When Ethan Klein announced that his H3 Podcast was going on indefinite hiatus, Trisha Paytas hoped years of public conflict with her former cohost might finally end. “It just felt like relief, and that makes me really sad,” she said, according to Parade.
Paytas, 38, discussed her reaction during the October 27 episode of Just Trish, joined by her husband, Moses Hacmon. Ethan’s wife, Hila Klein, is Hacmon’s younger sister, making the circumstances behind the podcast’s pause painful for their extended family.
Hila has accused Ethan of having an affair and said she is navigating separation and co-parenting. In his public response, Ethan asked people to respect his family’s privacy and refrain from contacting relatives for comments about him.
In a separate TikTok posted that day, Paytas said she and Hacmon learned of the allegations alongside the public and had no inside information about the Kleins’ marriage, as Us Weekly reported. She noted that both couples have children around the same ages.
Paytas Says Private Appeals Led to More Retaliation
Paytas said she had spent five years praying for the conflict to stop and seeking help privately. She described contacting people she knew at YouTube, turning to her representatives and approaching members of Hacmon’s family in an effort to halt what she characterized as harassment.
Those requests brought “just more retaliation,” she alleged, according to Just Jared. Paytas said attempts to get assistance made the situation worse and that the criticism continued to affect her during the past year.
She became emotional as cohost Oscar Gracey discussed H3’s treatment of other internet personalities and the attention directed at her. Paytas recalled stretches when the criticism continued for weeks, leaving her feeling unable to escape it. She said she was not joining those celebrating Ethan’s difficulties.
Hacmon Says Hila’s Statement Brought Him to Tears
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Hacmon said reading Hila’s Instagram statement made him cry. He recalled how close they had once been and said he still loved her despite their estrangement, according to PEOPLE.
In that statement, Hila alleged that Ethan had dismissed her questions before changing his account of what happened. She said an explanation involving a kiss became an acknowledgment of emotional cheating, followed by an admission to an affair lasting more than six months. She described feeling betrayed by someone she had trusted as a husband, parent and business partner.
Hacmon claimed he had previously warned Hila that Ethan was dishonest, while acknowledging that he had not expected her to choose her brother over her husband. His comments about Ethan were more direct: “Ethan, to me, is not part of the family anymore.”
Paytas and Hacmon Were Dating Before Frenemies Began
Frenemies debuted on September 15, 2020, with an episode titled “Trisha’s New Boyfriend Is Hila’s Brother,” according to its original episode listing. Paytas and Hacmon’s relationship was already underway when she and Ethan began hosting the show together.
The podcast ended in June 2021 after a public disagreement, with Paytas and Ethan subsequently addressing their falling-out in separate videos. Paytas and Hacmon married that December, as USA TODAY reported.
Hacmon said he and his sister have now been out of contact for about five years. He accused Ethan of spreading false claims about him and Paytas and said the conflict had hurt his wife and children. He described making a deliberate choice to keep family disagreements out of public content and said his decision to remain no-contact had not changed.
The H3 Crew Says Ethan Cannot Remain Involved or Profit
Ethan’s hiatus announcement preceded Hila’s public statement. After her allegations became public, the H3 production team said it would not continue working with Ethan involved or financially benefiting from the show. The crew expressed support for Hila and said its members were staying together while deciding what to do next.
“We don’t yet know what that means for the future,” the team wrote in its statement, reproduced by TheWrap. The announcement did not establish a return date or confirm that the podcast had permanently ended.
In a subsequent Instagram statement, Ethan said he was working with Hila to remove his ownership and financial stakes from their podcasts, Teddy Fresh, Teddy Glow and other joint ventures, according to Dexerto. He described the changes as ongoing and expressed confidence in the production team: “I know the crew will make an awesome show.”