I HAVE TO SAY…

Everything below is my opinion for entertainment purposes and should not be taken as fact.

My History Watching KL & KL2

Not to be dramatic, but The Kevin Langue Show on Youtube changed me.

The Kevin Langue Show features a panel of five people, one of which being long-time creator, Kevin Langue. Though the concept changed a little from the first videos posted on the channel, it grew to be a guessing show, where contestants line up and the panel would guess things about the contestants based on information given and activities performed.

For example, in the past, episodes have included “Match the Person to the Search History” , “5 Black Girls vs. 1 Secret White Girl”, and “Match the Ex-Girlfriend to the Ex-Boyfriend.”

I used to see the clips on Tik Tok all the time, but I didn’t really watch Youtube like that at the time. The clips on Tik Tok kept me engaged, and Kevin actually would post edited versions of the full episodes across different clips on Tik Tok, so you could watch the show on there and see the reveal and if the panel got it right or got it wrong.

It wasn’t the type of show I would usually watch, some episodes leaned heavily into stereotypes, but it did genuinely make me laugh out loud. The clips I saw with Dylan Sprouse for the Match the Twin to The Person episode led me to watching the show on Youtube and since then, which was two, two-and-half-years ago, I was hooked, watching almost every episode so many times you would think it would’ve gotten old, but they still make me laugh at loud.

Over those two years, the show really found its footing. I came to expect Aaron Branch, Herman Rice, and Denny Love on the panel alongside Kevin Langue, with one rotating guest. Over those two years, Kevin grew a second, “secret” channel, KL2, where the four of them, plus show producer, Zane Helberg, would play games and chop it up, which created more inside jokes that carried throughout both shows, increased the group chemistry, the magic of the show, and made me really love the show and look forward to new episodes. Over those two, two-and-a-half years, the show really grew, and I, as a long-time fan, felt parasocially proud and happy for them, like I knew them personally, as their views and subscribers grew, and when they announced a Netflix deal.

There’s something I’ve noticed though, that I have tried to brush off for a while now, that I only talked about with my brother. A lot of times, Kevin spoke using “I” and “me” instead of “us” and “we”, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone, on or off the show that I could tell, so I didn’t think much about it. I also noticed that Kevin liked to be the center of attention, and sometimes he would not so secretly take the attention, in a more hostile way, when it was on someone else or take over the conversation in a way that’s different than how he usually hosts. Sometimes, I felt like things were lowkey tense between some members, peeped others side eyeing him, or felt like some jokes of the jokes went too far or held truth to them. There are episodes where Kevin is flat out called a dick by Herm and more recently, the yes, Kevin, jokes have started. However, they all got back together and filmed again, so I didn’t think too much about it.

The Statements

And then, last Saturday, September 12th, after I had been waiting all week for a new episode, neither Herm, Denny, or Aaron (the OG panel) were on, and there was a pinned comment about there being a rotating panel and hopes for celebrities to make guest appearances. I figured the OG panel would be on KL2, and when they weren’t, I was confused and sad because the inside jokes were gone. The chemistry of the show was gone. The humor and lightheartedness of the show was gone. The magic was gone.

I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. The comments of both videos were looking for the OG panel. People on Tik Tok and in Instagram comment sections were looking for the OG panel. It was discovered Herm, Denny, and Aaron all unfollowed Kevin.

After fan inquiry, Denny posted on his story that not everything is a joke, and posted on his page a behind-the-scenes video of him on tour that some, including me, think was a shot at Kevin. In it, Denny acted like a diva and his “assistant” claimed that the tour changed him. Herm posted on his own story a scene from the movie Motown Records, where the members of Temptations are in an argument with David Ruffin, whose ego got the best of him and who felt like he was bigger than the group, clearly throwing a shot at Kevin.

A few days later, we got a joint statement from Denny, Aaron, and Herm, basically saying they haven’t been associated with the show for a while, and they’re limited on what they can say but they value the fans, so it seemed like they were under NDAs.

A few days later, Kevin released his own statement, to the fans and to Kevin, Denny, and Herm directly. He told the fans he understands it’s an adjustment and he thought Aaron, Herm, and Denny were as excited for the next chapter as he was. He acknowledges how they’ve helped him and the show, acknowledges they’re talented and wishes them the best, promising to put out the best show he can for us. Then he wrote one to Aaron, Herm, and Denny, saying that he’s sad it has to be discussed online since they ghosted him. He says they approached him with lawyers, holding production hostage, and he made a choice to film without them since they didn’t show and everyone was already on set and ready, including contestants that flew out. He says he’s really hurt, and he feels betrayed and lost and depressed and it feels like they ganged up on him, but he’ll be there if they decide to reach out and he wishes them the best.

