Sidemen
British YouTube group launched in October 2013 whose weekly Sidemen Sundays, Wembley charity matches and Netflix shows grew into a business with a fried chicken chain, a vodka brand and a streaming service.
YouTube group · 13 creators in the index · Updated Nov 5, 2026
The Sidemen is a British YouTube group known for its weekly Sidemen Sundays videos, the Sidemen Charity Match and a line of businesses from Sides fried chicken to XIX Vodka. It launched on October 19, 2013, per Famous Birthdays, and for most of its history had seven members: KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, Behzinga, TBJZL and W2S. On May 31, 2026, KSI posted I’m leaving the Sidemen, saying that day would be his final Sidemen video and that “nothing bad has happened,” per ITV News. As of November 2026 the Sidemen are six: the November 1, 2026 video credits Zerkaa, W2S, Vikkstar123, TBJZL, Behzinga and Miniminter, and the main YouTube channel has about 23.4 million subscribers. The April 2026 charity match at Wembley raised £6.2 million, per Tubefilter. Friends people often ask about, such as Calfreezy and Callux, have never been members.
Sidemen members
The seven Sidemen, from the group’s own video credits, Famous Birthdays and press. Status is as of November 2026. None of the seven has an entry in our index yet. Ages are from Famous Birthdays on November 5, 2026.
| Name | Role | Years | Status (November 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miniminter (Simon Minter), 34 | Member; led Sidemen FC at the 2025 charity match, per Bright Side | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday |
| Zerkaa (Josh Bradley), 34 | Member; scored his first charity match goal in 2025, per Tubefilter | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday |
| Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn), 31 | Member; spoke for the group on the move to Netflix and, in August 2026, on KSI’s exit | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday |
| Behzinga (Ethan Payne), 31 | Member; created the name Sidemen, per Famous Birthdays | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday |
| TBJZL (Tobi Brown), 33 | Member; scored a trivela free kick at the 2026 charity match, per Tubefilter | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday; filmed with KSI on July 12, 2026 |
| W2S (Harry Lewis), 29 | Member; runs Harry & Theo Go Golfing with Theo Baker | Not dated in a source we opened; to present | Current. Credited on the November 1, 2026 Sidemen Sunday; turns 30 on November 24, 2026 |
| KSI (Olajide Olatunji), 33 | Member; the group’s biggest solo channel, about 19.3 million subscribers | 2013 to May 31, 2026 | Left. Announced in I’m leaving the Sidemen on May 31, 2026, citing balance, health and family, per ITV News |
Famous Birthdays dates the group’s launch to October 19, 2013 and lists KSI as a former member who left in May 2026. We could not open a source that dates when each member joined, so we leave those years blank rather than guess. Real names are from Famous Birthdays and ITV News (May 2026). Sources: ITV News and CNN (May and June 2026), Tubefilter (2023 to 2026), We Need To Talk (August 2026), Famous Birthdays, the Sidemen’s YouTube credits.
Index creators connected to the Sidemen
Creators in our index who have played in the charity match, appeared on Sidemen shows or done business with the group. None of them is a Sidemen member. Each connection is stated as their entry or the cited source describes it.
| Name | Connection | When | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calfreezy | Co-founder and CEO of The Fellas Studios, which the Sidemen invested in; managed in the charity match | Investment July 2023; managed Sidemen FC in 2025 and the YouTube Allstars in 2026 | Fellas Studios press release, The Fellas feed, ESPN |
| Callux | Long-time collaborator who regularly appears on Sidemen Sundays and in the charity matches; co-invested in The Fellas Studios with the Sidemen | Collaborations on record since at least January 2019; investment July 2023 | SXSW London, Fellas Studios press release |
| Theo Baker | Charity match player and Sidemen Sunday guest; golf channel with W2S | Matches in 2022, 2023 (injured) and 2025; golf channel since December 2023 | His entry; Tubefilter |
| Danny Aarons | Played for the YouTube Allstars; appears in Sidemen video clips | April 18, 2026 | ESPN; his entry |
| AJ Shabeel | Played for Sidemen FC; a member of Beta Squad | April 18, 2026 | ESPN line-ups |
| Adapt | Played for Sidemen FC; a founding member of CORE | April 18, 2026 | ESPN line-ups |
| Lacy | Played for Sidemen FC; a founding member of CORE | April 18, 2026 | ESPN line-ups |
| Stable Ronaldo | Played for the YouTube Allstars; a co-founder of CORE | April 18, 2026 | ESPN line-ups |
| Jason The Ween | Played for the YouTube Allstars; xQc saved his penalty | April 18, 2026 | ESPN line-ups, Tubefilter |
| JiDion | Guest player in the charity match | September 9, 2023 | Tubefilter |
| Zach Justice | Contestant on Inside: USA, the Sidemen’s first U.S. series on Netflix | 2025 | Netflix Tudum |
| Ben Azelart | Appeared on Inside, the Sidemen’s Netflix reality competition | Season not stated | Famous Birthdays |
| Temperrr | Boxed KSI at Wembley Arena on a card DAZN framed as the Sidemen against FaZe Clan; KSI won by first-round knockout | January 14, 2023 | DAZN, Sky Sports |
The 2026 line-ups mixed the teams: KSI, Miniminter and Behzinga played for the YouTube Allstars that year, per ESPN. Theo Baker was not in either 2026 squad.
