"Phan" Is Real, Folks — Here's a Look at Dan and Phil's Relationship Timeline

When Dan Howell and Phil Lester first hit the internet with their joint YouTube channel, Dan and Phil, in 2009, people were instantly smitten. Over the years, fans have only grown to love the duo more thanks to their genuine personalities and the happy, feel-good vibes they give off. Given how well they mesh and the chemistry they’ve displayed for over a decade, people couldn’t help but speculate that Dan and Phil were together, romantically, that is.

While the two never confirmed it before, everything changed on Oct. 13, 2025, when they announced via their YouTube channel that they actually are in a relationship. Alas, the rumors and speculation were right! Here’s everything to know about when they first got together and how it’s going for them now.

Phan is real, folks, in case you were wondering. That’s right, Dan and Phil, the duo behind the Dan and Phil YouTube channel, are an item, and have been for quite some time. When did they start dating, and how? We know you have tons of questions, and thankfully, after years of keeping their status under wraps, Dan and Phil broke it all down in a single YouTube video, and we’re detailing it all for you here.

So Dan and Phil have been dating for about 15 years, basically since they launched their YouTube channel in 2009. That long? Yes, that long! It’s hard to believe they were able to keep their romance so tightly sealed for so many years, but they did it, even though fans always had a hunch they were an item thanks to their obvious chemistry.

The two first met online in 2009, and toward the end of the year, they met in person and began filming content together, essentially birthing their channel. While they were an item, Dan and Phil agreed to keep their relationship quiet so the focus of their channel would stay on their content, not their romance.

By 2011, the duo had moved in together and relocated to London, still keeping their relationship under wraps while pumping out tons of content that would go viral over the years. By 2018, they decided to pause the channel, taking a break after years of online success. Then, in 2019, a pivotal moment came when Dan came out as gay, and Phil followed behind shortly after. Still, there was no confirmation that the two were an item, just “respected performers,” as Dan described their relationship.

By 2023, Dan and Phil were back at it. While they had previously downplayed their relationship for viewers, even going so far as to deny in comments that they were together, they actually were. Throughout 2023 and 2024, the duo continued releasing content and touring, and by October 2025, they decided it was no longer ideal to keep their romance under wraps. So, they came out to the world, letting everyone know: yes, they are together.

As mentioned, Dan and Phil wanted the focus of their content to be on that, not on them being romantically involved with one another. Once a pair reaches a certain level of internet stardom and it’s known they’re a couple, there’s a lot of interference, with people speculating and offering unsolicited opinions that can impact the quality of a relationship.

But Dan revealed in their lengthy coming-out YouTube video in October 2025 that they decided to reveal their status “because it got so loud that we couldn’t ignore it, we were being left with the choice of either address it or suppress it.”

Now, they are entering a new chapter with their fans and encouraging everyone to only take the information they share about their relationship, asking people to avoid “digging into things we don’t share.” Phil also added, “We’d love to just finally be ourselves and do what we love, which is really how this should have been this whole time.”