KSI announces he is leaving YouTube group The Sidemen

In a new video uploaded to his YouTube channel today (May 31), the day after the BGT final, the star announced he would be splitting from the seven-man social media group.

The Sidemen (SDMN), which also consists of Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, TBJZL, Behzinga, and Wroetoshaw, have been together since 2013, and have millions of subscribers across multiple channels.

However, KSI, whose real name is Olajide ‘JJ’ Olatunji, is set to ‘leave’ the group.

KSI announces he is ‘leaving’ YouTube group The Sidemen

In a video posted on social media, he said: “This is honestly the hardest video I’ve ever had to make in my life.

“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.”

He later added: “The truth is, nothing bad has happened.

“This decision is completely my own.

“Over the last few years, I’ve felt myself being pulled in a lot of directions than ever before.

“Between everything else in my life, I feel like I’ve been running at full speed at 100mph.

“I’ve spent so long trying to be everything for everyone, trying to be everywhere, trying to do it all, trying not to let anyone down.

“But somewhere along the way, I started losing the balance in my own life.”

KSI joined the judging panel full-time for the latest series of Britain’s Got Talent (Image: Thames/ITV)

KSI went on to thank each of the Sidemen, as well as the crew behind the scenes and the fans.

He concluded by saying: “For now, I need to focus on myself, and I need to focus on fixing my work-life balance, just so I can finally focus on my health, and finally make time to see my family and make time to see my partner.”

“There isn’t an atom of bad feeling between him and The Sidemen, both understand that they’ve got huge workloads and are enjoying massive success,” an insider told The Sun.

“That just means they’ll have to move in different directions, but that doesn’t mean they won’t work together again at some point in the future.”

Is KSI really leaving the Sidemen?

Some fans were not entirely convinced the news was true.

It is not the first time KSI has left the group, having claimed to have split from The Sidemen in 2017.

KSI is officially leaving the Sidemen. 💔

He will no longer be appearing in Sidemen videos from today, Sunday 31st May. pic.twitter.com/3OeB8GsnA8

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— Sidemen Updates (@sdmnfcupdates) May 31, 2026

However, this did not officially happen, and instead led to a series of back-and-forth ‘diss tracks’ from members of the group.

Fans of the group did predict that the latest announcement was a forfeit of some kind.

One wrote: “This has to be a forfeit.”

Another added: “This can’t be real.”

A third said: “I really can’t tell if it’s true or not.”

However, others believed the announcement, with one writing: “Good on him. I wish him well. Time to focus on family and relationships.”

Another said: “It’s real, and that’s okay. Family and relationships above content all day, every day.”

KSI’s departure from the Sidemen was confirmed in a social media post from the group.

It read: “We’re sad to share the news that JJ has decided not to continue as part of the Sidemen.

“We had an amazing time on this journey with him and we wish him all the best with his future endeavours.

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“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.

“This came as a surprise to us and we know it will be an adjustment for you, but we’ve got lots of exciting stuff planned that we can’t wait to share.”

Are you a fan of The Sidemen? Let us know in the comments.