The Hidden Truth Of Catfish Host Nev Schulman

Nev Schulman was an aspiring documentary filmmaker when his 2010 film "Catfish" was released. While it may not have been among the documentaries that actually changed the world, it certainly captured the zeitgeist. As increasing numbers of singles reached out to find love online, so too did scammers. The film charts how Schulman's online relationship with an artistic 8-year-old girl brought him into online relationships with her friends and family, eventually leading him into a romantic relationship with her 19-year-old sister, Megan. As it turned out, though, Megan was Angela Wesselman-Pierce, two decades older and hiding behind the fake online persona that entranced Schulman. 

The success of the film — made with his brother, Ariel Schulman and filmmaker Henry Joost — led MTV to come calling. When Schulman took the concept to television, it turned out that catfishing was far more common than anyone realized. Premiering in 2012, "Catfish" proved to be an instant hit with viewers, who couldn't get enough of Schulman's deep dives into the what happens when matters of the heart are clouded by technology. While there has been much speculation about reasons why "Catfish" is totally fake, during the decade-plus since the show first debuted on television, fending off the cons of online scammers has become a daily occurrence for most people. 

For good or ill, Schulman has become the face of a television phenomenon. But how much do viewers really know about him? Let's delve into the hidden truth of "Catfish" host Nev Schulman. 

Once "Catfish" made the leap from personal documentary film to a hugely successful MTV television series, Nev Schulman became a hot property. That was evident in 2013 when he landed a deal with Grand Central Publishing to write his first book, "In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age." In it, he continued exploring the online relationships he examined in the show and what he'd come to learn from his experiences. 

That book arrived in the fall of 2014. Writing about his experience in the "Catfish" movie, he boasted about how well he'd come across. "Miraculously, I'd been the victim of a hoax and had handled it with sensitivity and compassion, had demonstrated an ability to listen to my catfish and to forgive her despite all the mistakes she'd made," he wrote. "I'd finally been the nonjudgmental, sensitive, caring, nice guy I'd always wanted to be, and it had — fortuitously — ended up on tape for the whole world to see." When interviewed by PopSugar, Schulman shared his insights into why people pretend to be someone they're not. "Maybe the biggest reason, or excuse, or explanation, for why people create alter egos or fake personas online is simply that they are in some way unsatisfied with their lives or with themselves," he said. 

Nev Schulman studied at Sarah Lawrence College — until getting kicked out in disgrace in 2006 after punching a female student in the head. He has insisted the incident was a lot more nuanced than that, offering an explanation in his 2014 book, "In Real Life." According to Schulman, he was photographing the scantily clad participants in the school's annual Sleaze Ball when someone took issue with his efforts, attempting to tackle him and wrest away his camera. Because it was on a strap around his neck, Schulman was being choked, and he retaliated by striking his attacker and then running away. "When I returned minutes later, I discovered the short, stocky, crew-cut-styled individual that I'd fought with was a woman — a fact that I hadn't been aware of in the heat of the moment," he wrote. "The next thing I knew, I'd been arrested." 

An alleged eyewitness, however, countered Schulman's recollection. "Nev stuck his camera in the face of two girls kissing and was sort of taking a picture and she shoved the camera away," that source told Page Six. "He was very angry about this and he just decks her." According to Schulman, the criminal case was immediately dismissed, but he remained expelled. "I never even finished my junior year," he wrote.

After being kicked out of college, Nev Schulman embarked on a career as a videographer. He also reengaged with the world of ballet, which had been something of a passion for him when he was in high school. That led to a gig filming a dance workshop that was being trained by Benjamin Millepied, who taught Natalie Portman how to dance for the film "Black Swan" before marrying her (they later divorced).

However, during this period, prestigious jobs like that were few and far between for Schulman. As he told Tablet, in order to pay the bills he was "just a bar mitzvah videographer." Still, as he wrote in "In Real Life," he was able to earn enough to support himself. "I had carved out a seemingly good niche for myself in New York City," he wrote. "I was making enough money to live in my own apartment and pay the rent on that Tribeca office."

While he was seemingly on a successful path, those pre-"Catfish" days proved unfulfilling. "I was frequently bored," Schulman wrote. "I was underperforming, and I knew it." As he wrote, he'd built a solid business, "but did I want to be marking bar mitzvah videos for the rest of my life? Hardly."

While some viewers may wonder what MTV's "Catfish" stars are doing now, Nev Schulman answered that question about himself when he joined the ranks of celebrities to trip the light fantastic on "Dancing With the Stars." While there have been many disturbing things that happened on reality shows, that wasn't the case for Schulman. Competing during the show's 29th season in 2020, he and dance partner Jenna Johnson distinguished themselves with the season's first perfect score, receiving 30 out of 30 points for their paso doble set to "Swan Lake Remix."

