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Behzinga

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Not to be confused with Bazinga.

Behzinga
Payne in 2023
Personal information
Born
Ethan Leigh Payne

(1995-06-20) 20 June 1995 (age 29)[1][2]
London, England
EducationSouth Essex College
Occupations
Spouse
Faith Kelly
​
(m. 2024)​
Children1
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genres
Subscribers7 million (combined)[3][4]
Total views890 million (combined)[3][4]
Associated actsSidemen
100,000 subscribers2014
1,000,000 subscribers2015
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Genre
Games
Followers433 thousands[5]
Last updated: 24 April 2024

Ethan Leigh Payne (born 20 June 1995), better known as Behzinga, is an English YouTuber, streamer, and influencer. He produces videos on gaming, football, comedy, and fitness and is a co-founder and member of the British YouTube group Sidemen. In 2019, Payne was listed as the 31st most influential online creator in the United Kingdom by The Sunday Times.[6] As of September 2021, his main YouTube channel had over 4 million subscribers and 500 million video views.[3] He is the co-owner of XIX Vodka, Sidemen Clothing, restaurant chain Sides, and cereal brand Best Breakfasts.

Early life and education

Payne was born on 20 June 1995 in London and was raised almost entirely by his mother Ruth, who had cancer during his childhood. His biological father left before he was born and his stepfather, whom he had met when he was six months old and believed was his actual father, left when he was thirteen, due to drug addiction and debt.[1][7] Payne attended Marshalls Park School,[8] and then studied video games development at South Essex College.[6]

Career

Payne registered the "Behzinga" YouTube channel on 24 February 2012 while he was still in school.[3][9] He explained that the name comes from one of his favourite television series, The Big Bang Theory, in which Sheldon Cooper often uses the catchphrase "Bazinga!"; Payne altered the spelling.[1] His early content primarily featured video game commentaries on the Call of Duty and FIFA video game series.[9] Over time, his style of content diversified to include football, comedy, and fitness videos.[6][10][11]

Payne in 2014

On 19 October 2013, Payne and four other British YouTubers formed the entertainment collective Ultimate Sidemen, later shortened to simply Sidemen. Since 2014, the group has consisted of seven British YouTubers: Vikram Barn (Vikkstar123), Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa), Tobi Brown (TBJZL), Harry Lewis (W2S), Simon Minter (Miniminter), JJ Olatunji (KSI), and Payne.[12] The group produces online videos, most often consisting of challenges, sketches, and video-game commentary, as well as selling exclusive Sidemen merchandise.[13][14]

In September 2019, Payne was listed as the 31st most influential online creator in the United Kingdom by The Sunday Times.[6] That November, he provided commentary for KSI vs. Logan Paul II for Sky Sports Box Office.[15]

Other ventures

Business ventures

Main article: Sidemen § Other ventures

Payne and the Sidemen have founded multiple businesses throughout their online careers. In 2014 the group launched a clothing brand under the Sidemen Clothing banner.[16] In November 2021, they founded a restaurant chain known as Sides in collaboration with Reef.[17] In October 2022, they launched their own vodka brand known as XIX Vodka.[18] in March 2024, they launched a breakfast cereal brand known as Best Cereal in collaboration with Mornflake.[19]

Gymshark

Payne is sponsored by Gymshark, a British fitness apparel company, as part of the company's brand ambassadors and also the "Gymshark athletes".[20][21]

Growing Paynes podcast

Payne and his girlfriend, Faith Louisa Kelly, created and hosted a podcast together called Growing Paynes in July 2023.[22][23] They posted their first episode on 13 July 2023.[24] The podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify.[25] The podcast went viral in September 2023, after a clip of the podcast gained attention in which Payne and Kelly were debating about women taking their partner's surnames after marriage.[22][26]

Personal life

Payne and his girlfriend, Faith Louisa Kelly, have a child together, born in September 2022.[27] On 3 April 2024, the couple announced via Instagram that they are engaged.[28] They later got married in December 2024.[29] They currently live together in Essex.[20][30]