Sidemen businesses, shows and events
What the Sidemen run besides the main channel, from their own video descriptions, the businesses’ statements and press. Figures are attributed and dated.
| Project | What it is | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidemen Sundays | A new group video on the main channel every Sunday | Running as of November 2026 | The channel calls itself “The home of #SidemenSundays”; about 23.4 million subscribers, read November 2026 |
| Sidemen Charity Match (Sidemen FC vs YouTube Allstars) | Yearly football match between the Sidemen and a creator all-star team | 2016 | £6.2 million raised at Wembley on April 18, 2026, a record, per Tubefilter; proceeds split 86% Bright Side and 14% M7 Education |
| Sides | Fried chicken brand, now restaurants and delivery | 2021 | Launched with Hero Brands; five UK restaurants and a first international site in Singapore (2025), with 15 more planned for 2026, the PA news agency reported in February 2026 |
| XIX Vodka | Vodka brand | Not dated in a source we opened | Named in Roman numerals for October 19, 2013, “the day our founders, the Sidemen, began,” and “founded by 7 of the most loved creators in the world,” per XIX’s About page |
| Sidemen Clothing | Merch and clothing store | Not dated in a source we opened | Linked from every Sidemen Sunday description; the November 1, 2026 video promotes its new fleeces |
| Side+ | Paid streaming service with shows built on the Sidemen Sunday format | Not dated in a source we opened | £6.99 a month, per Tubefilter (August 2025) |
| Inside | Reality competition with influencers locked in a house for a prize of up to £1 million | June 2024 on YouTube | Season 2 moved to Netflix in 2025, plus Inside: USA, per Dexerto; Netflix’s Inside page lists a Season 3 |
| The Sidemen Story | Documentary about the group | 2024 | Acquired by Netflix in 2024, per Deadline |
| The Fellas Studios investment | Stake in Calfreezy and Chip’s podcast company | July 13, 2023 | £1.5 million from KSI, other Sidemen, WillNE, ChrisMD and Callux, per the studio’s press release; Global bought the studio in October 2025, price not disclosed |
Timeline
- Oct 19, 2013The Sidemen launch, per Famous Birthdays, which credits Behzinga with the name; the group later names XIX Vodka after the date, per XIX Vodka.
- Jun 2016Theo Baker posts a vlog of the Sidemen FC charity match, from the year Tubefilter dates the format to.
- 2021The Sidemen launch Sides as a virtual fried chicken brand with Hero Brands, per Tubefilter and the PA news agency.
- Sep 2022The charity match passes 2.5 million concurrent viewers, per Famous Birthdays, and raises £1 million at a 27,000-seat venue, per Tubefilter.
- Jan 14, 2023KSI knocks out Temperrr in the first round at Wembley Arena on a card DAZN framed as the Sidemen against FaZe Clan, per Sky Sports.
- Jul 13, 2023KSI, the other Sidemen, WillNE, ChrisMD and Callux invest £1.5 million in Calfreezy’s The Fellas Studios, per its press release.
- Sep 9, 2023The Sidemen beat the YouTube Allstars 8 to 5 at London Stadium before 62,000 fans and raise £2.4 million, per Tubefilter; two days later Theo Baker posts a video saying he was injured in the match.
- Jun 2024Inside, a reality competition with a prize of up to £1 million, debuts on the Sidemen’s YouTube channel, per Dexerto; its first episode draws 14 million views, per Deadline.
