Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows’s mother, Angela Meadows, has requested that Discovery not air clips from his death on the show.
Todd, 25, reportedly fell overboard and died February 25 while working on the Aleutian Lady fishing boat and filming the high-risk reality series. A GoFundMe set up in his honor confirmed he died while “crabbing out on Alaskan waters.”
His mother has now intervened to ensure the Discovery Channel does not end up showing the incident on television.
“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,” Angela said in a Wednesday statement to TMZ. “We hope they only air good things of Todd on that boat.”
She added in a separate statement to Alaska’s News Source, “No parent would want the world to watch their child die.”
Angela has also requested footage from her son’s time on the boat, according to TMZ.
“It never mattered what anybody had to say about him, good or bad,” she said of her son’s time as a deckhand on the series. “He wasn’t out there to make friends. He wasn’t out there to click with people. He was just out there to work and to do what he loved.”
A spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard Arctic District said Meadows was found unresponsive 10 minutes after falling off the boat in Alaska. “First aid and attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful,” a statement read.
The Coast Guard also said that officials are “currently investigating this situation” to “uncover the cause and initiate necessary corrective actions.”
Deadline reported that the vessel was the last one featured in the forthcoming 22nd season that was still at sea, and that filming concluded shortly after Todd’s death.
Captain Rick Shelford, who has been a regular on the show since 2023, called it the “most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady.”
“His love for fishing and his strong work ethic earned everyone’s respect right away,” Shelford continued. “His smile was contagious, and the sound of his laughter coming up the wheelhouse stairs or over the deck hailer is something we will carry with us always.”
A spokesperson for Discovery Channel said his death was “a devastating loss,” adding: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Todd Meadows. Our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates, and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Deadliest Catch premiered in 2005, following a group of king crab fishermen in Alaska as they embarked on the perilous journey to catch the seafood delicacy in the Bering Sea. The show’s title is inspired by the high risk of injury or death linked to the line of work.
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