Is MTV's 'Catfish' Actually Canceled or Are We Being Catfished Into Thinking It's Done?

People of a certain age will remember that MTV's wildly popular — and at times deeply disturbing — show Catfish was actually a documentary before it was a series. The original catfish victim was none other than the show's creator and co-host, Nev Schulman. The documentary was released in 2010 and followed Schulman's online relationship with a woman who turned out to be a housewife from Michigan.

Schulman, who was 24 at the time, believed he was communicating with a 19-year-old named Megan and her younger sister, 8-year-old Abby. Both of these people were dreamed up by Angela Wesselman, who spent much of her time caring for her two disabled stepsons. Who could have predicted this would birth a show that lasted nine seasons? Sadly, in September 2025, it was announced that Catfish was canceled. Here's what we know.

Schulman announced that Catfish was canceled in a TikTok that also featured former host and cameraman Max Joseph. "That's a wrap on Catfish," said Joseph next to Schulman in an alarmingly red room. At this point, Schulman jumped in to say they filmed nearly 300 shows over the course of 12 years, which involved traveling all over the country.

Schulman joked that there were a lot of reverse image searches, while Joseph added they spent a ton of time at various Hilton Garden Inns, all in pursuit of the truth. "Catfish has officially been canceled," said Schulman. Max, who said he was just about to come back, said maybe the show is just on pause. Perhaps the version that we've all grown to know, love, and fear was ending, but a new beginning was not out of the question.

Schulman sort of shrugged at the idea of a new Catfish concept, which makes sense. Although the internet allowed catfishing to happen, it also made it easier for people to suss out a scam on their own. Then again, a return of Catfish featuring AI deepfakes might be in order. Regardless, Schulman noted that it's been an "incredible journey" and thanked the cast and crew.

Joseph, his longtime friend and collaborator, stopped Schulman and said he deserved to be thanked as well. "This was the last decade in cable television," said Joseph, "and you did it." Schulman reluctantly and humbly conceded that he did, in fact, do it. Putting the focus back on the crew, Schulman thanked them profusely and said they were all family. Naturally, Schulman and Joseph had to thank the fans for making the show such a terrifying juggernaut.

The boys left us with one piece of advice, and that is, no matter how someone is treating you, never call them a fat a-- Kelly Price. This was a reference to Season 3, Episode 2, when a woman named Carmen reached out to the folks at Catfish because she believed her cousin Antwane was being catfished by someone named Tony. It turns out Carmen was actually Tony. That's when she said, "You should have never called me a fat a-- Kelly Price." Apparently, Carmen did it for the love of the game.