- Nov 20, 2024Netflix orders a second season of Inside and a U.S. version for 2025, per Dexerto, after acquiring the documentary The Sidemen Story earlier that year, per Deadline.
- Mar 8, 2025The first charity match at Wembley ends 9 to 9 before about 90,000 fans; the YouTube Allstars win on penalties and the day raises more than £4.7 million, per Bright Side and Tubefilter.
- Aug 28, 2025Tubefilter reports new Side+ shows for up-and-coming UK creators on the £6.99 a month service, with Victor Bengtsson as managing director of Sidemen Entertainment, per Tubefilter.
- Sep 2025Inside: USA, the Sidemen’s first U.S. series, arrives on Netflix with Zach Justice among its 12 contestants, per Netflix Tudum.
- Feb 16, 2026Sides, with five UK restaurants and a site in Singapore, plans 15 more openings in 2026, the PA news agency reports.
- Apr 18, 2026The charity match at Wembley ends 10 to 10, the YouTube Allstars win on penalties, and it raises a record £6.2 million with a peak of 2.2 million concurrent viewers, per Tubefilter.
- May 31, 2026KSI posts I’m leaving the Sidemen, calling it the “hardest video I’ve ever had to make in my life,” per Tubefilter; the group says the news “came as a surprise to us,” per CNN.
- Nov 1, 2026The Sidemen post SIDEMEN FIRST TO ESCAPE THE MANSION, crediting six members: Zerkaa, W2S, Vikkstar123, TBJZL, Behzinga and Miniminter.
Questions people ask
Who are the Sidemen members now? Who is in the Sidemen in 2026?
As of November 2026, the Sidemen have six members: Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, Behzinga, TBJZL and W2S, the six credited in the description of the group’s November 1, 2026 video. KSI, the seventh original member, left on May 31, 2026, and Famous Birthdays now lists him as a former member. By their real names the six are Simon Minter, Josh Bradley, Vikram Barn, Ethan Payne, Tobi Brown and Harry Lewis, the names KSI thanked in his farewell, per ITV News. On August 11, 2026, Vikkstar talked about KSI’s departure on Paul C. Brunson’s podcast We Need To Talk, in an episode titled “What It Really Took to Build The Sidemen (we didn’t plan for anyone to leave),” per the show’s episode page. No new member has been announced.
Did KSI leave the Sidemen? Why did KSI leave the Sidemen?
Yes, KSI left the Sidemen on May 31, 2026, after 13 years, saying he was running “at 100mph” and losing balance in his own life. He announced it on his own channel in I’m leaving the Sidemen, saying that day would be his final Sidemen video, per Tubefilter. He told viewers he had gone back and forth on the decision for a long time, that he wanted to focus on his health and make time for his family and partner, and that “nothing bad has happened,” per ITV News. He said the group “deserve someone who can give 100%,” per CNN. The Sidemen said the decision “came as a surprise to us” and that it “doesn’t change anything for the rest of us,” per the same CNN report. He has stayed friendly with the group on the record: on July 12, 2026 he posted Guess The Country: World Edition with TBJZL, and on July 21 he went on The Fellas to talk about leaving, per the show’s feed.
Has anyone else left the Sidemen? Who replaced KSI?
As of November 2026, KSI is the only member who has left the Sidemen, and nobody has replaced him. Famous Birthdays lists him as the one former member, and the six others have been credited on every Sidemen Sunday since. In an August 11, 2026 episode of We Need To Talk, Vikkstar reflected on KSI’s departure, and the show’s episode page says the group “never really had an exit plan”; neither he nor the group has announced a seventh member. Names often searched as former members, such as Calfreezy, Callux and Theo Baker, were never in the group.
Is Calfreezy in the Sidemen? Is Theo Baker or Callux a Sidemen member?
No, Calfreezy, Theo Baker and Callux are not Sidemen members and never have been, as of November 2026; all three are long-time friends who appear in Sidemen videos and the charity match. Calfreezy co-founded The Fellas Studios, which the Sidemen invested in in July 2023, per the studio’s press release, and he managed the YouTube Allstars against Sidemen FC in April 2026, per Sports Illustrated. Theo Baker has played in the charity matches and runs a golf channel with W2S. Callux is described by SXSW London as a long-time collaborator who regularly appears on Sidemen Sundays. Famous Birthdays says W2S once shared a London flat with Callux and Calfreezy, per his profile.
