Eugene Lee Yang is an American internet celebrity, filmmaker, actor, producer, author, director, and activist who is best known for being a member of the YouTube group, The Try Guys, on BuzzFeed. He and his co-stars Ned Fulmer, Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld later established their own company, 2nd Try LLC. He has acted in the series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He has published a book with The Try Guys and is all set for his solo novel in 2024.
Early Life
Eugene Lee Yang practiced visual arts, illustration, theater, choir, and dance while he was in school. He was encouraged to pursue filmmaking by a teacher and went to the University of Southern California, where he wrote and directed six short films discussing various social and political topics before graduating with a B.A. in cinema production in 2008.
Career
Eugene Lee Yang started his career as a freelancer, producing music videos, and writing and filming commercials for five years after completing college. He began working in the video branch of BuzzFeed in 2013 and was given free control on experimental video productions. He made several videos covering stereotypes, body issues, and Asian American identity, and earned millions of views with his videos such as If Disney Princes Were Real and Women's Ideal Body Types Throughout History which remain fan favorites on the BuzzFeed YouTube channel.
Eugene Lee Yang pursued more provocative sketches as part of The Try Guys, which he formed in BuzzFeed in 2014 along with Ned Fulmer (former Try Guy), Keith Habersberger, and Zach Kornfeld. The videos of the men going through labor pains and prostate cancer check provided both social commentary and humor to the audience. He was named as the breakout star of The Try Guys by The New York Times. In 2018, he became the first of The Try Guys to leave BuzzFeed, and along with the other three, established their own company, 2nd Try LLC, which acquired all rights to The Try Guys brand. The group’s first book, The Hidden Power of F*cking Up, became a New York Times Best Seller following its release on June 18, 2019.
He made a guest appearance as Theo Lorql on the NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine in 2019. In 2023, he had a voice role in Star Wars: Visions and starred as Ambrosius Goldenloin in the Netflix animated film Nimona. He has announced a two-part queer fantasy epic called The Unders, scheduled for release in 2024.
Family Life
Eugene Lee Yang was born as the only son of South Korean immigrants Min-yeong Lee and Jae-hong Yang. He has two sisters, one of whom had prompted him to lose his Texan accent for better opportunities. While both his parents are Korean, he learned that he also has some Chinese and Japanese ancestry after taking a 23andMe DNA test. After previously referring to himself as “queer”, he came out as gay in a YouTube music video titled I'm Gay on June 15, 2019. He has been in a relationship with Matthew McLean.
