In a new trending video, popular YouTuber Steven Jay Williams—better known as Boogie2988—announced that he and his wife, Desiree are getting a divorce after seven years.
Apologizing for keeping details from his fans for several weeks, Williams explained that he Desiree reached the decision to split amicably after seven years of marriage. The two separated for three weeks in November before deciding to make “a more permanent change.”
“The ring is off, were Facebook official,” he put it bluntly.
For the past decade, Williams has been uploading videos regularly to his Boogie2988 channel, cultivating a following of 4.3 million subscribers who have contributed a total of 710 million views to his channel. He’s best known for his video game reviews and commentary, but he also uploads “rambling” videos in which he speaks candidly about his personal life, including his struggles with mental illness and obesity.
Williams has historically been open about his marriage on his channel, even sharing his proposal and wedding video. As a result, fans felt invested in the relationship, and the video shot to No. 3 on Youtube’s Trending list on Wednesday.
Williams first broke the news on Twitter last week before explaining the situation at length in his video, citing his own mental health struggles and subsequent behavior as a primary factor in the dissolution of their marriage. “Me and my wife had one major issue that was persistent throughout the entire marriage, and that was my anxiety disorder, my clinically diagnosed PTSD,” he said. “But more importantly, not just the disorder itself, but the stupid things that I would say and the stupid things that I would do when I was in the middle of a fight-or-flight attack.”
https://twitter.com/Boogie2988/status/941070453866713088
The YouTuber has also battled with “morbid obesity” and “chronic pain issues,” and underwent gastric bypass surgery in August to jumpstart his weight-loss journey. He assured fans worried about his own mental and physical wellbeing that he’s doing better than ever, having lost a “ridiculous amount” of weight and recently broken through a frustrating plateau.
“I’m healthier now, today, and dealing with this bad stuff today better than I would’ve a year ago with good news,” he said. “My brain and my body are better than they’ve ever been, and I love it, and I’m excited for it, and I just can’t wait to keep pushing forward to becoming the new me.”
Williams quoted a line from Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi to sum up his current philosophy about the direction of his life: “Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. It’s the only way to become the person you’re meant to be.”
“I don’t know if I should be listening to Kylo Ren,” he joked, “but it makes a lot of sense here, and that’s something I’m going to try to do.”
Watch the video below.
If you are a teen dealing with depression or other mental health issues, see PBS.org for a list of resources and organizations that can help you. If you are an adult, see Mental Health Resources.