Dan and Phil both came out publicly as gay in 2019, but in separate videos a few days apart. Years later, in October 2025, they also confirmed publicly that they have been in a romantic relationship with each other since 2009.

Dan’s coming out (2019)

  • Daniel Howell came out in June 2019 in a long video often referred to by fans as his “coming out” or “basically I’m gay” video, where he talked about his sexuality and mental health.
  • In that video and around that time, he did not yet explicitly confirm his relationship with Phil, even though many fans strongly suspected it.

Phil’s coming out (2019)

  • Phil Lester also publicly came out as gay in 2019, shortly after Dan, via his own video where he talked about being gay and growing up.
  • Public info and fan discussions often note that Phil had been out in his personal life earlier, but chose to align the timing of a big public coming out with Dan so they could navigate the spotlight together.

When they confirmed “Dan and Phil” as a couple

  • On 13 October 2025 they uploaded a video titled along the lines of “Phan? Dan Phil Re the Truth,” where they explicitly answered the question “Are Dan and Phil in a relationship?” with a clear “Yes.”
  • In that video they explained they have actually been together since 2009, saying they “fell hard and fast” back then and have basically been partners in every aspect ever since.

Why the timeline feels confusing

  • From 2009 to 2019, they kept their romantic relationship private, so publicly they were “just” collaborators and roommates even though they were already a couple.
  • In 2019 they came out as gay individually, but did not fully “come out” as a couple until 2025, which is why you’ll see two different dates: 2019 for sexuality, 2025 for explicitly confirming the relationship.

TL;DR:

  • Dan came out as gay: June 2019.
  • Phil came out as gay: 2019, shortly after Dan.
  • They confirmed they are dating and have been together since 2009: 13 October 2025.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.