Sidemen: Who's In The Group Today And How It Began
Sidemen members, history and business ventures explained in one place, with company records checked and speculative net-worth claims avoided.
Author:James RowleyOct 30, 2026
Who Are The Sidemen? Members, Origins And Key Facts
If you've heard the name Sidemenbut aren't sure who's actually in the group anymore, you're not alone. The line-up changed for the first time in over a decade in 2026, and a lot of what's written about them online hasn't caught up. This profile gives you the current picture: who's in the group now, how it started, what it runs as a business, and why it's back in the news.
I put this together by checking the group's own public statements against the wider news coverage, rather than repeating whatever number happened to be circulating. Where a fact is solid, you'll see it stated plainly. Where it isn't (and net worth is the biggest offender here), you'll see that flagged too.
Sidemen At A Glance
- Sidemen is a British YouTube group founded on 19 October 2013.
- The current line-up has six members after KSI's departure on 31 May 2026.
- Members are Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123 and W2S.
- The group runs Sidemen Clothing, Sides restaurants, XIX Vodka, Best Cereal and the SIDE+ membership platform.
- Its business side operates through four limited companies based in Worthing, West Sussex, with a dedicated CEO in place since January 2026.
Who Are The Sidemen?
You'll get the clearest possible answer here: who's actually in the group today, and why that's different from what a lot of older articles still say.
State of play: if you've seen an article listing seven members, including KSI, treat it as out of date. Since 31 May 2026, the Sidemen have been a six-person group. That single change is the reason so many people are searching for the group right now.
Current Members And What Each Is Known For
| Member | Known For |
| Miniminter (Simon Minter) | Long-time co-founder; football content and the "What's Good" podcast |
| Zerkaa (Josh Bradley) | Co-founder; group gaming videos and challenges |
| TBJZL (Tobi Brown) | Co-founder; football-focused content and vlogs |
| Behzinga (Ethan Payne) | Coined the group's name; fitness and challenge videos |
| Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn) | Early Minecraft and gaming content, plus music side projects |
| W2S / Wroetoshaw (Harry Lewis) | Football-heavy content; joined the group in 2014 |
You don't need to memorise all of that. The takeaway is simple: six people, all with years of history together, each with a slightly different lane inside the group's shared content.
KSI's Departure And Why The Line-Up Changed In 2026
KSI (Olajide "JJ" Olatunji) was one of the group's founding members and, for most of its history, its most recognisable face. On 31 May 2026, he announced he was stepping away from the Sidemen after twelve years, calling it the hardest video he'd ever made.NME's report on the announcementconfirms both his statement and the group's response in full.
His stated reason was burnout and a struggle to balance an increasingly packed schedule (music, boxing, television, and his own business ventures) with family life. He was explicit that there was no falling out behind the decision. The remaining six members confirmed they were staying together and would continue producing Sidemen content without him.
It's worth separating this from an earlier moment in the group's history. Back in 2017, KSI posted a video suggesting he was leaving after a public dispute with Behzinga, a storyline that later turned out to be heavily exaggerated for content. The 2026 departure is a different kind of event: confirmed by both KSI and the group, framed as personal rather than dramatic, and treated as permanent. Understanding that difference is the fastest way to get why this news landed the way it did.
How The Sidemen Started
Before the businesses and the stadium-sized charity events, the Sidemen were just a group of friends playing video games together. This section covers how six separate YouTubers became one of Britain's biggest content brands, and it's a pattern that's played out elsewhere too: Niko Omilana's own path, for instance, followed a similar route from solo content into co-founding the collective Beta Squad.
From A GTA Online Crew To The Ultimate Sidemen
The group's roots go back to 2013, when a handful of UK gaming YouTubers, including KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL and Behzinga, began recording Grand Theft Auto Online sessions together. They called themselves The Ultimate Sidemen, a name that nodded to the idea of being "side" characters supporting each other's channels rather than a formal brand. Vikkstar123 and W2S joined shortly after, rounding the group out to seven.
What started as a shared hobby between friends who already knew each other from school and early YouTube circles turned into something bigger once the group began uploading collaborative content on a shared channel, rather than only appearing in each other's individual videos.
