I'm so shocked and saddened by the news surrounding Ethan and Hila Klein. I remember watching H3 back in the Vape Nation days, when they were making videos together wearing beanies, and thinking they were such a lovely couple. I've always had a soft spot for Hila. She seems like such a lovely person, and I've always admired her creativity and what she's achieved as a businesswoman, particularly with Teddy Fresh.
One thing I remember from those earlier years is how often Ethan would find himself in some sort of controversy, with Hila standing beside him, defending him and sometimes putting her own reputation on the line in the process. So reading her Instagram statement about Ethan having an affair for over six months was incredibly sad. They've spent around 20 years together, have three children and have built so much of their personal and professional lives alongside one another.
It's a horrible situation, and one that now raises some very difficult questions about the future of H3, the people who work there and Ethan's relationship with an audience that has supported him for years.
Hila's statement
I thought Hila's Instagram statement was incredibly well written. It was honest, raw and quite gut-wrenching to read. She didn't seem to be trying to protect anyone from the reality of how much this has affected her, and I think that's what made it so powerful.
One line particularly stood out to me:
"I stopped questioning him and began to question myself, my own instincts. My sanity."
I imagine that will resonate with an awful lot of people who have experienced infidelity. There's something particularly upsetting about knowing deep down that something isn't right, but convincing yourself otherwise because you love and trust the person you're with. Hila also spoke about Ethan being her partner in marriage, parenting and business, and her only family on that side of the world. That really puts into perspective just how much of her life has been tied to this relationship.
I write statements for people going through difficult situations fairly regularly, and one thing I've noticed is that the more people try to make something sound polished or carefully managed, the less human it can become. Hila's statement was the opposite. It sounded like someone who was absolutely devastated and wanted to explain why. She was personal without getting drawn into every detail, and she managed to communicate an enormous amount of pain without losing the clarity of what she wanted to say.
I also thought her decision to end by encouraging people to trust their instincts was particularly moving. It gave the statement something meaningful beyond the announcement itself, and I suspect those words will stay with a lot of people.
What happens to H3 now?
It's remarkable how much H3 has evolved since I last watched it regularly. What started with Ethan and Hila making videos together has developed into a substantial podcast operation, with a production team, established personalities, commercial relationships and an audience that has spent years following their lives.
That makes the current situation particularly complicated. Ethan has been the central presenter and personality behind H3 for years, so removing him would fundamentally change the programme. At the same time, the show has grown into something much bigger than one person, and there are employees whose livelihoods are connected to its future.
I've been looking through the comments on a recent H3 video, and it's quite sad to see how much the podcast has meant to people. One viewer joked about being devastated to start saving their $6.99 monthly subscription fee, while another described the programme as a constant source of joy in their life. Others were already wondering whether the crew could continue without Ethan.
I think it's easy to underestimate how much a podcast becomes part of someone's routine, particularly when viewers spend hours every week with the same people. They become familiar with the personalities, the friendships and the running jokes. In H3's case, the crew have become an important part of that experience, which means there may still be an audience for them even if Ethan is no longer involved.
But an audience being interested and a business being able to continue are two very different things.
Could the crew carry on without Ethan?
I think there's a genuine opportunity here, provided everyone gives themselves enough time to work out what is possible. The crew already know how to produce a show, they've spent years developing their chemistry and viewers have an existing connection with them. That's a considerably better starting point than launching something completely new with people nobody has heard of.
The difficulty is working out what they could legally and commercially take with them. Who owns the H3 name? Who controls the YouTube channel and its existing subscriber base? What rights does the business have over its back catalogue, branding and other intellectual property? And what do the crew's employment contracts say about leaving, producing competing content or using material associated with the existing show?
Those questions would need to be answered before anyone could sensibly announce what happens next. The fact that someone has worked on a programme for years doesn't automatically give them ownership of it, and having an audience that wants to follow you doesn't necessarily mean you can take the existing business with you.
One possibility, depending on the ownership arrangements, would be for Ethan to agree to hand over or transfer control of certain assets. Perhaps he decides he no longer wants to continue and is willing to let the others take the programme forward. Perhaps there could be some form of negotiated agreement over the channel, the name or the existing content. Equally, he might have no interest in doing that, or the rights might be held through a company with its own contractual obligations. I wouldn't pretend to know what those arrangements look like without seeing the paperwork.
The YouTube channel itself is particularly valuable because of its existing subscribers, history and established audience. A properly authorised transfer of control could potentially allow a new team to retain that starting point, subject to the platform's rules and the relevant agreements. But even then, keeping the subscriber count wouldn't guarantee that everyone would continue watching. If the crew had to start from scratch instead, I imagine the audience would be substantially smaller, at least initially.
I wouldn't rule out either route. There are practical obstacles, and a new venture might or might not work, but I think there's enough interest from viewers to make it worth exploring when the time is right.
Ethan's reputation
I think Ethan is going to find this incredibly difficult to come back from. In fact, I struggle to see what a successful comeback would even look like for him at this point.
He's been involved in plenty of controversies over the years, but this feels completely different. For me, Ethan and Hila have always been a package deal. When I think of H3, I don't just think of Ethan. I think of the two of them together. Even though the podcast has changed enormously over the years, that association is still central to how I remember them.
