The “H3 Podcast” is cutting ties with host Ethan Klein after his wife and co-host, Hila Klein, accused him of having an affair for the past six months.
The crew agreed to not continue working with Ethan or profiting in any way, sharing, “We stand with Hila and will support her every step of the way,” an “H3 Podcast” Instagram post read late Thursday evening.
The podcast’s indefinite hiatus comes shortly after Hila accused her husband of infidelity on her own Instagram account late Thursday night.
“I am living in a nightmare I can’t wake up from. …,” she stated on her Instagram post. “I have been fed lie after lie for months. I am tired of lies. Here’s the truth.
“I could sense something was wrong. I tried to ask him questions and share my concerns and hurt feelings. But I was met with dismissive answers and no action. Things that bothered me continued to bother me, and he did nothing about it,” Hila wrote.
Ethan and Hila have been together for 20 years and married for 14. They met while Ethan was on a Birthright trip to Israel where Hila was doing mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces. They maintained regular contact via Skype before Hila moved to Ethan’s college town of Santa Cruz, according to a 2017 video uploaded by the pair to their YouTube channel, h3h3Productions.
“The betrayal I feel is immeasurable. The person I loved and trusted for 20 years evaporated overnight. He was my safe place, my partner in marriage, parenting, and business. My only family on this side of the world. How do I even begin to make sense of this?” the post continued.
Hila shared that she does not know what comes next, adding, “I’m in survival mode, trying to navigate separation, co-parenting, and unthinkable heartbreak.”
Ethan didn’t immediately respond on Friday to The Times’ request for comment. He did, however, post on social media.
”I know a lot of people are understandably looking for a comment from me,” a post to his Instagram Stories read, “but I ask that you please respect my family’s privacy and do not contact them looking for me or asking for their comments. They have nothing to do with this and share in your outrage and disappointment. Thank you.”
Hila and Ethan share three sons ages 7, 4 and 2.
“All I can do right now is focus on taking care of myself and my children, one day at a time,” Hila said. “You’re not crazy. Trust your instincts. Trust yourself. If you’re not being treated right, get up and leave.”
The couple first rose to internet fame through their popular YouTube channel h3h3Productions, which often featured Ethan and Hila in sketches and vlogs. Around 2013, the channel picked up steam as the couple began posting reaction videos to viral social media clips. As of today, they have amassed over 5 million followers.
“H3 Podcast” began in 2017 and first featured guest interviews with internet personalities such as PewDiePie and Jake Paul.
Many online sleuths were quick to pull out clips from Ethan’s past that might have foreshadowed this incident, including in Oct. 2020 when Ethan’s former “Frenemies” podcast co-host Trisha Paytas said to him: “I feel/lowkey wish you could be single while you’re famous and rich because I feel like you didn’t get that out of your system. Like knowing that every girl wants to f— you because you’re famous and rich.”
Ethan responded: “I mean, it would be fun to date, but I’m not interested in that. I’m very happily married.”
The “H3 Podcast” subseries fizzled out in 2021 due to revenue disputes. Paytas married Hila’s brother, Moses Hacmon, in 2021.
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