While there were many fans of the show who felt he had a good chance to go all the way and take home the show's Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, he ended the season in second place. ("Bachelorette" star Kaitlyn Bristowe and dancer Artem Chigvintsev were the season's winners). "In a weird way I think not winning actually was better," he revealed during an interview with ET, explaining that he felt that he'd already accomplished what he'd set out to do by competing in the first place. Besides, he added, it's not like he was competing for an Olympic medal. "Look, we can all agree 'Dancing with the Stars' is a hoot," he added. "I don't wanna offend anyone, but it's pretty silly. I mean, it's ridiculous. It's a big, fun, ridiculous show that I enjoyed thoroughly, but winning for me was never the objective."

It's no secret that Nev Schulman is most recognizable from his role as host and executive producer on "Catfish," yet he's also carved out a whole other sideline behind the scenes as a movie producer. In addition, Schulman is also the associate producer on two indie films, 2020's "Minor Premise," and 2023's "Long December."  "Minor Premise" is a psychological thriller with elements of science at its core. Meanwhile, "Long December" tells the story of a struggling musician whose spent years convinced his big break is right around the corner and is forced to come to grips with the reality that it may never happen for him. 

In an essay that the film's director, Thomas Torrey, wrote for Filmmaker magazine, he revealed that the project was shot at a breakneck pace — just 12 days. Making that tight schedule even more challenging, he opted to record all the musical performances live rather than have the actors record the tracks in a studio and then lip-sync on camera. "It was a choice that I made for both economic and creative reasons," Torrey explained. "It would have cost us more money and time to pre-record all of the film's music so the musicians could lip-sync on set. If we could effectively record the performances on the day, we would not only capture the music quicker and cheaper, but we'd also harness an authenticity that was central to the story."

When interviewed by Us Weekly for the magazine's "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" feature, Nev Schulman dropped a lot of surprising facts about himself. Along with revelations that he still wore a retainer to bed each night and that he sported frosted tips in the 1990s, he also opened up about an unusual physical characteristic. "I have a second set of nipples," he said, adding, "They're really small and cute."

Schulman's nipples were also mentioned when he and "Catfish" co-star Kamie Crawford submitted to taking a lie detector test. The segment illustrated what really happens to your body when you take a polygraph examination, as the two tried to determine which of the two was a better liar. In a video posted on YouTube, he was asked whether he had a set of extra nipples. He confirmed that he did, and when Crawford guessed his response was a lie, she was set straight. "What? Where are they?" she asked. "They're just like, under my other nipples," he responded. "But you really can't see 'em anymore."

Those tiny duplicate nipples made their TV debut when he shaved his chest while competing on "Dancing With the Stars." In fact, they could be seen in a shirtless photo he shared via Instagram — although seeing them requires looking very closely, given that Schulman's description of their tiny size proved accurate.

Another fact that Nev Schulman revealed to Us Weekly was about an unfortunate tattoo. "When I was 17, I got a lower-back tattoo," he said. "I call it a 'champ stamp.' I regret it every day." Of course, sharp-eyed viewers of the 2010 "Catfish" movie would have recalled seeing a brief glimpse of his tat — despite his pleas that footage be removed. "The one thing I probably asked to have removed more than once was the shot of my tramp stamp, because I'm so embarrassed," Schulman admitted in an interview with the A.V. Club. "Because that was just a huge mistake that I made in my life ... I asked them a bunch of times to take that out," he later added.

Speaking with Gothamology, Schulman offered more details about how he'd come to make that particular mistake. "In high school I got this dumb tattoo that I thought was really cool, but quickly realized that it wasn't, after I had already committed to it," he said, revealing he'd tried to hide it from girls he was dating — and that he'd finally taken action to get rid of it. "I had it removed and feel much better about myself," he added. In 2018, Schulman took to Facebook to confirm he'd had the embarrassing ink removed, proving it with before and after photos. 

Nev Schulman wound up in the headlines in 2018, when Ayissha Morgan — who'd appeared on "Catfish" in 2015 — went public with allegations of sexual misconduct, claiming that he'd sexually harassed her by making inappropriate, sexually charged comments. MTV took action by suspending Schulman and pausing production of the show until an investigation could be conducted to determine the veracity of Morgan's claims. Schulman proclaimed his innocence.