Building The Channel And Sidemen Sunday
The dedicated Sidemen YouTube channel grew quickly once it launched, and by January 2018 the group had settled into a weekly upload rhythm known as Sidemen Sunday. That consistency, a big group of distinct personalities producing one reliable format every week, is a large part of why the channel built such a loyal audience.
Over time, the format expanded well beyond gaming into challenges, football-based content, and large group vlogs, which set up the next stage: spreading that content across multiple dedicated channels.
Sidemen Timeline: Key Moments
| Year | Milestone |
| 2013 | Group forms as The Ultimate Sidemen, making GTA Online content |
| 2014 | Vikkstar123 and W2S join; Sidemen Clothing launches |
| 2016 | Sidemen Charity Match begins as a recurring event |
| 2018 | MoreSidemen sub-channel launches; Sidemen Sunday becomes a fixture |
| 2020 | SidemenReacts sub-channel launches |
| 2021 | SidemenShorts launches; SIDE+ membership platform launches; Sides restaurant chain opens |
| 2022 | XIX Vodka launches |
| 2024 | Best Cereal launches; physical Sidemen Clothing store opens in Birmingham |
| Jan 2026 | Sidemen Entertainment appoints a dedicated CEO |
| May 2026 | KSI departs the group after 12 years |
The Sidemen's Channels And Content
You'll often see the Sidemen name attached to more than one channel, and it helps to know what each one is actually for.
Main Channel And Sub-Channels
The core Sidemen channel carries the flagship Sidemen Sunday uploads and the group's biggest collaborative videos. Around that, several sub-channels handle specific formats: MoreSidemen for lower-key, everyday content; SidemenReacts for reaction-style videos; and SidemenShorts for short-form clips built for YouTube's Shorts format. A Spanish-language channel, Sidemen En Español, was also launched to reach Spanish-speaking fans, though it has seen no new uploads in recent years.
Together, these channels give the group a combined audience in the tens of millions, with the main channel alone holding over 20 million subscribers.
The Sidemen Charity Match
Since 2016, the group has organised the Sidemen Charity Match, a football fixture between two teams of influencers that'sraised over £14.7 millionfor British charities across its various editions. Guest players have ranged across the wider creator world, including streamers like Jynxzi, who played for the YouTube All-Stars side at Wembley. The event has been staged at grounds including St Mary's Stadium, the Valley, London Stadium and, most recently, Wembley Stadium for the 2026 edition.
It's one of the clearest examples of the group turning its audience into something with a tangible, verifiable outcome rather than just view counts, which is exactly why it's held up as a highlight rather than just another upload.
The Businesses Behind The Sidemen Brand
Beyond YouTube, the Sidemen name now covers a genuine portfolio of consumer brands. This section explains what they are and how the business side is actually structured.
Sidemen Clothing, Sides, XIX Vodka And Best Cereal
Sidemen Clothing was the group's first venture outside YouTube, launched back in 2014, and later expanded into a physical store at Birmingham's Bullring in 2024. Since then, the group has added Sides, a fried chicken restaurant chain launched in partnership with Reef in 2021; XIX Vodka, a spirits brand launched in 2022; and Best Cereal (also marketed as Best Breakfasts), a cereal line launched with Mornflake in 2024.
Each of these ventures uses the group's existing audience as a built-in customer base, which is a large part of why they've been able to launch physical retail and food products rather than sticking to merchandise alone.
SIDE+ And The Company Structure
SIDE+ is the group's paid membership platform, launched in September 2021, offering content beyond what's available for free on YouTube. Behind all of this, the group's business interests run through several limited companies, includingSidemen Entertainment LimitedandSidemen Holdings Limited, both filed with Companies House and based in Worthing, West Sussex. Since January 2026, Sidemen Entertainment has had a dedicated CEO, a sign the group is formalising its operations rather than running everything on an ad hoc basis between members.
A note on how the money actually works: I'd treat any confident-sounding "Sidemen net worth" figure you see online with real caution. Reported estimates for the group's combined wealth vary enormously between sources, sometimes by well over £100 million, and none of the ones I checked show their working. What is publicly confirmed, via the official company filings linked above, is the corporate structure behind the group; what isn't independently verifiable is any personal wealth ranking, so I'd rather tell you that honestly than hand you a number that looks authoritative but isn't.
