Sidemen
The Sidemen are a British collective consisting of YouTubers, social media influencers and internet personalities KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, TBJZL, Behzinga, Vikkstar123, and W2S. The group produce videos of various challenges, sketches, and video game commentaries across their YouTube channels, which have a combined total of over 155 million subscribers as of May 2025.
Beyond their YouTube content, the Sidemen have expanded into various business ventures. They launched Sidemen Clothing in 2014, followed by the restaurant chain Sides and the subscription service app Side+ in 2021, their own alcoholic beverage line XIX Vodka in 2022, and their cereal brand Best Cereal in 2024.
The group has also further extended their influence into web series and documentary filmmaking. In 2018, they starred in The Sidemen Show, a YouTube Premium series featuring celebrity guests and global challenges. In 2024, the Netflix documentary The Sidemen Story was released, detailing their decade-long journey and the impact they have had on internet culture. Later that year, they created their own reality game show, Inside.
The Sidemen have also been actively involved in philanthropy, organizing Sidemen charity football matches since 2016, which have collectively raised over £8.5 million for charitable organizations in the United Kingdom.
Members
members:[7]
- Olajide “JJ” Olatunji – known online as KSI (2013–present)
- Simon Minter – known online as Miniminter (2013–present)
- Joshua Bradley – known online as Zerkaa (2013–present)
- Tobit Brown – known online as Tobjizzle or TBJZL (2013–present)
- Ethan Payne – known online as Behzinga (2013–present)
- Vikram Barn – known online as Vikkstar123 (2013–present)
- Harry Lewis – known online as Wroetoshaw or W2S (2014–present)
History
2013–2020: Origins and initial popularity
Some of the members knew each other before the group was formed. Bradley and Brown both attended Bexley Grammar School in London and Olatunji and Minter both attended Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire.
The group originates from a Rockstar Games Social Club group made on 19 October 2013 in Grand Theft Auto Online, called “The Ultimate Sidemen”, which included all the members except for Lewis. In January 2014, Bradley met Lewis while at a FIFA gaming event in New York City and invited him to join the group. Describing the group name, Minter said in a video that “A sideman is basically someone’s follower who just follows them around,” explaining that he used to closely follow JJ when they first started.
n FebrIn January 2014, Olatunji, Minter, Bradley, and Barn moved into a house together near London, which they referred to as the “Sidemen House”, allowing them to collaborate more often.
In 2016, Olatunji, Minter, Bradley, and Barn moved into another “Sidemen House”, living in a 15,000-square-foot, $8.5 million mansion in Bromley, London. In November 2016, the Sidemen collaborated with Rocket League to release an in-game SDMN FC community flag for users.
can get for free inside the game.The group’s official YouTube channel, launched for the inaugural Sidemen Charity Match that year, became the fastest channel to reach one million subscribers.
On 1 December 2020, the group’s eponymous YouTube channel surpassed 10 million subscribers. Each member of the group was awarded their own Diamond Play Button by YouTube to mark their milestone.
In March 2020, the Sidemen released a twenty-minute YouTube video titled “#StayHome“. The video featured the Sidemen and more than one hundred other creators and celebrities raising awareness of the UK’s “stay at home” campaign, which aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the UK. All advertising revenue generated from the video was donated to the NHS.
2021–present: Expanded content and continued growth
In August 2021, the Sidemen signed with a London-based digital talent management company called Arcade Media.
In April 2023, the Sidemen garnered controversy when Olatunji said the racial slur “Paki” in a Sidemen Sunday video published on 2 April; a parody of the British game show Countdown. The Sidemen group were criticised on Twitter after a clip went viral, including criticism from DJ and presenter Bobby Friction and comedian Guz Khan. Hours later, Olatunji issued a public apology and announced that he would be taking a break from social media.
The Sidemen Twitter account also released a statement the following day apologising for the incident, stating: “We stand against racism and discrimination of any kind and we failed to do that.” The full video was later privatised. In an interview held before the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match, Barn said the group had held serious discussions about accountability and responsibility, noting that they had learned from the situation and adjusted their approach.
In July 2023, the group invested in The Fellas Studios, a production company founded by Callum Airey and Joshua Larkin. On 3 July 2023, the group participated in a collaborative hide-and-seek challenge video with Paradise Wildlife Park as part of a partnership supporting conservation efforts.
On 26 September 2023, the Sidemen signed with United Talent Agency for representation in North America. On 17 August 2024, the group appeared and ranked 21st on a list of the UK’s top 30 richest gamers and creators in 2024, with an estimated net worth of around £50 million.fortune shared among the group.[29]
Other ventures
Sidemen Clothing
Since 2014, the group has sold and distributed Sidemen Clothing merchandise. In October 2021, Sidemen Clothing collaborated with Ellesse, an Italian sportswear brand, and launched an AW21 collection of co-branded clothing. On 15 July 2023, they opened their first physical store in the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent. On 4 October 2024, they opened their second physical store in the Bull Ring, Birmingham.
