MTV suspends ‘Catfish’ as host faces sexual misconduct allegations

MTV has suspended production of its popular reality show Catfish amid sexual misconduct allegations against its host Nev Schulman.

“We take these allegations very seriously,” an MTV spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re working with Critical Content, our third party production company, to conduct a thorough investigation, and we’ve put a pause on shooting until the investigation is completed.”

The show, now in its seventh season, sees Nev investigate potential catfish - people who lie about who they are online in order to build relationships with others.

According to the Daily Beast, Ayissha Morgan, who appeared on the show in 2015, posted two videos on YouTube alleging that she was sexually harassed by Schulman throughout the production.

Morgan, who is a lesbian, says Schulman - whom she refers to in the video by the pseudonym “Jack” - asked her to “reevaluate” her sexuality and have sex with him. She also claims Schulman invited her into his hotel room, where he allegedly propositioned her.

Schulman, however, denied the charges.

“The behavior described in this video did not happen and I’m fortunate that there are a number of former colleagues who were present during this time period who are willing to speak up with the truth,” Schulman said. “I have always been transparent about my life and would always take responsibility for my actions—but these claims are false.”

It has also emerged that Schulman, now 33, was expelled from Sarah Lawrence College after allegedly punching a woman at a school dance in 2006.

The woman accused him of “taking pictures of queer couples dancing and kissing without their permission” at the event, telling Vulture, “I confronted him, and asked him to stop taking pictures.”

The Catfish host is, of course, far from the only person to face this sort of #MeToo-style sexual misconduct allegation in recent times. The past six months alone has seen famous Hollywood figures including Harvey Weinstein, Louis CK and Kevin Spacey all face claims of inappropriate or abusive behaviour; with this latest development, the allegations don’t appear to be stopping any time soon. 

(Images: Getty)