Aaron, Denny, and Herm released a second statement, talking to the fans, explaining Kevin insists on talking about business through lawyers, that they were blindsided by the Netflix deal, that Kevin has the power and no one got back to them about renegotiations. They don’t want to assign blame like the other party did and they’re not creating sides, but that was their experience. They planned on being on the new season, but Kevin decided to unlock a new panel.

Now, there’s people that have cosigned both statements that have first-hand experience on the show and with everyone involved. I’m not going to dismiss what anyone on either side has said or how they feel simply because I don’t know the truth.

I ultimately think Kevin is in the wrong because he holds the position of power, and at the same time, there are things that have been said I don’t agree with.

This has just been on my mind and heavy in my heart and I gotta vent about my feelings on the whole thing while looking at both sides of the situation.

Please don’t be mistaken though, I think Kevin is dead wrong and everything could’ve been avoided if he paid people their worth and recognized monetarily, not just with words, how Aaron, Herm, and Denny’s talents and connections contributed to the show’s success.

Thoughts on the Situation

There’s a post going around on threads, which I commented on (@lyssa_posts_), that details how I feel about the situation in general.

This is Kevin’s show in title, and I’m pretty certain he has a legitimate LLC attached to his name and brand, so it’s also his business. While I want to stress how vital Denny, Herm, and Aaron are to the show, and I will get into how exactly I think Kevin messed up with them based on what I know, there are certain things that I think people neglect to talk about.

I actually don’t think the problem is that Kevin didn’t talk to Denny, Herm, and Aaron about the Netflix deal. I think it’s weird, I think it sends a message, and it would’ve been nice to also see them involved in the teaser, but I don’t think Kevin has to talk about business deals with them. They’re the talent, technically his employees, and he doesn’t have to confront them on business decisions. It’s not a choice I would’ve made, knowing how important they all are to the show, but I don’t think he was all that wrong for it.

I think Kevin was all the way wrong for not re-negotiating their contracts, and leading those conversations after the deal was signed. I think Kevin, as a show of good faith, should’ve given them a small percentage of the company. It’s nice that he acknowledges the impact they’ve had on his career and the show in his statement, but pay raises and stakes in his company would’ve really showed that appreciation and really showed that he knows he wouldn’t be in the position to get a Netflix deal without them. Even if he didn’t give them stakes, giving the team raises is literally the bare minimum.

It’s one thing when you’re just starting and you don’t have the money to pay people. It’s one thing if you’re transparent about any role on the show being unpaid. I, personally, don’t think it’s that big of a deal that guests, panel members, or whoever didn’t get paid to be on the show, especially in the early days of it. If it’s a situation where they didn’t know it was unpaid until after the shoot, that’s really fucked up. If people knew they weren’t being paid and showed up to shoot anyway, that’s a different story.

Based on what Lawrence, an older panel member, said, it didn’t seem like Kevin actually had conversations about not being able to or not wanting to pay him, and instead, just slowly featured him less after Lawrence expressed wanting to be paid, which would mean Kevin wasn’t transparent, and that’s fucked up.

Life is expensive and everybody has bills, but if you choose to continue to be a part of something that’s unpaid, you can’t fault someone for not paying you. James Davis, a rotating guest panel member that’s become a favorite, made a statement on his story saying that he wasn’t paid, but he thought it would be good promotion and while promotion won’t pay the bills, for some people it is worth it. Not to say the people featured on this show needed the show, because I don’t think that’s true, but let’s not act like exposure doesn’t matter in an industry like this. Can we not act like panel members outside the OGs have walked away from the show with nothing?

I don’t know what Kevin’s financials look like, but I figure that he’s actually able to pay people now, in 2026, and maybe even last year in 2025. I could see his choice not to pay anyone to be more out of greed than necessity. Lots of established businesses have unpaid internships, and while it’s not illegal, if I was able to pay people, I would, and it does rub me the wrong way if he is actually able to pay people and is just unwilling to do it.

While I will continue to shout from the rooftops that Denny, Herm, and Aaron contributed to the magic of the show, I think people don’t factor in how much goes into making any sort of show, and that part I think is unfair. Denny, Herm, and Aaron were faces of the show, important to the chemistry of the show, and helped make it the success it was, and while in some episodes they talked about them doing more on the show and it’s known that Kevin benefitted from Denny’s connections, there’s more that goes into the show than them.

