Viral
What did Maya Jama say about Sidemen?
The Chunkz Show
It's the kind of back-and-forth that probably wasn't meant to cause a stir — but online, things rarely stay that simple.
A casual comment from Maya Jama during a chat with Chunkz on his podcast has led to a bit of tension with the Sidemen, and fans have been quick to notice.
"Maya Jama vs The Sidemen, was not what I expected in 2025 lol," one viewer chimed in on the action, while another quipped: "Is Maya Jama slightly dissing the Sidemen?"
So, where did it all start?
It began during a relaxed moment on The Chunkz Show, when the Beta Squad member asked his long-time friend, Jama, who she preferred between the Sidemen and Beta Squad — two of the UK’s biggest YouTube collectives. Unsurprisingly, Jama sided with her mates.
"I'm way closer with them lot [Beta Squad] and I like Toby [Sidemen], I get along with Toby and I get on with KSI," she candidly shared.
She went on to explain that she didn’t really know the rest of the Sidemen, suggesting they weren’t quite her kind of people — pointing to differences in upbringing, including private schooling.
"No offence, they smashed it," she added. "Congratulations on being rich".
- YouTube youtu.be
But what sounded like a throwaway remark didn’t land well with everyone. The Sidemen clearly took notice, and weren’t shy about responding.
"Aw 'congratulations on being rich', shut up," Ethan said. "You've never uttered a word to me."
He then shared details of his past, revealing that his dad was involved in drugs — and that he’d once sold them himself.
"Don't just assume," he added.
KSI also weighed in, clarifying that only he and Simon had attended private school — and that his parents worked "two, three jobs" to make it possible.
"We still worked so hard to get into this position, it's not like we just magically got here," KSI added.
Jama later responded in the comments of a TikTok clip of the exchange, pushing back on how her words were interpreted.
"As people who talk on podcasts, you should know more than anyone about context! Why are you rattled," she wrote. "I was asked who I preferred and CLEARLY said I dont know you, I only mentioned private school because chunks did earlier and I said 'congratulations on being rich' not coming from money".
She added a final note: "Mind how you're talking though Ethan."
Indy100 reached out to Sidemen and Maya Jama for comment
You may also like...
- Five things we learned from Netflix's Sidemen documentary
- Maya Jama had a hilarious response to King Charles learning what Love Island is
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)