It’s not uncommon for YouTubers to collaborate, coming together to create a video or two for each of their channels. What’s less common, however, is for a group of YouTubers to make a whole channel together.
But that’s what the Sidemen have been doing for over almost a decade.
The group and channel is made up of seven members: Olajide “JJ” Olatunji, Harry Lewis, Simon Minter, Vikram Barn, Josh Bradley, Ethan Payne and Tobit “Tobi” Brown, all of whom have their own personal YouTube channels. But for years, these seven friends have worked together to upload videos every Sunday onto the collaboration channel—and each video averages more than an hour in length.
Of course, the content varies widely. In some videos, half the group enjoys a luxury trip, while the other half endures a miserable one. In others, they get together to play video games, compete in challenges, go on road trips and seek to woo women.
Note: Sidemen was requested by a user of Plugged In. Do you have a YouTube channel you’d like us to review? Submit your request by sending it to [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram so we can check it out!
For many years, the Sidemen have run a recurring charity soccer match, often involving other YouTubers or internet personalities as players, too. And as the group has grown more popular, they’ve managed to raise more money each year. Their most recent match took place at Wembley Stadium on March 8, 2025, and it raised nearly $6 million (in USD) for BBC Children in Need.
There’s also something to be said about the seven YouTubers and friends sticking together throughout the years. Though some of them have grown far more on the site than others, they continue to collaborate and work together on videos. It’s clear that they truly care for one another.
The Sidemen sometimes collaborate with other YouTubers.
The septet make constant jokes or references to sex. In one video, a few of them watch in-person “sex shows” offscreen and then describe what happened to their audience later. In videos where they attempt to woo women in a game that’s meant to be the real-life form of the dating app Tinder, they intentionally use raunchy pick-up lines referencing sex acts or genitalia. In another video, they compete in sports against women who sell pornographic content on OnlyFans. Likewise, they advertise their behind-the-scenes streaming service Side+ by often depicting women in revealing outfits.
Crude language is frequent as well, including the f-, s- and c-words. Other profanities, such as “a–” and “h—,” can be heard often, too. God’s name is frequently used in vain. Jesus’ name is likewise often misused. And we also hear plenty of dark humor, too, referencing pedophilia, abusive parents and suicide.
The group often drinks alcohol, too, including a “drinking mukbang.” Some videos involve the group getting inebriated while playing games. And their video descriptions lead with multiple links to their various consumer products, including their own vodka brand.
The main demographic watching Sidemen videos is young adult men, anywhere from 18 to 30 years old. And the content on the channel certainly falls into that demographic category, too.
Now, nowhere does Sidemen imply that their content is for anyone under the age of 18—it’s obvious they’re catering to a young male adult audience. But there will be plenty of underage kids who will discover this channel and may want to watch it, especially if they’re hanging out at all with older guys. And for those teens, they’ll be exposed to a whole lot of content, from frequent discussions and references to sex to harsh language to drinking games.
The Sidemen’s seven members have done a lot of good, selflessly raising millions of dollars for children’s charities. But it’s those same children that parents likely won’t want clicking on one of the channel’s videos.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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