End of an Era: MTV's 'Catfish: The TV Show' Has Been Cancelled

MTV's 'Catfish: The TV Show', the popular reality series exposing deceptive online relationships, has been officially taken off air after running for nine seasons, insiders report to Variety. Despite the cancellation, the network is leaving the door open for the show's creators to offer the series to a new home. They will also continue to broadcast earlier episodes from the 'Catfish' archives.

The show was hosted by Nev Schulman and centered around unearthing the truth behind dubious internet romances. At times, it also facilitated reconciliations between individuals on either side of the digital equation. The show was inspired by and named after Schulman’s 2010 documentary that defined “catfish” as someone pretending to be someone they're not on the internet using counterfeit identities or stolen images.

The show, conceptualized by Schulman, Ariel Schulman, and Max Joseph, first appeared in 2012 on MTV and bowed out with Season 9 in July 2024. Nev Schulman and Joseph co-presented the show during its initial seven seasons. From 2018, there was a revolving door of hosts including Elle King, Nick Young, and Machine Gun Kelly before Kamie Crawford took over and joined Schulman for 96 episodes.

'Catfish' not only made a significant contribution in defining digital deception, but also inspired international versions in Colombia, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Its influence persists: a recent episode of 'The Paper' revolved around an employee being deceived online by a celebrity impersonator, and Netflix’s top-rated documentary is the 'Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.'

The fate of 'Catfish: The TV Show' had been unclear since the close of Season 9. MTV had not furnished a renewal or cancellation order in the wake of the Paramount merger's restructuring. In related news, Schulman recently revealed that he has earned his real estate broker’s license and will be assisting people in New York with their real estate transactions.