Why was Catfish cancelled?

24 September 2025, 16:02

Catfish: The TV Show has announced that the show is ending after being an iconic staple on reality TV- but why? And what has Nev Schulman said? Here are all the details.

Catfish: The TV Show has officially been cancelled, as announced on September 22nd by the show’s iconic hosts Nev Schulman and Max Joseph.

After nine seasons, following its debut in 2012, it has finally come to an end after the broadcaster MTV decided to cut the show.

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The series remained a cult classic since its debut, and followed personal stories of peoples’ relationships with catfishes, a term popularised by the show, meaning somebody who is deceptive about their identity online.

In a sad sit-down video, one of the show’s original hosts, Max, who originally left in 2018, returned by the side of Nev, who hosted all nine seasons, to break the news to the fans.

Nev said: “After 12 years, 300 episodes, and just a lot of traveling around this incredible country, Catfish has officially been cancelled. Sorry.”

Max added: “You guys have been awesome, and you made the show worth continuing to do.”

Whilst the reason has not been clarified by MTV, some fans are suggesting it could have been the lack of on-screen chemistry by Nev’s newer counterpart, Kamie Crawford; however, this is just a theory.

Catfish is going to be greatly missed on cable TV as one of the shows that is known to always be on reruns.

It has made some iconic memorable moments, which was part of its appeal, as the hosts confronted some over-the-top characters.

A tweet featuring an AI-generated catfish has gone viral since the cancellation, leaving fans pointing out the need for the show more than ever as technology is advancing and scams are increasing.

One fan said: “Cancelling this show just as AI is taking off? we’re being robbed of what might’ve been the best era of catfish in many years.”

Another said: “To think it was just nine seasons rip.”

However, there is still hope for the much-loved series, as the producer rights have been released, meaning it could be bought by another network, although this is currently undetermined.

Nev himself revealed to the world via his socials the week prior to the cancellation news that he was starting a new job in real estate, which did suggest a move away from the show.

So, whilst the news is very sad and the end of an era, there is still a chance the show could be picked up and revamped for yet another decade, but there are no promises made.

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