"You Knew It Was Coming": KSI Addresses Sidemen Members Directly After Shock Exit Leaves Them Grieving
KSI has broken his silence after leaving the Sidemen, addressing the boys directly in an Instagram post that nobody quite saw coming. Here is what he said and what it reveals about his exit.
KSI's departure from the Sidemen after 13 years sent shockwaves through YouTube when it was confirmed last week. The questions that followed were predictable. Why now? Why at all? JJ has not given one clean answer, but between a recent YouTube video and a lengthy Instagram post, fans are starting to piece things together. And what he wrote to the Sidemen directly is the part nobody quite expected.
KSI Speaks to the Sidemen Boys in a Direct Instagram Message
The Instagram post is what got everyone talking. KSI addressed the Sidemen members personally, writing: "Now lemme speak directly to the boys. 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."
That line, "you knew it was coming for a while," landed differently for a lot of fans. It suggested this was not a sudden decision. It had been building. He also addressed the wider audience in the same post, writing: "I know this news has been hard to deal with. I know that some people don't want to believe it. But it's real. I will be leaving the Sidemen. Writing this is just sad. I'm sad. Of course I'm sad."
He did not leave it on a low note. He told the boys: "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." He ended the post with: "In the end you know how I am, so you know that I have to do this for my sanity. It's still so mad that all of this started from all those Skype calls. Trains ftw hahaha. I love you guys."
KSI Opens Up About Burnout and Why He Needed Out
The Instagram post gave fans the emotional side of things. A separate video on his KSI+ YouTube channel filled in the rest. In it, JJ laid out exactly how stretched thin he has become. He is currently managing his main YouTube channel, Sidemen content, Britain's Got Talent, Baller League, music projects, and a list of other commitments running at the same time.
He admitted he has been "struggling time-wise" and said his calendar was so packed that anyone who looked at it would wonder when he gets a moment to breathe. His first holiday of the year is not expected until late September or October.
The personal stuff hit harder for KSI. While talking about his mother's 60th birthday, he reflected on how rarely he has seen his parents over the last decade. He said he could count those visits on his hands. That moment seemed to shift something for him. He said he does not want a life where work is the only thing he has to show for everything he has built, and that his girlfriend and family need more of him than his current schedule allows. He never directly said burnout was the reason he left the Sidemen. He did not need to