When did the Sidemen start, and who founded the Sidemen?
The Sidemen started on October 19, 2013, per Famous Birthdays, which describes it as a FIFA gaming channel run by British YouTubers who each first found success on their own channels. The seven members as the group has been known since are KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, Behzinga, TBJZL and W2S; KSI had made videos with the group since 2013, per ITV News. Famous Birthdays credits Behzinga with the name, and the group’s vodka brand, XIX, takes its name from the Roman numerals for the 19th, after the October 19, 2013 start, per XIX Vodka’s site. We could not open a source that dates when each member joined, so we do not list one.
How old are the Sidemen? What are their real names?
The Sidemen are between 29 and 34 as of November 2026, per Famous Birthdays: the oldest is Zerkaa (Joshua Bradley), 34, born September 4, 1992, and the youngest is W2S (Harry Lewis), 29, born November 24, 1996. In between are Miniminter (Simon Edward Minter), 34, born September 7, 1992; TBJZL (Tobi Brown), 33, born April 8, 1993; Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn), 31, born August 2, 1995; and Behzinga (Ethan Payne), 31, born June 20, 1995. Former member KSI (Olajide Olatunji) is 33, born June 19, 1993 in London. Sources: Famous Birthdays on Zerkaa, W2S, Miniminter, TBJZL, Vikkstar123, Behzinga and KSI.
What is the Sidemen Charity Match? Who won in 2026, and how much did it raise?
The Sidemen Charity Match is a yearly football match between Sidemen FC and the YouTube Allstars, and the 2026 edition, played at Wembley on April 18, 2026, ended 10 to 10 before the YouTube Allstars won on penalties. It raised £6.2 million, a record for the event, with a peak of 2.2 million concurrent viewers, and Mrwhosetheboss scored the winning penalty, per Tubefilter. The proceeds go 86% to Bright Side and 14% to M7 Education, per the match video. The teams mixed that year: KSI, Miniminter and Behzinga played for the Allstars, managed by Calfreezy, while AJ Shabeel, Adapt and Lacy played for Sidemen FC, per ESPN. Earlier totals: £1 million in 2022 and £2.4 million at London Stadium in 2023, per Tubefilter, and more than £4.7 million at Wembley in March 2025, per Bright Side.
Who owns Sides? What businesses do the Sidemen own?
Sides is the Sidemen’s fried chicken brand, founded by the group in 2021 with the Scottish franchise firm Hero Brands, the PA news agency reported in February 2026; the split of ownership has not been published. PA reported that Sides had five UK restaurants and a site in Singapore and planned 15 more openings in 2026, with Aaron Moore-Saxton as managing director. The group also owns XIX Vodka, which its site says was founded by the Sidemen, and runs Sidemen Clothing and Side+, a paid streaming service at £6.99 a month, per Tubefilter. Tubefilter names Victor Bengtsson as managing director of Sidemen Entertainment. ITV News adds a cereal to the list of products the group has launched, per its May 2026 report. Whether KSI kept his stakes after leaving has not been reported in an outlet we accept.
Did the Sidemen invest in The Fellas? What is their link to Calfreezy’s studio?
Yes, the Sidemen invested in The Fellas Studios, Calfreezy and Chip’s podcast company, in a £1.5 million round announced on July 13, 2023. The studio’s press release named KSI, WillNE, ChrisMD and Callux alongside other members of the Sidemen. On October 7, 2025, Global announced it had acquired The Fellas Studios and kept Calfreezy as CEO; it gave no price and did not say what happened to the earlier investors’ stakes. The Fellas podcast still covers the group closely, from a Sidemen charity match debrief on April 21, 2026 to KSI’s own interview about leaving on July 21, 2026, per the show’s feed.
Are the Sidemen on Netflix? What is Inside?
Yes, the Sidemen make Inside, a reality competition that moved from YouTube to Netflix, as of November 2026. Inside debuted on the Sidemen’s YouTube channel in June 2024 with influencers locked in a house competing for a prize of up to £1 million, per Dexerto; its first episode drew 14 million views, per Deadline, which reported in November 2024 that Netflix had ordered a second season and earlier that year acquired The Sidemen Story, a documentary about the group. Inside: USA followed on Netflix in 2025 with Zach Justice among its 12 contestants, per Netflix Tudum, and Ben Azelart appeared on Inside, per Famous Birthdays. Netflix’s Inside page lists a Season 3.