About a month later, MTV reinstated Schulman and resumed production on "Catfish" after completing the investigation. "The independent investigator found the allegations ... to be not credible and without merit," read a statement from the network," as reported by Deadline. Interviewed by People, Schulman opened up about how being falsely accused in that manner had impacted him. "It was a really difficult time for me, as much for my wife and my family," he said. "It was tough. To be accused of something that I squarely did not do and to have the harsh judgment that followed and no way to counteract or do something in the moment to correct that was very difficult," he later added. "It was frustrating. I just felt so powerless."

In 2015, Nev Schulman decided to sell his motorcycle. That proved to be the most fateful decision he'd ever made when he was contacted via Instagram by Laura Perlongo, who expressed interest in buying it. She decided not to purchase, but the two stayed in touch — which led to Schulman picking her up for their first date on that very motorcycle. "It was the first time I was picked up by a stranger on a motorcycle. I was a little nervous, to be honest," Perlongo told Us Weekly. "I was like, 'Are we gonna die? Is this worth dying?'"

They began dating, but Schulman slammed the brakes on the relationship when he realized how deep his feelings were becoming. Feeling he wasn't ready for another serious relationship — he'd been severely hurt in a previous breakup, and didn't want to put himself in that position again — Schulman broke it off. He quickly realized he'd made a mistake. "I screwed it up and then I had to win her back," he told Us Weekly. 

Schulman and Perlongo got back together, and they got engaged in 2016. After the arrival of their first child (daughter Cleo) later that year, they got married in 2017. It wasn't exactly a traditional wedding ceremony. After the nuptials — held in the backyard of the bride's home in the Hamptons —  they skipped a reception and instead invited their guests to join them for a dip in the ocean.

Nev Schulman and future wife Laura Perlongo revealed they were expecting a baby in a May 2016 blog post. "Hi," she wrote, revealing the pregnancy hadn't been planned. "My name is Laura Perlongo and I'm pregnant accidentally on purpose."

A few months later, the pair caused quite the stir when they attended the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. That, of course, was due to Perlongo's risqué outfit — a jacket worn open and nothing beneath, exposing her cleavage and her ample baby-filled belly. While the look was certainly controversial, the couple insisted that everyone they'd interacted with at the VMAs reacted positively. "Good vibes all around," Perlongo said in an interview with ATTN, revealing even Kim Kardashian offered compliments. "I don't regret the decision at all."

Not surprisingly, Perlongo explained that she was trying to make a point with all that exposed flesh about the resilience of the human body and the positivity of being pregnant. "And in the case of the VMAs, always a very skin-forward event, I thought I'd just be myself and wear something I felt good in," she said. "Something that expressed a little optimism. I like my pregnant body and felt hot. I hoped other pregnant women would relate to the feeling." Her husband agreed. "Whoever says pregnant and sexy can't go together, you're wrong!" he declared. 

Nev Schulman had long been an avid cyclist when he experienced a horrific accident. As he wrote in an August 2024 Instagram post, he was riding his bike, on his way to pick up his son, when he collided with a truck. "I broke my neck ... Stable fractures," he wrote, describing what is arguably the among the top tragedies Schulman experienced in his life. "I'm not paralyzed. ... It's hard to feel sorry for myself when I hear from the doctors about how many people with similar injuries will never walk again," he added. "I'm lucky to be here, alive, standing and hugging my family, projected to make a full recovery."

Just two weeks later, Schulman had been released from the hospital, and he shared a video on Instagram of himself wearing a neck brace while walking down a New York City street. "As you can see, I am up and about," he told his social media followers. "I'm finishing a little neighborhood stroll, which was recommended to me by my physical therapist just to keep my body moving. Never had such fatigue from a 10-minute walk, but I'm almost home now."

As doctors had predicted, Nev Schulman did make a full recovery after breaking his neck in his cycling accident. In fact, his condition had improved so much that by November, just three months after the accident, he ran the New York City Marathon. As Schulman told People, he felt he had a duty to do it because he wasn't just running for himself — he would be serving as a guide for a blind friend, Francesco Magisano. "About two weeks after the accident, he texted me, 'How are you feeling?' I said, 'I'm feeling terrible, and you should probably look for a new guide,'" Schulman recalled. "He said, 'Nev, I'm not going to find a new guide. Take your time, get better. And I don't care how fast or slow we go, I really want you to be my guide.'" 

Despite his uncertainty, Schulman decided to start running. When the marathon arrived, he felt ready — or at least as ready as he could be under the circumstances. "And I did as much as I felt comfortable doing to try and catch up and be in shape enough to keep up with him," he told Forbes, admitting this was the first time he'd run the marathon without stressing about his speed. "This was the first time that I really felt like just an immense satisfaction in finishing," he added. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).