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English YouTuber (born 1995) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ethan Leigh Payne (born 20 June 1995), better known as Behzinga, is an English YouTuber, streamer, and Internet personality. 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[update], 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.
| Behzinga | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Payne in 2023 | ||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | Ethan Leigh Payne 20 June 1995[1][2] London, England | |||||||||
| Education | South Essex College | |||||||||
| Occupations | ||||||||||
| Children | 1 | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2012–present | |||||||||
| Genres |
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| Subscribers | 7 million (combined)[3][4] | |||||||||
| Total views | 890 million (combined)[3][4] | |||||||||
| Associated acts | Sidemen | |||||||||
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Twitch information | ||||||||||
| Channel | ||||||||||
| Years active | 2012–present | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Games | ||||||||||
| Followers | 433 thousands[5] | |||||||||
Last updated: 24 April 2024 | ||||||||||
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 currently live together in Essex.[20][29]
Payne is a supporter of West Ham United F.C. and has appeared on the club's YouTube videos and podcast.[9][30]
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.[31][32]
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.[33][34] 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).[34][35][36]
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.[37][38][39]
Payne became an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust in September 2022.[40][20] A year later, he became the charity's first content icon.[40]
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.[41]
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.[42] The event managed to raise more than £100,000.[43]
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.[44][45]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | KSI: Can't Lose | Himself | Documentary | [46] |
| 2024 | The Sidemen Story | [47] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | The Sidemen Experience | Himself | Comedy Central UK | Main role; 5 episodes | [48] |
| 2017 | YouTube Rewind | YouTube | Episode: "The Shape of 2017" | [49] | |
| 2018 | The Sidemen Show | YouTube Premium | Main role; 7 episodes | [50] | |
| 2020 | MOTDx | BBC Three | Episode: "05/11/2020" | [51] | |
| How to Be Behzinga | YouTube | Lead role; 3 episodes | [52] | ||
| Hello 2021: UK | Guest | [53] | |||
| 2021 | What Should I Watch? | Guest presenter | [54] | ||
| 2024 | The Chase: Sidemen Edition | Special Spin-Off Episode | [55] | ||
| Inside | Host | Reality Show created by the Sidemen | [56] |
| Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Fighting Fit | Himself | Sky Sports | Episode: "Behzinga" | [57][58] |
| 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 | [63] |
| 2019 | Shorty Awards | Best YouTube Ensemble | Himself (shared with the Sidemen) | Nominated | [64] |
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