Why People Are Searching For Sidemen Right Now
If you've landed here in 2026, it's almost certainly because of one of two things: you saw headlines about KSI leaving and want the full picture, or you're trying to work out who's actually left in the group. Both questions point to the same answer. The Sidemen are continuing as a six-person group, the departure was confirmed as amicable by both sides, and the business side of things, including the four companies and their new CEO, is carrying on regardless of the line-up change.
That combination, a rare on-camera exit handled without public drama, plus a business structure clearly built to outlast any one member, is arguably the most interesting thing about the Sidemen story in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Are The Sidemen?
The Sidemen are a British YouTube collective formed in 2013, known for gaming, football and challenge content produced across several channels.
Who Are The Current Members Of The Sidemen?
The six current members are Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123 and W2S, following KSI's departure in May 2026.
Did KSI Leave The Sidemen?
Yes. KSI left the group on 31 May 2026 after twelve years, describing the decision as personal and amicable rather than the result of any dispute.
Why Did KSI Leave The Sidemen?
He cited burnout and a need to find more time for his family, explicitly stating there was no falling out with the other members.
When Did The Sidemen Start?
The group formed on 19 October 2013, originally as an unofficial crew making Grand Theft Auto Online videos together.
Why Are The Sidemen So Famous?
A consistent weekly upload schedule, large group challenge formats, and crossovers into football, business ventures and charity events have kept the group in the spotlight for over a decade.
Who Is The Richest Sidemen Member?
Public estimates vary hugely between sources and aren't consistently sourced or verifiable, so no single figure can be stated with confidence.
Are The Sidemen All Millionaires?
Most members have substantial income from YouTube and their shared business ventures, but precise personal net-worth figures aren't independently confirmed.
Do Sidemen Pay Their Guests?
This hasn't been officially confirmed by the group, so it isn't something you can take as settled fact either way.
What Businesses Do The Sidemen Own?
Sidemen Clothing, the Sides restaurant chain, XIX Vodka, Best Cereal and the SIDE+ membership platform.
Who Owns Sidemen The Company?
The group's ventures run through several limited companies controlled by the members, headquartered in Worthing, West Sussex, and filed publicly with Companies House.
What Is Sidemen Sunday?
The group's long-running weekly upload tradition on their main channel, a fixture since January 2018.
What Is SIDE+?
A paid membership platform launched in September 2021, offering content beyond the group's free YouTube videos.
How Much Has The Sidemen Charity Match Raised?
Over £14.7 million for British charities across the events held since 2016.
Where Is The Sidemen Charity Match Held?
It has rotated between venues including St Mary's Stadium, the Valley, London Stadium and, in 2026, Wembley Stadium.
How Many Subscribers Does Sidemen Have?
Tens of millions combined across all channels, with the main channel alone holding over 20 million subscribers.
Will The Sidemen Line-up Change Again?
The remaining six members have confirmed they're continuing together, and no further line-up changes have been announced.
Quick Recap
The Sidemen have gone from a small GTA Online crew in 2013 to a six-person media and business operation running clothing, food, drinks and a membership platform, all while weathering the biggest change in their history: KSI's departure in May 2026. If you take one thing from this, it's that the group didn't end when its most famous face left. It simply became a different, smaller group carrying on the same weekly format that built its audience in the first place.
Whatever comes next for KSI individually, including projects like his boxing career that first crossed paths with fellow creator Joe Weller, the remaining six have made clear this isn't a pause. It's the next chapter of a group that's already lasted longer than most YouTube collectives ever do.
For more sourced, evidence-first profiles of entertainment and public figures like this one, browseour celebrities section.
Jump to
Who Are The Sidemen? Members, Origins And Key Facts
Who Are The Sidemen?
KSI's Departure And Why The Line-Up Changed In 2026
How The Sidemen Started
Sidemen Timeline: Key Moments
The Sidemen's Channels And Content
The Businesses Behind The Sidemen Brand
Why People Are Searching For Sidemen Right Now
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Recap
James Rowley
Author
James Rowley is a London-based writer and researcher covering London life, cultural geography, London travel, live London webcam pages and selected public figures across entertainment, sport, business and public life.
For over 15 years, he has focused on verified sources, first-hand local context and clear explanations that help readers understand both places and people more deeply. His work combines street-level London knowledge with careful research into career credits, media work, business interests and, where relevant, transparently explained net worth estimates.
He writes and reviews articles published on LondonWebcam.
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