Ethan Leigh Payne (born 20 June 1995), better known asBehzinga, is an EnglishYouTuber,streamer, andinfluencer. He produces videos ongaming,football, comedy, and fitness and is a co-founder and member of the British YouTube groupSidemen. In 2019, Payne was listed as the 31st most influential online creator in the United Kingdom byThe Sunday Times.[6] As of September 2021[update], his mainYouTube channel had over 4 million subscribers and 500 million video views.[3] He is the co-owner of XIX Vodka, Sidemen Clothing,restaurant chain Sides, andcereal brand Best Breakfasts.
Early life and education
Payne was born on 20 June 1995 inLondon and was raised almost entirely by his mother Ruth, who had cancer during his childhood. His biological father left before he was born and his stepfather, whom he had met when he was six months old and believed was his actual father, left when he was thirteen, due to drug addiction and debt.[1][7] Payne attendedMarshalls Park School,[8] and then studiedvideo games development atSouth Essex College.[6]
Career
Payne registered the "Behzinga"YouTube channel on 24 February 2012 while he was still in school.[3][9] He explained that the name comes from one of his favourite television series,The Big Bang Theory, in whichSheldon Cooper often uses thecatchphrase "Bazinga!"; Payne altered the spelling.[1] His early content primarily featuredvideo game commentaries on theCall of Duty andFIFA video game series.[9] Over time, his style of content diversified to includefootball, comedy, and fitness videos.[6][10][11]
Payne in 2014
On 19 October 2013, Payne and four other British YouTubers formed the entertainment collective Ultimate Sidemen, later shortened to simplySidemen. Since 2014, the group has consisted of seven British YouTubers:Vikram Barn (Vikkstar123),Joshua Bradley (Zerkaa),Tobi Brown (TBJZL), Harry Lewis (W2S),Simon Minter (Miniminter),JJ Olatunji (KSI), and Payne.[12] The group produces online videos, most often consisting of challenges, sketches, and video-game commentary, as well as selling exclusive Sidemen merchandise.[13][14]
Payne and theSidemen have founded multiple businesses throughout their online careers. In 2014 the group launched a clothing brand under the Sidemen Clothing banner.[16] In November 2021, they founded arestaurant chain known as Sides in collaboration with Reef.[17] In October 2022, they launched their ownvodka brand known as XIX Vodka.[18] in March 2024, they launched a breakfast cereal brand known as Best Cereal in collaboration withMornflake.[19]
Gymshark
Payne is sponsored byGymshark, a British fitness apparel company, as part of the company's brand ambassadors and also the "Gymshark athletes".[20][21]
Growing Paynes podcast
Payne and his girlfriend, Faith Louisa Kelly, created and hosted apodcast together calledGrowing Paynes in July 2023.[22][23] They posted their first episode on 13 July 2023.[24] The podcast is available on YouTube andSpotify.[25] The podcast went viral in September 2023, after a clip of the podcast gained attention in which Payne and Kelly were debating about women taking their partner's surnames after marriage.[22][26]
Personal life
Payne and his girlfriend, Faith Louisa Kelly, have a daughter together, born in September 2022.[27] On 3 April 2024, the couple announced viaInstagram that they are engaged.[28] They later got married in December 2024.[29] They currently live together inEssex.[20][30]
Payne is a supporter ofWest Ham United F.C. and has appeared on the club's YouTube videos and podcast.[9][31]
Health
Payne has become an advocate for mental health and has talked about the importance of sharing feelings and breaking down the stigma surrounding mental illness in men.[32][33]
Payne isasthmatic. On 24 April 2024, hetweeted that he had suffered from a life-threatening asthma attack during a Sidemen YouTube video recording and was hospitalised on 22 April 2024.[38][39][40]
Philanthropy
Payne became an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust in September 2022.[41][20] A year later, he became the charity's first content icon.[41]
In December 2021, Payne participated in afive-a-side football tournament hosted by YouTuber and sports commentator, True Geordie and Twitch, raising money for the Alan Shearer Foundation.[42] The event managed to raise more than £100,000.[43]
On 14 February 2025, Payne participated in "Match for Hope 2025", a football charity event hosted in Doha, Qatar, as a player for teamAboFlah & KSI, facing off against teamChunkz &IShowSpeed. The match ended with team AboFlah & KSI's 6-5 victory over team Chunkz & IShowSpeed. The event managed to raise more than $10.7 million for charity.[44][45]
^Series 1 was shown on the Sidemen and Moresidemen YouTube channels with extras and unseen moments being shown on Side+. Series 2 onwards will be exclusively on Netflix with companion shows being shown on Side+