Payne is a supporter of West Ham United F.C. and has appeared on the club's YouTube videos and podcast.[9][31]

Health

Payne has become an advocate for mental health and has talked about the importance of sharing feelings and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness in men.[32][33]

In October 2020, he starred in the three-episode YouTube Originals documentary series How to Be Behzinga about his struggle with depression and his path towards running the London Marathon to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.[34][35] He revealed that he had previously been suffering from alcoholism and wanted to take his own life, but with support from his fellow Sidemen members, he was able to overcome his challenges. Also, during a stretch of time between 2018 and 2019, he had lost 36 kilograms (79 lb).[35][36][37]

Payne is asthmatic. On 24 April 2024, he tweeted that he had suffered from a life-threatening asthma attack during a Sidemen YouTube video recording and was hospitalised on 22 April 2024.[38][39][40]

Philanthropy

Payne became an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust in September 2022.[41][20] A year later, he became the charity's first content icon.[41]

Football charity matches

In August 2015, Payne and the Sidemen participated in the 2015 Wembley Cup football charity match, facing Spencer FC, playing as part of the Sidemen United team. The match ended with Spencer FC beating Sidemen United by five goals to two.[42]

In December 2021, Payne participated in a five-a-side football tournament hosted by YouTuber and sports commentator, True Geordie and Twitch, raising money for the Alan Shearer Foundation.[43] The event managed to raise more than £100,000.[44]

