Warner Bros. Discovery
Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows died in an accident while filming the 22nd season of the Discovery series, and his mother has asked the network not to air any footage of his death.
Meadows worked as a deckhand on the Aleutian Lady, one of the fishing ships that Discovery films on for the binge-worthy reality series, which has been on the air since 2005.
The 25-year-old fell overboard while crab fishing in the Bering Sea, 150 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. A spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s Arctic District told CBS: “He was recovered unresponsive by the crew approximately ten minutes later.”
Meadows’ family are heartbroken over the accident, and his mother has issued a plea to Warner Bros. Discovery, asking them not to air the footage of her son’s death.
Todd Meadows’ mother doesn’t want the network to profit from his death
Angela Meadows spoke to TMZ about the loss of her son, and asked the producers behind Deadliest Catch not to include footage of the accident in the upcoming season of the show.
GoFundMe
“We don’t want to see any footage from the accident and do not want Discovery to air any of that footage or make money off of our son’s death. We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat,” she said.
Her comments come shortly after Meadows’ bunkmate, Trey John Green III, confirmed the show was filming at the time of the accident.
“Discovery is done filming, but there was a producer and a deck cam guy on the boat for the past two months filming for Season 22 of the show. It was filmed, unfortunately,” he told Us Weekly. “There is a deck cam as well that records 24-7, everything, and it caught everything from the incident as well.”
Nick Reiner arrest revealed in new footage after Rob and Michele Reiner deaths
Why was To Catch a Predator canceled? Inside new documentary & Bill Conradt death
Discovery has not publicly confirmed what it will do with the footage, but a spokesperson said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows. This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
A fundraiser has been set up for the Meadows family, and the description says it is to “help support his three boys, assist with funeral expenses, and help ease the financial burden in the months ahead.” At the time of writing it has raised over $47,000 in donations.
