I Lost Focus and Had a Consensual Workplace Relationship

About

I Lost Focus and Had a Consensual Workplace Relationship is a quote from The Try Guys member Ned Fulmer as a part of his response and apology to cheating on his wife Ariel with a younger co-worker, Alexandria Herring, which got him kicked out of the YouTube group formerly associated with BuzzFeed in late September 2022. The catchphrase trended on Twitter in the following days, often paired with multiple image macros from different TV shows and subcultures.

Origin

On September 27th, 2022, Ned Fulmer posted on both Twitter^[1] and Instagram^[2] a "notes app" style apology statement following news of his cheating scandal going viral that read:

Family should have always been my priority, but I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship. I'm sorry for any pain that my actions may have caused to the guys and the fans but most of all to Ariel. The only thing that matters right now is my marriage and my children, and that's where I am going to focus my attention.

Fulmer's tweet received roughly 26,400 likes in two days (shown below) and his Instagram post received roughly 145,600 likes in two days.

To many, the apology was objectively hilarious, mostly due to his line, "I lost focus and had a consensual workplace relationship," because Fulmer was emphasizing that his affair with a younger co-worker was "consensual," therefore subtly defending it while also avoiding further cancelation regarding possible MeToo allegations.

Reactions ensued of this nature, for example, Twitter^[3] user ynaishteru replied to Fulmer's tweet on the same day, writing, "'Consensual workplace relationship' is such a lousy way to say cheating. Time to make use of your Yale Chemistry degree, I guess," gaining roughly 53,700 likes in two days (shown below).

Roughly an hour later on September 27th, 2022, Twitter^[4] user princekendalI was the first meme creator to caption an image macro with the phrase, doing so with a screencap from HBO's Succession showing the characters Greg Hirsch and Tom Wambsgans. In two days, the tweet received roughly 7,300 likes (shown below).

Spread

Going into the rest of September 2022, the catchphrase was referenced alongside other memetic trends. For instance, on September 27th, Twitter^[5] user tattyoIdthing referenced the Slut Era trend in a tweet that received roughly 160,400 likes in two days (shown below, left). On September 28th, Twitter^[6] user RhodeToLove captioned a screencap from the 2022 South Korean movie The Handmaiden, gaining roughly 54,000 likes in one day (shown below, right).

Various Examples

Search Interest

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External References