Between 2016 and 2023, Payne and the rest of the Sidemen hosted and participated in five charity football events, raising more than £3 million for various charities, including the Saint's Foundation, Childline, Young Minds, Charlton Athletic Community Trust, CALM, Teenage Cancer Trust, Rays of Sunshine, and M7 Education.[45][46]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2018 KSI: Can't Lose Himself Documentary [47]
2024 The Sidemen Story [48]
Web roles
Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2014 The Sidemen Experience Himself Comedy Central UK Main role; 5 episodes [49]
2017 YouTube Rewind YouTube Episode: "The Shape of 2017" [50]
2018 The Sidemen Show YouTube Premium Main role; 7 episodes [51]
2020 MOTDx BBC Three Episode: "05/11/2020" [52]
How to Be Behzinga YouTube Lead role; 3 episodes [53]
Hello 2021: UK Guest [54]
2021 What Should I Watch? Guest presenter [55]
2024 The Chase: Sidemen Edition Special Spin-Off Episode [56]
Inside Host Reality Show created by the Sidemen [57]
Television roles
Year Title Role Network Notes Ref.
2020 Fighting Fit Himself Sky Sports Episode: "Behzinga" [58][59]
Music videos
Year Title Artist(s) Role Ref.
2015 "Lamborghini" KSI feat. P Money Himself [60]
"Test Me" Jme [61]
"Keep Up" KSI feat. Jme [62]
2022 "Don't Lie" A1 x J1 feat. Nemzzz [63]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2017 British Book Awards Non-Fiction: Lifestyle Book of the Year "Sidemen: The Book" (shared with the Sidemen) Nominated [64]
2019 Shorty Awards Best YouTube Ensemble Himself (shared with the Sidemen) Nominated [65]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Sidemen (18 October 2016). Sidemen: The Book. Coronet Books. pp. 15–19. ISBN 978-1473648166. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  2. ^ @Behzinga (7 April 2015). "People that think my birthday is June 19th... Don't listen to a silly famous birthdays website. My Birthday is June 20th & I will be 20" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c d See:
  4. ^ a b "About Behzinga". YouTube.
  5. ^ "Behzinga's Twitch Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "The Sunday Times Influencer List 2019: meet the UK's top 100". The Sunday Times. 8 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 February 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Behzinga Takes On The London Marathon". How To Be Behzinga. Season 1. Episode 1. 19 October 2020. YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021.
  8. ^ Sessions, George (25 November 2016). "West Ham star Michail Antonio delights Marshalls Park pupils during visit". Romford Recorder. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "YouTuber to millions". West Ham United F.C. 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ^ Ellis, Philip (19 February 2020). "Watch an Average Guy Get Wrecked by the Navy SEALs Physical Fitness Test". Men's Health. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. ^ Hicks, Jesse (27 February 2020). "Watch What Happened When This Guy Trained Like the One-Punch Man for a Week". Men's Health. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. ^ Fogarty, Paul (17 September 2019). "YouTube: Get to know all seven Sidemen members". HITC. Archived from the original on 29 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  13. ^ Andrews, Farah. "Insomnia Dubai: YouTube stars Sidemen coming to gaming convention". The National. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  14. ^ "YouTube stars The Sidemen at Insomnia Dubai Gaming Festival". Gulf News. 10 September 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  15. ^ Gilbert, Peter (10 November 2019). "KSI v Logan Paul 2: British YouTube star KSI rules out third fight". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  16. ^ Andrews, Farah (11 September 2019). "Insomnia Dubai: YouTube stars Sidemen coming to gaming convention". The National. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  17. ^ Tabahriti, Sam (13 March 2022). "A fried chicken restaurant run by 7 YouTubers has opened its first branch after initially operating as a ghost kitchen. See inside". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 21 March 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "Who are the Sidemen? How KSI and friends amassed 123 million followers". The Times. 23 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  19. ^ Gutelle, Sam (21 March 2024). "The Sidemen have sold 100,000 boxes of cereal two weeks after launching their breakfast brand". Tubefilter. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Lee, Matt (19 February 2024). "The Sidemen's Ethan Payne's off-screen life from Essex childhood to Netflix film". Essex Live. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Sidemen YouTuber opens up about suicide attempt in new Netflix documentary". LADbible. 14 February 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  22. ^ a b Martin, Gina (28 September 2023). "Why are women still being pressured to take their partner's surnames after marriage?". Glamour UK. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  23. ^ Shuttleworth, Catherine (24 December 2023). "Sidemen star sparks controversy saying he'll finish FIFA before helping his partner with their baby". Indy100. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  24. ^ Growing Paynes (13 July 2023). Ethan & Faith On How She Got Pregnant, Cheating On Hen Do & Ethan Being Jealous... FULL PODCAST EP.1. Retrieved 20 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Growing Paynes". YouTube. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  26. ^ Daniel, Alex (26 September 2023). "YouTube star condemned for insisting his girlfriend take his surname | indy100". Indy100. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  27. ^ Payne, Ethan [@Behzinga] (25 September 2022). "What a weekend, Welcome to the world Olive Ottilie Payne 💚 My heart couldn't be more full, I am beyond proud of @Faithlouisak for everything. Women are super heroes. Forever loving my little family 🫒💚 instagram.com/p/Ci8JtabrI55/…" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ @faithlouisak (3 April 2024). "Easiest, Yes, ever. 🥹💍✨" – via Instagram.
  29. ^ @behzingagram (15 December 2024). "Mr & Mrs Payne 🤍" – via Instagram.
