Frenemies (podcast)

Frenemies was a podcast hosted by Trisha Paytas and Ethan Klein on the H3 Podcast. The podcast focused on discussing personal experiences, pop culture, internet drama and mental health. It consisted of 39 episodes and two accompanying vlogs. Paytas and Klein's friendship was occasionally tumultuous, leading to episodes that were incomplete due to a verbal argument. The podcast came to an end during its 39th episode, after a dispute with Paytas and Klein about podcast revenue and production ownership. Despite this, "Frenemies" gained recognition in the podcasting realm and found a place in numerous Top 50 lists, frequently pulling in millions of viewers per episode.

Background
In May 2019, YouTuber Ethan Klein of h3h3Productions released a video titled "Instagram vs. Reality," in which he criticized the heavy editing and filtering of photos on social media. In this video he criticized Paytas’ excessive editing of their photos. Paytas responded with a series of tweets, calling Klein a "disgusting piece of shit" and accusing him of causing harm to young girls. The two engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, with Klein mocking Paytas in subsequent videos.

Eventually, Klein and Paytas reconciled and even appeared together on the H3 Podcast in October 2019. Following this, the Kleins had Paytas back on the podcast to compete in their series entitled "the BacH3lorette," a parody of ABC's The Bachelorette. It was this time that Paytas connected with Moses Hacmon, brother of Hila Klein, Ethan's wife and, during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, started a relationship with Hacmon whom she later married. In September 2020, the podcast was launched, with the first episodes' title ("Trisha's New Boyfriend Is Hila's Brother - Frenemies #1") referencing the start of their relationship.

Content
Frenemies primarily revolved around Paytas and Klein's unique friendship and the dynamic that came with it. The podcast was described as having a very open dialog about mental health. They often engaged in feuds with other creators, such as members of the Vlog Squad. On occasions, the podcast featured guests, such as Dr. Drew Pinsky, Jeff Wittek, and Hila Klein.

Show conclusion
In the ending of Episode 39 (entitled "Talking About Gabbie Hanna - Frenemies # 39") Ethan and Trisha got into a dispute over the production of the podcast and the revenue sharing they had set up which ultimately led to Paytas leaving set before the podcast had ended. Klein had set up a 55/45 revenue share for the podcast, claiming that his extra 5% would be utilized to cover the production costs. The H3 Podcast announced on Twitter once the episode had been published "New episode with a heavy heart as it is our last." The pair feuded on Twitter before ultimately both deleting tweets they had made about each other, with Paytas adding "I don’t want enemies. I’ve tried really hard to make amends with people I’ve been in “drama” with. I don’t want it." Paytas said in a video statement that she was grateful for the experience, but was ultimately firm in her decision to "step away" from the show. Klein echoed this sentiment with a video response and several Twitter statements, adding that he "[knew] how much it meant to everyone" and "did everything [he] humanly could to save it."

Legacy and follow up shows
In July 2021, Frenemies merchandise was released in collaboration with Klein's clothing company Teddy Fresh. These items were already in production prior to the ending of the podcast. During this time, Klein and Paytas also recorded a final episode of the podcast however, the episode never aired.

After the ending of the show, Klein started a new podcast, entitled Families, as a temporary replacement to the Frenemies podcast. The podcast featured him and his mother Donna Klein, and retained similar branding and the same set as the Frenemies podcast. The Families podcast ended after 10 episodes, with one additional reunion episode taking place as a "holiday special". Following the conclusion of Families, Klein launched a new podcast titled “Leftovers” with political commentator Hasan Piker. In June 2022, Klein released a video entitled Frenemies Is Back & Short Lived featuring himself and musician Oliver Tree hosting an episode of the show on the Frenemies set.