Dude Perfect star shares testimony of redemption in latest ‘I Am Second’ video

NASHVILLE (BP) — With more than 50 million subscribers, YouTube sensation Dude Perfect is one of the most notable names in social media entertainment.

However, for group member Tyler Toney and his wife Bethany, the success of The Dude Perfect subsequently led to feelings of jealousy, bitterness and heartbreak in their marriage.

It was only in the last few years that Tyler found redemption, healed his marriage, and began to see Dude Perfect as a gospel platform.

“Tyler is now just putting Christ at the center of everything in our family, whereas he used to not be,” said Bethany Toney.

“He’s just a whole new person. I remember saying to my mother, ‘I feel like I’m married to someone new and it’s strange and I’m having to get used to it. Every decision he makes now is a prayerful one. He leads our family, talks to our children about Christ and just little things that make me say, ‘Okay, this is worth the fight.’”

The couple tells their full story in the latest I Am Second video – a series featuring interviews with various Christian celebrities about their personal testimonies.

The Toneys married in 2011, around the time Dude Perfect’s success was taking off.

Things started for the group of five former Texas A&M housemates when they simply uploaded a video of themselves taking basketball trick shots to YouTube for other friends to see. The video went viral and was featured on Good Morning America. Brand deals and opportunities started pouring in.

“This was incredibly exciting for us, and at the same time we had absolutely no idea what we were getting into,” Tyler said.

After initial hesitation from Bethany, Tyler and the group decided to quit all of their jobs and create video content full-time as the Dude Perfect.

Dude Perfect’s success skyrocketed over the next few years. To date, the group has more than 50 million YouTube subscribers, making it one of the top 25 YouTubers on the platform.

They have made videos with athletes and celebrities such as Aaron Rodgers, Paul Rudd, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Drew Brees and Serena Williams. Brand deals and sponsorships for the group include GMC, Bass Pro Shops and Nike.

One of her latest projects was streaming Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.

But by the time Dude Perfect found his success more than a decade ago, Bethany was back at home struggling with jealousy and infertility.

“His (Tyler’s) success really began at a time when I felt like God was calling us to start a family,” Bethany said. “We were trying to have a baby and I miscarried several times. It was just devastating for me and heartbreaking.”

“I watch my husband being on top of the world and doing all these really cool things while I’m at home in pain and just heartbroken, confused and angry. I was just so angry with God at that time in our lives because I felt like God was ignoring me and not hearing my requests for things.”

Looking back, Tyler acknowledges his missteps as a husband and father.

“I was more like, ‘OK, we’ve got to make hay while the sun’s out,’ because there’s no telling how long those opportunities are going to last,” Tyler Toney said.

“I’m not sure if, from a family standpoint, I did the best job of making Bethany a priority. I think I put more emphasis and weight on those dude perfect choices early on. I think our families were pushed to the side early on.”

The Toneys eventually had three children, but that didn’t stop the growing division and bitterness between them.

The couple reached a boiling point during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After that particularly difficult season, Bethany said her husband approached her and said, “I don’t think I’ve ever really had a relationship with Jesus Christ.”

“Hearing him say that put everything in perspective for me because the only thing that was missing from our marriage was him being that spiritual leader and putting Christ first in our marriage. That shift alone was the pivot for us to move forward.”

Toney began hosting a weekly men’s Bible study at his home, which he described as “essential” in his Christian walk.

The next step in his journey was to see Dude Perfect not as a platform for individual group success, but as a platform for the ministry of the gospel.

Tyler describes a clear call from the Lord to preach the full message of the gospel to thousands at every stop of Dude Perfect’s next nationwide tour.

“I wrestled with this for a couple of days and I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re going to tell me this?'” Tyler said.

“I remember the very first show, it was so awkward and out of my comfort zone. I walked off stage and just burst into tears because it was just this overwhelming feeling, ‘this is what you’re supposed to do. That’s why I gave you this platform… that’s why I gave you the talents and skills and success that you’ve had.’”

With a renewed marriage and mission, Toney said, the group aims to continue spiritually influencing massive audiences.

“I think at this point in Dude Perfect, that’s exactly how we see it – an incredible opportunity to reach a group of people, especially families, especially young boys, who might not have much to see or might not understand the community of everything else.” in your life. We feel this immense responsibility towards them to somehow continue to do this and take on this as long as God allows us to have this platform.”