Max Joseph Announces Departure From MTV’s Catfish
Published on August 9, 2018.Source: Popsugar
MTV’s Catfish is going through some changes!
On Wednesday, August 8, co-host Max Joseph announced that this will be his last season of the popular MTV series with the final episode featuring Joseph airing on August 22.
“Hey guys, the time has come, sadly, for me to move on from Catfish,” Joseph said in a statement. “Working on this show for the last seven years has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. I’ve learned a lot about myself, my country and human nature in general. Nev [Schulman] and I have become brothers and our bromance has blossomed before your eyes.”
“For a while now I have been straddling two careers as TV host and filmmaker and, while this level of busy-ness is a dream come true, my life can no longer sustain it,” he continued. “With Catfish still going strong after 7 seasons, 115 episodes, 31 specials and showing no sign of slowing down, I feel it is finally the time for me to make my exit. Although I have a heavy heart, I am also excited for everything that’s to come for myself, for Nev, for our crew and for the show. Thank you for watching, thank you for the love and for the memes.”
In a response, Schulman also issued a statement about the exit of his co-host and friend.
“Working with Max on Catfish has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life,” he said. “What started as a casual friendship quickly turned into a brotherhood. Thanks to Max, over the last six years I’ve learned as much about the internet and society as I have about myself. Max isn’t just a co-host, he’s a partner. His ability to listen, empathize and advise is astounding. Nobody cuts through the noise and dishes the hard truth better than he does. I’m going to miss him a lot. He’s my best friend and one of the best colleagues anyone could hope for.”
“As sad as I am though that Max is leaving the show, it brings me great joy to know that he is following his heart,” he continued. “While selfishly I’d love to keep him all to myself, I know that unleashing the creativity and passion that he has will benefit so many of us. If you don’t already know about Max’s amazing work as a filmmaker, check out his website maxjoseph.com. Good luck, my friend, and there’s really no excuse why you can’t video chat in from time to time ;)”
Joseph’s departure comes a month after a brief hiatus in the season after Nev Schulman was accused of sexual misconduct by a woman who had appeared on the show. Schulman denied the woman’s claims and after an investigation, MTV resumed production finding that the claims were “not credible and without merit.”
“Although we never received a formal complaint, MTV and Critical Content immediately engaged an independent third party investigator,” MTV said in a statement. “The independent investigator found the allegations made in the YouTube videos to be not credible and without merit. Given the results of the investigation, Catfish will resume filming. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to providing a safe working environment.”
Catfish airs Wednesdays (9 p.m. ET) on MTV.
Relive some of the best Catfish moments with these 10 most memorable and craziest episodes!