves and it’s that much more special. Proud of you for taking care of yourselves first and setting a good example of boundaries," wrote one.