Where can I watch the Sidemen? When do Sidemen Sundays come out?
The Sidemen post a new group video every Sunday on their main YouTube channel, which calls itself “The home of #SidemenSundays” and has about 23.4 million subscribers as of November 2026. More videos are on MoreSidemen (about 9.75 million), Sidemen Reacts (about 5.84 million) and Sidemen Productions (about 2.07 million). Longer shows are on the paid Side+ service, and Inside is on Netflix. The charity match streams free on the main channel, per ESPN. Each member also posts on his own channels, and KSI still posts on his own channel, about 19.3 million subscribers.
What is the Sidemen’s net worth? How much are the Sidemen worth?
The Sidemen do not publish a number and neither do we. KSI does not publish one either. The closest figure on the record is earnings, not net worth: Forbes estimated his gross earnings at $24 million for June 2022 to June 2023, second on its Top Creators list published September 26, 2023.
Where is the Sidemen house? What about the Sidemen’s girlfriends, wives, kids, religion or ethnicity?
Not something we cover.
Our read
Ames Create does not work with Sidemen. This is our view, from a team that works on creator brands for a living.
The format. The Sidemen Sunday is a game show with a fixed cast of friends: a big premise in capitals, a budget, a forfeit and seven, now six, people trying to win or not lose. The same format runs through the charity match, Inside and the Side+ shows, which take the Sunday formula and hand it to other creators.
Why it travels. The audience follows the group more than any one face, and the first months after KSI left support that: the six-man videos since June 2026 have drawn about 3 to 10 million views each, close to the range of the months before. The charity match is the reach event, with 90,000 at Wembley and a peak of 2.2 million live viewers in April 2026, and it pulls in creators from FaZe, CORE and Beta Squad.
Brand fit. The Sidemen sell their own products in every video description, from Sides and XIX Vodka to Sidemen Clothing and Side+, so a partner sits next to the group’s own brands. Football, games, food and travel fit the audience, and 2026 titles include a McLaren collaboration with Lando Norris and a video with Cooper Flagg. Alcohol and fast food carry age rules, and a brand that wanted KSI with the group now needs two separate deals.
Related
- Beta SquadLondon YouTube group of five creators, put together in a shared house by Studio71 UK’s talent arm Moxie in February 2019, whose game-show challenges, “6 vs 1 Secret” lineups and football matches built a 12.2 million subscriber channel.
- COREStreaming and YouTube group formed by six former FaZe Clan creators in April 2026, filming weekly group challenges and long Twitch streams out of a $20 million content house in the Los Angeles area.
- NetflixStreaming service that carries stand-up specials, series and, since January 2026, video podcasts from comedians, podcasters and YouTubers, including three Barstool Sports shows and four Kill Tony specials.
- FaZe ClanEsports and creator organization that began as a Call of Duty trickshot channel in 2010, went public on Nasdaq in 2022, was bought by GameSquare in 2024 and lost nearly all of its creators in December 2025.
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Sources: The Sidemen on YouTube, MoreSidemen, Sidemen Reacts, Sidemen Productions and Side+; videos SIDEMEN FIRST TO ESCAPE THE MANSION and SIDEMEN CHARITY MATCH 2026; KSI on YouTube, I’m leaving the Sidemen and Guess The Country: World Edition; ITV News via STV, May 31, 2026; CNN via KRDO, June 1, 2026; Tubefilter on KSI leaving, June 1, 2026, the 2023 match, the 2025 match, the 2026 match, Sides, May 2023 and Side+, August 2025; We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson, August 11, 2026; Bright Side on the 2025 match; ESPN, April 18, 2026; Sports Illustrated, April 17, 2026; PA via The Irish News, February 16, 2026; XIX Vodka, About page; Deadline, November 2024; Dexerto, November 20, 2024; Netflix Tudum on Inside and Inside: USA; The Fellas Studios press release, July 13, 2023; Global, October 7, 2025; The Fellas feed; SXSW London; DAZN, January 4, 2023; Sky Sports, January 2023; Famous Birthdays on the Sidemen, KSI, Miniminter, Zerkaa, Vikkstar123, Behzinga, TBJZL, W2S and Ben Azelart. Subscriber and view counts read from YouTube, November 5, 2026.
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