KSI on 'Tough Few Weeks' After Leaving Sidemen

Weeks after announcing his exit from the Sidemen, KSI says his mental health has suffered, crediting therapy and the people around him for helping him cope.

A More Personal Message

Weeks after dropping the bombshell that he was stepping away from the Sidemen, KSI has resurfaced with a far more intimate update, and the tone could hardly be more different from the high-octane content that made his name. According to LADbible, the 32-year-old creator, real name Olajide "JJ" Olatunji, told fans that the stretch since his announcement has been anything but easy.

"If I'm being honest, it's been a tough few weeks," he said. "Mentally I haven't been the best but I have a lot of good people around me."

It is the kind of admission that lands differently coming from one of the most recognisable figures in British online culture, a performer whose career has been built on confidence, spectacle and relentless output.

The Backdrop to the Exit

KSI announced at the start of June that he would no longer be making Sidemen videos, bringing to a close a partnership with the YouTube collective that stretched back more than a decade. In that original video, he spoke openly about burnout, describing the sensation of "running at full speed at 100 miles an hour." He admitted that the pace had cost him balance in his personal life, leaving him struggling to make time for his family and his partner.

Walking away from the Sidemen is no small decision. The group has been central to his public identity for years, and the collective's videos, challenges and crossovers have shaped a generation of UK online entertainment. Stepping back from that, even on his own terms, was always going to carry a personal cost.

Leaning on Support and Therapy

In the follow-up message reported by LADbible, KSI was candid about the toll that public scrutiny can take, even on someone who has spent his entire adult life in front of a camera. He stressed that, behind the larger-than-life persona, he is human and has felt the weight of online criticism in the wake of his departure.

The key points he shared with fans included:

The past few weeks have been mentally difficult
Therapy has been genuinely helpful in processing the change
He is grateful for the supportive people in his corner

That openness marks a notable shift for a creator best known for boisterous challenge videos, boxing promotions and chart-bothering music. By steering the conversation toward mental health, KSI has used his enormous platform to normalise asking for help during a major life transition, a message that carries real weight given the size and age of his audience.

What Comes Next

While the exit closes a defining chapter of his career, KSI is far from short of things to do, from his solo YouTube channel to the various business ventures that have made him a entrepreneur as much as an entertainer. For now, though, his message to fans was less about upcoming projects and more about honesty, an acknowledgement that even the biggest names online have hard days.

As LADbible notes, the update suggests KSI is taking the time and space he says he needs after a demanding stretch. For a creator who built his reputation on never slowing down, choosing to pause and speak plainly about his wellbeing may end up being one of his most resonant moments yet.