KSI triggers fresh Sidemen theory after new photo fuels speculation for him leaving
Well, who could have predicted it? Since KSI announced he had left the Sidemen last weekend there’s been a whole load of speculation, rumours and responses.
And now things have leaned more towards the odder sign as the 32-year-old has updated his profile picture across social media.
Real name Olajide Olatunji, he shared a video on Sunday (31 May) as he said he was leaving the YouTube collective which includes Vikkstar123 (Vikram 'Vik' Singh Bar), Zerkaa (Joshua Bradley), Miniminter (Simon Minter), TBJZL (Tobi 'Tobi' Brown), Wroetoshaw/W2S (Harry Lewis) and Behzinga (Ethan Payne).
Sidemen said KSI’s departure came as a ‘surprise’ and it came to light that a few of them were ‘angry’ with the Britain’s Got Talent judge.
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But fans have now been given a new layer that they’re trying to decode: KSI updating his picture to an elephant.
Now, you could probably decode it in a way by describing it literally: it’s a big elephant standing in a room.
You know, like, ‘there’s an elephant in the room’.
One X user reshared the image with the text: “Address me,” as others reiterated: “Let’s address the elephant in the room.”
It could easily be argued that this suggests there are reasons behind KSI’s exit or the announcement itself that have not been acknowledged and are, drumroll LADs, an elephant in the room.
“Just tell us what’s going on leave the dramatic stuff,” one fan said.
Others did suggest that KSI is ‘too old to be acting like this’ while another suggested: “Ik why he’s done that none of the sidemen have said anything on socials other than Harry they need to address it.”
And a second said: “Oh what the sidemen have to say about the elephant in the room? That’s the context guys search no more.”
Well, if it is that KSI is waiting for members of the Sidemen to address his exit (his exit being the elephant perhaps), he did address them yesterday.
The Prime co-founder said in a statement on Wednesday: “I know you’re all grieving in your own way because of my decision, but you knew it was coming for a while.
"And I know some of you are angry, some of you don’t want to accept it, some of you might even hate me, and some of you are just upset. It’s ok, I’ll always be here for you. I always have been here for you.
"Don’t see this as the end, see this as a new era or a new beginning. Be optimistic. Think positively. You have an audience that adore you. An audience that enjoy the content. An audience that have grown with us.
"You’re all very entertaining so don’t think otherwise. You’ve done this without me before and it was great haha. But in the end you know how I am, so you know that I have to do this for my sanity... I love you guys."
'Strange' reactions from Sidemen and their significant others
Simon Minter
Better known online as Miniminter, Simon said he was taken aback to hear that KSI had suddenly shared the news on Sunday.
In a vlog which he filmed before attending Soccer Aid in support of his pals such as Angry Ginge, the 33-year-old said: "You may have seen the news that has just been dropped.
"I didn’t know that video was going out now so I’m expecting a lot of people to just ask me about that..."
Vikram Barn
YouTube star Vik - who is also known as Vikram Singh Barn, Vikkstar123 and Vikkstar - kept it short and sweet when it came to crafting a personal response to the news that KSI was leaving.
Amid speculation that the Sidemen might be staging an elaborate prank, he confirmed this was not the case with a short post on X that read: "Sadly this isn’t a prank…we wish JJ all the best."
Harry Lewis
W2S also shared a cryptic post on X, but it has since been deleted. It read: "Send me your fav W2S and KSI Sidemen moments to react to, I just got a brand deal through."
Freya Nightingale
The significant other of Zerkaa, AKA Josh Bradley, also had an unusual response when quizzed about her thoughts on KSI's exit.
"I’m not gonna talk on it until the boys have," Freya Nightingale said during a stream. "That’s all I have to say. And even after the boys talk on it, will I talk on it? Probably not. It’s nothing to do with me.
"It’s not my business. So, for me to come on here and talk about things that the boys haven’t specifically spoken about themselves yet, I feel like is a bit disrespectful. That's all I'm going to say on the matter."
Talia Mar
Singer and streamer Talia Mar, who is married to Minter, took a similar stance while she was conversing with her fans.
"I’m obviously not gonna talk about the JJ stuff," she said. "It’s not my place to. Yes, it’s true. But yeah, we need to let everyone process it and they can talk on it when they want to. That’s not for me to have conversations about."
According to KSI's business partner Logan Paul, his departure is the result of him wanting to take his foot off the gas a little bit.
The Impaulsive podcast host said: "I don’t want to air out his information but generally, he was excited to get some time back for himself and for what he wants to do with his life.
"He’s growing as a creator, and as a person - as we all are. He’s an adult now and he just wants time and Sidemen was taking a lot of time. It’s a massive channel and their output is a lot."
Topics: KSI, Celebrity, YouTube, Social Media
Jess Battison