  30. ^ Boomin Property (30 January 2022). INSIDE BEHZINGA'S NEW DREAM HOUSE. Retrieved 20 June 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ West Ham TV (20 February 2024). "Iron Cast | Behzinga on his love for West Ham, remarkable YouTube rise and scoring at London Stadium | West Ham United F.C." WHUFC. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  32. ^ Nalwimba, Pilar; Chimonides, Joanna (18 August 2020). "Ethan Payne: The Reality of YouTube". The Reality Tea (Podcast). BBC Sounds. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  33. ^ Dingley, Tom (22 February 2021). "Poet is joined by The Sidemen's own Behzinga on a brand new episode of 'The One Po Show'". Link Up TV. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  34. ^ "Anne-Marie, GRM Daily and Sidemen's Behzinga to Be Focus of YouTube Originals' Autumn Documentaries" (Press release). YouTube. The Futon Critic. 19 August 2020. Archived from the original on 20 August 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  35. ^ a b Jouavel, Levi (22 October 2020). "Behzinga: How I overcame drinking and depression". BBC News. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  36. ^ Roberts, Alex (27 October 2020). "YouTube star Behzinga says 36 kilogram weight loss transformation saved his life". Joe. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  37. ^ Griffin, Louise (19 October 2020). "YouTuber Behzinga's Sidemen 'family' helped him through mental health struggles and epic fitness transformation". Metro. Archived from the original on 30 December 2020. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  38. ^ Payne, Ethan [@Behzinga] (24 April 2024). "quick update for you lot ❤️‍🩹" (Tweet). Retrieved 24 April 2024 – via Twitter.
  39. ^ JOE (24 April 2024). "Sidemen star Ethan Payne suffers life-threatening asthma attack". JOE.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  40. ^ Sidemen (5 May 2024). SIDEMEN $500,000 vs $500 MOBILE HOME ROAD TRIP (YouTube video). Event occurs at 1:20:34. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  41. ^ a b "Ethan Payne (Behzinga) | Teenage Cancer Trust Icon". Teenage Cancer Trust. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  42. ^ Association, The Football. "It's Spencer FC v Sidemen United in EE's Wembley Cup". TheFA. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  43. ^ Brown, Andy (7 December 2021). "Twitch Rivals hosts charity football stream with some famous faces". NME. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  44. ^ thekickofftg (9 December 2021). "WOW! An incredible £100,000 raised today for the @AlanShearerFndn👏Thank you so much to everybody who watched + donated today, it's fantastic to raise such a big amount for such a great cause ..." Twitter. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  45. ^ "Watford YouTuber KSI 'so proud' as star-studded charity match thriller raises £1m". Watford Observer. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  46. ^ Gutelle, Sam (11 September 2023). "Sidemen raise £2.4 million, break YouTube viewership records with 2023 charity match". Tubefilter. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  47. ^ Hale, James (10 August 2018). "KSI Releases Documentary 'Can't Lose' Ahead Of Logan Paul Boxing Match Up". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on 22 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  48. ^ Shah, Furvah (2 February 2024). "Sidemen's Netflix documentary: Release date, trailer, cast and more". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  49. ^ "Who Are The Sidemen? – The Sidemen Experience". ComedyCentral.co.uk. October 2014. Archived from the original on 19 January 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  50. ^ "YouTube Rewind: The Shape of 2017". 6 December 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2024 – via YouTube.
  51. ^ White, Peter (2 June 2018). "'The Sidemen Show': YouTube Debuts First Trailer & Dates Premium Reality Challenge Format". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 20 November 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  52. ^ "MOTDx – 05/11/2020". BBC Online. 5 November 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  53. ^ Kanter, Jake (19 August 2020). "YouTube Lines Up Originals On GRM Daily, Ethan Payne & Anne-Marie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  54. ^ Duffield, Charlie (31 December 2020). "YouTube Hello 2021 line-up: What time UK New Year's Eve event starts tonight, how to watch and cast in full". i. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  55. ^ Sky UK (7 April 2021). "Behzinga Doesn't Know His Own Strength, Breaks The Set... ft. Katherine Ryan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  56. ^ "ITV's The Chase to face major format shake-up for epic special episode". EXPRESS.co.uk. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  57. ^ Copson, Josie (27 May 2024). "YouTube gameshow with staggering £1,000,000 prize fund rivals traditional TV". Metro. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  58. ^ "Fighting Fit: Launch of new health and fitness series produced by Matchroom Boxing and Sky Sports". Sky Sports. 4 April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  59. ^ "Fighting Fit 2: Behzinga". Sky Sports. April 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  60. ^ "KSI - Lamborghini (Explicit) ft. P Money". 25 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2024 – via YouTube.
  61. ^ "Jme - Test Me". 3 September 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2024 – via YouTube.
  62. ^ "KSI Ft JME – KEEP UP (Official Video)". 15 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2024 – via YouTube.
  63. ^ "A1 x J1 - Don't Lie (Official Video) ft. Nemzzz". 14 October 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2024 – via YouTube.
  64. ^ "Hachette and Penguin Random House lead British Book Awards Books of the Year shortlists". The Bookseller. 15 March 2017. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  65. ^ "11th Annual Influencer Nominees". Shorty Awards. 28 January 2019. Archived from the original on 31 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
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