Trisha Paytas steps down from 'Frenemies' podcast after tense dispute on the show

Trisha Paytas is leaving Frenemies after a contentious on-air discussion about ownership of the podcast, they announced in a recent video posted to their personal YouTube channel.

Monday's episode of Frenemies ended with Paytas and Klein arguing over the show's production, revealing a long-running dispute over pay and creative control over the podcast. During the last minutes of the show, Paytas expressed disapproval over Frenemies' "fan advice" segment, which they called "lazy."

"A lazy podcast? You don't do anything for it," Klein responded. "You just show up, we do all the work."

That sparked a heated argument over the show's direction, the planning of which Paytas felt left out. Paytas noted that they "didn't get input" on hiring production crew and questioned Klein's purchase of a Downtown Los Angeles studio to film the podcast. Klein told Paytas they get a "generous" cut of the show's profits, and insinuated that they are the show's talent, not producer. The podcast, which is livestreamed on YouTube, ended with Paytas asking to end the show.

Klein co-hosts the H3 Podcast with his wife, Hila Klein. Frenemies operated in H3 Podcast's studio, and was produced by H3 Podcast's production crew.

The on-air discussion also revealed that Klein and Paytas split Frenemies revenue equally, each taking home 45 percent while 5 percent is allocated to pay for the crew and other production costs. Some misinterpreted Paytas' frustration as a pay dispute. In their video, Paytas clarified that they were upset that they weren't included in the show's business decisions despite receiving half the profit.

Paytas, who is notorious for posting emotional videos filmed from their kitchen floor, announced their departure in a video posted to their YouTube channel on Tuesday morning. They explained that when they agreed to launch the podcast, they believed it would be a shared venture between Klein and themself, rather than another project under H3's brand. Paytas added that they wanted to be more than the show's talent.

"It's been my stability, my regular thing once a week that I absolutely look forward to," Paytas said in their departure video. "I thought that I would have more of a say...And that's when I realized that it's different than I thought it was. I thought we were 50-50 building this show."

Paytas and Klein became unlikely friends after feuding in 2019; Klein criticized Paytas for Photoshopping their body, and Paytas responded in an extensive Twitter vent about body image. Later that year, Klein invited Paytas as a guest on his podcast H3H3. The two hashed out their feud, and launched the joint podcast Frenemies in September 2020. In the 39 episodes that have aired since then, Paytas rebuilt their image, sought treatment for their mental health, and got engaged to Klein's brother-in-law Moses Hacmon.

Frenemies skyrocketed in viewership when Paytas opened up about the abuse they faced when they were involved with the Vlog Squad, a creator collective led by David Dobrik. Dobrik and members of the Vlog Squad allegedly facilitated multiple counts of sexual assault, and filmed incidents for their vlogs. Frenemies also discussed the assault allegations against James Charles, garnering more subscribers.

The show's production crew was unhappy with Trisha's outburst on Monday's episode, Trisha said in their video. In a comment pinned under the post, they said they didn't want to put further strain on the crew with their presence.

"I'm leaving to ease the tension everywhere. I don't want to be the toxicity in their machine, and I can feel that I am," Paytas wrote. "And it's not good for anyone involved...I don't know what else to say or how to convey what I'm going through right now without making things worse."

They added that the controversy had been taking a toll on their mental health, and believed it would be healthiest to disengage completely. Paytas has been open about their mental health issues, and the disputes that take place on Frenemies have opened up conversations about showing compassion to people with personality disorders. Paytas has also walked off the show before in the heat of an argument, only to return the next week.

It's unclear whether the show is ending for good; H3's official Twitter account stated that Monday's episode would be Frenemies' last. In a tweet posted Tuesday afternoon, Klein said he was "gutted" over Paytas' departure.

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He added that he "did everything" he "humanly could" to save it.

Paytas, who is usually very active on social media, has stayed quiet since posting the YouTube video.