I have an audio only podcast, and with that alone, which isn’t on the same level as a Youtube video production, I know how much work goes behind creating ONE episode, and I don’t like how people have dismissed those aspects of the show. People have to find and vet the contestants and prep them on what to expect. There’s someone who deals with the cameras and audio, someone who helps plan the topics of the show and comes up with the questions and challenges, and someone who edits the video. There’s a lot behind the scenes that goes into a production of anything, and I think fans have dismissed those roles, what they’ve contributed to the show, and Kevin’s potential management of them, and I don’t like that. Kevin, himself, is also a great host.

If you want to say Kevin was the least funny, fair, I agree. If you want to say what Kevin did was fucked up, also fair, and I agree. If you want to say Kevin has been moving weird and his ego got too big, based on what I know, I agree! But we don’t have to dismiss how Kevin and how other people have contributed to the show in defense of Aaron, Herm, and Denny. Everyone involved, including those behind the scenes, are important to the production of the show. While they were huge parts of the show, the show took more than them to create.

In Summary: This Situation Sucks!

I’ve always said that I don’t think I would like Kevin personally, so all of this coming out is unfortunately, not that surprising though it is disappointing, assuming it’s all true. I’m not saying that just to hop on the hate train, because I don’t hate him. Lowkey, I think the people who actually do know him and have worked for/with him are weird for speaking on their dislike of him now, when they continued to film the show and were on recent episodes of it up until this point.

While, I think at some points, the back-and-forth statements and panel members speaking on it got to be exhausting and it was all clearly to address the fans more so than fix the situation, on both sides, I wish that it could’ve been handled behind closed doors because now it’s feeling like the show as we knew it is genuinely over. I mean, how can they authentically come back to working again together after all that was said and after fan reaction was what it was?

I’m grateful for The Kevin Langue show and the laughs, because it really helped me when I was damn near at my lowest and when I was trying to figure out life again after my health issues. For me, Kevin had a part in that, and I think he is just as important to the show as everyone else, it’s just that Kevin isn’t the only person who is important to the show, just because it’s titled as his show. He isn’t the only person who has made it successful.

This entire situation really sucks. The Kevin Langue Show is one of my comfort shows and when I tell you I’ve seen a lot of the episodes a million times, I’m only slightly exaggerating.

My issue with all this, as a fan, is two things:

1. Kevin’s lack of transparency.

I really hate hearing he wasn’t transparent about what pay would look like for past guests and I really hate that he didn’t address the change in panel until the moment it changed.

Kevin should’ve said something to the fans before the episode dropped, so it wasn’t a surprise, instead of springing it on us as if the change wasn’t a big deal when it was a glaring problem and that change could be felt throughout the show. If he didn’t want to let the show and concept go, that’s fine, but to not make any sort of announcement to prep fans so he could get the Netflix deal and so he could continue building fan anticipation is grimy. I don’t like that. Because if Kevin knows how important it is to have them attached to the show than why can’t he just pay them their worth?

I was so sure this had to be a misunderstanding and that Kevin wasn’t stupid enough to let them walk away and to try not to work it out with Denny, Herm, and Aaron, but to learn that he ghosted them about renegotiations (according to their second statement) is disappointing.

Now, if Kevin’s accusation in his statement about them holding up production in the moment is true, I do think that’s a little messed up, if that was Kevin’s first-time hearing about their frustration, because of the other people involved in creating an episode, though I understand why the feel they had to draw a line in the sand. But this leads me to…

2. Kevin undercutting the OG panel.

Kevin underpaying Denny, Kevin, and Herm, will never sit right with me because, as I’ve said multiple times, their contributions to the show were priceless. The group chemistry was the magic, and the magic was gone when they weren’t in it. Whether those three should’ve been paid and been paid more than before isn’t up for debate.

I’ll always stand by Kevin needing to lead those conversations. Even in the rare chance he genuinely didn’t know they were bothered, Kevin should’ve anticipated it. He should’ve taken initiative to give them more, whether that be more money or stakes in the company or both. Kevin did them a disservice by not approaching them first, whether you look at it from a business perspective or from the perspective of them being cool. I don’t think anything he says can take away from him being wrong about that.

Some fans are choosing sides, some are choosing to walk away from The KL Show and KL2.

Me? I’m just blindly hoping Kevin will make it right.