MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 11: KSI (Olajide Olatunji) looks on during the Prime Card Public Workout for KSI v Tommy Fury on October 11, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
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After 13 years, it is over. KSI announced that he is leaving the Sidemen, the British YouTube collective that helped make him one of the most recognisable digital creators in the world.
The announcement came was posted, fittingly, to his YouTube channel, titled “I’m leaving the Sidemen.” It was published hours after the Britain’s Got Talent finale, where he served as a judge, and was confirmed as genuine to the BBC and the Press Association by his representatives amid fan speculation that it might be a stunt.
What KSI Said About Leaving The Sidemen
Still from KSI’s video titled ‘I’m leaving the Sidemen.’
ksi/youtube
The Youtuber is leaving the group, as many do, to focus on his solo career and personal wellbeing.
“This is honestly the hardest video I’ve ever had to make in my life,” KSI said in the announcement. “I’ve gone back and forth on this decision for a very long time. I’ve spent months trying to figure out what the right thing to do is. But after a lot of thought, I’ve decided that I will no longer be doing Sidemen videos. Today, 31st of May, will be my final Sidemen video. Even saying those words out loud doesn’t feel real.”
He described the group as “a second family” and acknowledged that balancing the Sidemen alongside his expanding individual commitments had become increasingly difficult. “We built something that none of us ever thought was possible.”
The 32-year-old was explicit that no drama or conflict was behind the decision, which should help dampen speculation a bit.
He was pulled in “a lot of different directions” over the last few years to the point where he lost balance, and found it hard to find time for his family and loved ones, he said.
KSI then went into individual shoutouts for the rest of the Sidemen members Simon Minter (Miniminter), Vikram Barn (Vikkstar123), Ethan Payne (Behzinga), Harry Lewis (W2S), Tobit Brown (TBJZL) and Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa), naming specific personal memories and warm encouragements.
Who Is KSI: Background And Career
KSI, real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji, first appeared on YouTube in 2009, uploading FIFA commentary videos from his bedroom, and built a following large enough to join the Sidemen collective when it formed in 2013.
The Sidemen currently have 23 million YouTube subscribers.
KSI’s personal channels across KSI, JJ Olatunji, and KSIClips combine for over 44 million subscribers.
Beyond YouTube, his career spans music (his album Dissimulation reached number two on the UK charts in 2020), professional boxing (fans would remember his infamous bout against Tommy Fury), television, and multiple business ventures. He’s also retired from boxing earlier this year.
KSI’s Net Worth And Business Empire
Forbes ranked KSI as the second-highest-earning creator in 2023 with annual earnings of $24 million that year. His fortune is built across several distinct income streams.
The most significant is his stake in Prime Hydration, the sports drink he co-founded with Logan Paul in 2022. According to Bloomberg, Prime sales peaked between $250 million in 2022 and $1.2 billion the following year. In 2024, however, UK sales fell by almost 50%.
His other ventures include XIX Vodka, Sidemen Clothing, Sides restaurants, and LUNCHLY, the snack pack he co-launched with MrBeast and Logan Paul, which faced backlash over health claims and mold contamination reports in 2024. He co-founded Misfits Boxing and holds a shareholder and strategic partner role at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club.
He was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe in Entertainment in 2021.
What KSI’s Departure Means For The Sidemen
The Sidemen are a British YouTube collective founded in 2013, known primarily for football challenges, comedy videos, and charity events including an annual charity match that in recent years has been held at West Ham United’s London Stadium.
Beyond their main channel’s 23 million subscribers, they operate MoreSidemen, SidemenReacts, and SidemenShorts as part of one of the UK’s largest content networks. Their Netflix show, teased in January 2024, represents their most significant step into mainstream entertainment. KSI has been their most globally recognisable face throughout, so his departure represents the group’s most significant personnel change since their formation.
Whether the remaining six members continue as the Sidemen without KSI, and under what name or structure, had not been formally addressed by the group at time of publication.