The group also announced their partnership with Paramount to produce a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed Sidemen apparel line.
Side+
In September 2021, the Sidemen launched a subscription service app known as Side+, where they would post behind-the-scenes content from their YouTube video recordings and other extra contents. On 14 January 2022, they announced that the app is now available on Xbox.
Sides
In November 2021, the Sidemen partnered with Reef, the world’s largest operator of virtual restaurants and delivery kitchens, to launch a restaurant chain known as Sides. The restaurant serves a menu of chicken and plant-based sandos, sliders, and salads in flavours including chipotle, classic buffalo, BBQ, Korean BBQ, teriyaki, garlic mayo, and Louisiana. Other dishes include mac and cheese bites, waffle fries, slaw, onion rings, and cheese poppers.
On 24 February 2022, the restaurant launched its first physical branch in Boxpark Wembley, attracting over three-hour queues on its debut day. As of September 2022, the restaurant had over 80 dark kitchens across the UK and 20 in the UAE. On 29 September 2022, the restaurant launched its second physical branch in Boxpark Croydon. In October 2022, the restaurant unveiled its new partnership with Farnham Town F.C., a semi-professional football club based in Farnham, Surrey, to become the football club’s front-shirt sponsor of the newly released 2022/23 away kit.
XIX Vodka
In 2022, the Sidemen founded and launched their own vodka brand known as XIX Vodka.
Bright Side charity
In 2023, the Sidemen founded grant-making charity Bright Side, seeking to “support charities and organisations that help people find and maintain a safe place to call home and help young people access the education, spaces and opportunities that every person deserves.
Book
On 18 October 2016, the group released a book titled Sidemen: The Book, published by Coronet Books, and embarked on a UK-wide promotional tour. A number one best-seller in the UK, the book sold 26,436 copies within the first three days of its release.
Documentary and web series
On 18 June 2018, the group released a web television series titled The Sidemen Show, available exclusively on YouTube Premium. It comprises seven 30-minute episodes filmed around the world alongside a number of celebrity guests.
On 14 February 2024, a documentary film about the Sidemen called The Sidemen Story was released on Netflix. The film was directed by Luke Hyams, a former Head of Originals for YouTube EMEA.
In June 2024, the Sidemen created a reality competition series called Inside. The series features ten or twelve celebrity guests who compete in challenges to secure a prize fund totalled at £1 million, with everything they buy or do costing money from the prize fund. The series first aired on 2 June 2024 on their YouTube account, Sidemen, and last aired on 9 June 2024. In November 2024, a second series, as well as Inside USA, was announced, which would be shown on Netflix.
Best Cereal
In March 2024, the Sidemen and British oat producer Mornflake launched a cereal brand called Best Cereal. It debuted with two flavours, Choco Crunch and Caramel Gold.
Upside VC
In May 2025, the Sidemen and businessman Jamie Elliott announced they had co-founded venture capital firm Upside VC. The company is described as “backing consumer tech start-ups”, with Sidemen member Bradley noting they were “looking mostly at tech” due to the “scale and speed” at which these projects can grow.
Charity football matches
Wembley Cup
In August 2015, all of the Sidemen members except Olatunji and Barn participated in the 2015 Wembley Cup football charity match, facing Spencer FC, with Minter captaining the Sidemen United team. The match ended with Spencer FC beating Sidemen United by five goals to two.
Sidemen Charity Match
Main article: Sidemen Charity Match
The Sidemen Charity Match is a recurring football friendly match run by the Sidemen to raise money for various charitable causes. They have been held since 2016, barring a four-year hiatus between the third and fourth matches, while the sixth match is being held eighteen months after the fifth. In all matches so far, the group’s seven members and various affiliated YouTubers competed as the Sidemen Football Club, while various other YouTubers competed as the YouTube Allstars. The first match, on 3 June 2016, was held at St Mary’s Stadium, Southampton, raising over £110,000 for the Saints Foundation.
Discography
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [72] | UK R&B [73] | UK Ind. [74] | IRE [75] | NZ Hot [76] | SCO [77] | ||||||||
| “The Gift”[78] (featuring S-X) | 2019 | 77 | 40 | 11 | — | 27 | 26 | ||||||
| “This or That” | 2022 | — | — | 23 | — | 14 | — | ||||||
| “Christmas Drillings” (featuring Jme) | 3 | — | 2 | 25 | 7 | — | |||||||
| “—” denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Publications
The Sidemen (18 October 2016). Sidemen: The Book. Coronet Books. ISBN 978-1473648166.
Awards and nominations
Awards
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Book Awards | 2017 | Non-Fiction: Lifestyle Book of the Year | Sidemen: The Book | Nominated | [79] |
| Shorty Awards | 2019 | Best YouTube Ensemble | Sidemen | Nominated | [80] |
World Records
| Publication | Year | World record | Record holder | R. Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guinness World Records | 2022 | Most viewers for a charity sports match live stream on YouTube | Sidemen | Record | [81] |
