Earlier this week, fans of the popular MTV series Catfish were stunned by allegations of sexual misconduct directed at Nev Schulman, the show’s affable creator and host.
It wasn’t the first time that Schulman was accused of behaving inappropriately with a member of the opposite sex, but for many Catfish viewers, the news was shocking nonetheless.
After all, Schulman has made a career of being an advocate for vulnerable people – women, more often than not – who have been mistreated in the context of romantic relationships.
For many, to think that he would be capable of taking advantage of a power imbalance and harassing a woman who trusted him would be tantamount to admitting they’ve been fooled.
At first, details about the allegations against Schulman were somewhat hazy, but today, the 33-year-old addressed the situation for the first time as new information about the charges against him became public.
Though she has not yet confirmed that she is the accuser, several media outlets have identified Ayissha Morgan as the woman who lodged the complaint against Schulman.
Morgan appeared on a 2015 episode of Catfish, and she has since uploaded several YouTube videos detailing the mistreatment she allegedly suffered at the hands of one of the show’s hosts.
“I don’t think you’re a lesbian,” Morgan recalls the host saying.
“I was like, ‘Oh why do you feel that way?"” she says in one of her videos.
“And he was just like, ‘Because I just feel like you haven’t met the right guy yet. Do you think I’m attractive? Have you ever had sex with a guy?"”
Morgan says that when she replied in the negative, the host responded:
“Well I think you should try it, I have a big dick, I would tear your ass up.”
Schulman has issued a statement denying that any such conversation ever took place:
“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,” he writes.
“I have always been transparent about my life and would always take responsibility for my actions — but these claims are false.”
An anonymous source has corroborated Schulman’s claims, telling E! News:
“The videos include a lot of things are that are disprovable, including the timeline and specific production details. The behavior she describes is inconsistent with Nev.”
Currently, production on Catfish is indefinitely suspended as MTV investigates the allegations against Schulman.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
