Catfish's Nev Schulman Was Kicked Out of College for Allegedly Assaulting a Woman

Michele Corriston
Updated

Production has shut down on Catfish as MTV looks into sexual misconduct allegations against Nev Schulman — but this isn’t the first time he’s been accused of inappropriate behavior.

Schulman, 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.”

“I tapped his shoulder and he turned and hit me out of nowhere, I went down and he held me in a head lock and repeatedly punched me while I tried to get free,” she alleged. “The impact broke my glasses and the rest of the night was a blur. I got off the floor, talked to police, then went home to sleep. When I woke up the next day, my face was bruised, I was hurt, and a friend urged me to go to the hospital, which I did.”

She said she did not file charges because she was advised “it would be a difficult case to win.”

Schulman told Gawker that he acted in “self-defense,” and he included the incident in his 2014 memoir, In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age.

“While I was photographing, an individual who didn’t like that I was taking pictures attempted to tackle me and smash my camera on the ground,” he wrote. “Since the camera was attached to a strap around my neck, I found myself in a very unpleasant situation, much like a dog with a choke collar. In an effort to free myself, I punched the person and ran off; when I returned minutes later, I discovered that the short, stocky, crew-cut-styled individual that I’d fought with was a woman—a fact I hadn’t been aware of in the heat of the moment. The next thing I knew, I’d been arrested.The case was dismissed almost immediately, but Sarah Lawrence took the opportunity to toss me out once and for all.”

On Thursday, Schulman denied any misconduct after a woman who appeared on the show published a YouTube video accusing him — but not by name — of repeatedly making inappropriate comments to her and propositioning her for sex.

“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 said in a statement. “I have always been transparent about my life and would always take responsibility for my actions – but these claims are false.”