Phan, the ship name for the pairing of Dan and Phil and coined by the boys themselves, is by far the most popular ship within the Phandom. The topic of whether or not they are actually a couple has been widely discussed since the beginning of their collabs, causing much discourse in the Phandom community. Dan and Phil met on the 19th of October 2009, though they were in contact for a few months before that. Some people think they met through a mutual friend, but most Phandom members believe Dan stalked Phil and watched his videos for a while before. This controversy has not been helped by Dan and Phil's conflicting stories over the years, almost certainly stemming from their wish for privacy. In Dan's coming out video, he shared that he and Phil were romantically involved upon their meeting. He mentioned that both he and Phil prefer to keep their personal lives private and that he doesn't want to feel like he is obligated to share information about his life in such a way.
2012!Phan[]
The mass discourse and general obsession of Phan in 2012 sparked by the leaking of the Valentine's Day Video, along with many other personal factors, caused a rift both within the Phandom and possibly also between Dan and Phil themselves. Many edits and videos centered around this time period showcase Dan and Phil's avoidance of the subject when prompted, and general awkwardness around each other. After some time, however, the Phandom calmed down, personal boundaries were reestablished, and Dan and Phil seem to be back to their normal selves. Dan later shared that intense speculation about the nature of their private relationship during this time caused him to suffer from PTSD, and he compensated by deflection.