And I think that's what makes this so damaging. Hila is clearly adored by fans, and judging by the reaction online, people are absolutely furious on her behalf. These aren't simply casual viewers expressing disappointment. They're people who have supported Ethan for years, some for well over a decade, now questioning whether they ever want to watch him again.
You can sometimes recover from saying something offensive, making a terrible joke or becoming embroiled in an online argument. Ethan has navigated those situations before, often with Hila standing beside him. But when the person you've hurt is someone your audience has spent years watching, admiring and feeling protective towards, it's an entirely different situation.
And who is going to defend him this time? Hila has historically been one of his most visible supporters, and now she's the person at the centre of the hurt.
The reported distancing of crew members adds another problem. If people who have worked alongside Ethan for years no longer want to be professionally associated with him, that will inevitably influence how viewers perceive the situation. I wouldn't be surprised if a substantial proportion of his audience never returned.
The mainstream entertainment coverage also means this story is reaching people who have no existing connection to H3. For those people, their introduction to Ethan may now be through the breakdown of his marriage rather than the work that made him successful. That's an association that could follow him online for years.
I also don't think an apology, however carefully written, is going to change much in the immediate future. This isn't a situation where the right statement can suddenly make everything better. People feel genuinely let down, and the relationship between a creator and their audience can be very difficult to rebuild once that trust has gone.
My feeling is that Ethan hasn't simply damaged his reputation. He may have destroyed the relationship with his audience that made H3 successful in the first place. He could eventually find a different audience or return in some other capacity, but I think recreating the H3 people have known and loved is going to be almost impossible.
What would I advise?
If I were advising on this situation, my first priority would be Hila's emotional wellbeing and making sure she has the support and privacy she needs. I think it's easy for people watching from the outside to immediately start asking what happens to the podcast, but we're talking about someone whose entire life has been turned upside down. She's spent around 20 years with Ethan, they have three children together, and their personal and professional lives are so closely connected. This isn't something she's going to process in a few weeks. It could take months, if not years, to properly come to terms with everything that's happened.
There's also the speculation that the affair involved a member of the podcast crew. People online have pointed to apparent unfollows involving the person being discussed, which has fuelled further rumours. That isn't proof of anything, and I would be extremely careful about drawing conclusions from social media activity alone. But if those rumours were eventually confirmed, it would add another incredibly painful dimension to an already devastating situation. It would mean the betrayal extended into a professional environment Hila has spent years helping to build, somewhere she should have been able to feel comfortable and secure.
I can't imagine how difficult any of this must be to process, particularly with three children to look after. The last thing I would want is for Hila to feel responsible for saving the podcast or protecting everyone else's careers while she's trying to look after herself and her family. She's already given an incredibly personal statement, and I don't think she owes the public anything further. My advice would be to step away from the noise as much as possible and let trusted people handle the practicalities.
For the business, I would focus on protecting the employees and establishing exactly what the options are before making any public commitments. That means getting proper legal advice, understanding the ownership structure and working out what financial obligations the company still has. If the podcast is on hold, the crew deserve clarity about what that means for their jobs and how long the business can realistically support them. I would also be careful about promising fans a new programme before anyone knows whether it can actually happen.
As for Ethan, I would strongly advise against attempting an immediate reputational comeback. I think it would be incredibly poorly received if he appeared more concerned about saving his career than the impact on his family and the people around him. There may come a time when he wants to address things publicly, but I don't think there's a statement, interview or apology that will suddenly change how people feel about him.
Sometimes the most important advice you can give someone in a crisis is to stop trying to control the public reaction. Ethan may have to accept that the professional consequences of his actions are not something he can simply talk his way out of.
Where does this leave everyone?
I think the saddest part of this situation is just how many people are affected. There are three children, a marriage of around 20 years and people whose professional futures have suddenly become uncertain. It's a horrible reminder of what can happen when someone's personal decisions have consequences far beyond their own life.
I feel particularly sorry for the crew. Imagine spending years helping to build something, developing your career and becoming part of a team, only to potentially lose your job because of circumstances completely outside your control. If that happens, it's an absolutely horrible way to lose your livelihood. I really hope there's a way for them to find some stability, whether that eventually involves H3 or something entirely different.
I do think there's a possible future for the people who helped make the programme successful, but there's no reason that needs to be decided immediately. Much will depend on what the lawyers establish, what Ethan is willing and able to agree to, and whether Hila has any interest in remaining involved. She may want nothing more to do with the podcast, and I wouldn't blame her for a second. If that's the case, the crew may still decide to develop their own concept, with a smaller audience and no guarantee of success. That's something they can explore when things have settled down.
More than anything, though, my heart breaks for Hila and her children. I've always admired her, both for what she's achieved professionally and because she's always come across as such a lovely person. I hope she has wonderful people around her and can focus entirely on herself and her family for as long as she needs.
I would love to see Hila and the crew go on to do something brilliant, whether together or separately, but I don't think anyone should be under pressure to turn something this painful into a new business opportunity straight away.
Whatever happens to H3, I wish everyone affected the very best. It's an incredibly sad situation, and I really hope that, given enough time, they're able to find some happiness and stability again, whether that involves a podcast or not.