‘Swamp People’ Fans Are Worried About Joey Edgar’s Health Following His Drastic Weight Loss

Reality show Swamp People features an assortment of personalities, many of whom have been on multiple seasons of the show. And if you're someone who keeps up to date on the series and has been watching it for several years, then you see these people change over time.

And whenever there's a drastic alteration to their physical appearance, it's almost always jarring for viewers. Like Joey Edgar's drastic weight loss that had fans worrying about his health.

It seemed that folks began noticing Joey has been dropping pounds since March of 2020. In a video Edgar posted to his Instagram account, the gator hunter can be seen explaining how he's setting up a particular trap.

At the time, there didn't seem to be any negative connotations associated with his weight loss. In fact, one person who left a remark on the video thought it was a good look for the Southern Louisiana gator trapper: "Looking good. And healthy."

However, as the years progressed, fans of the series started fearing the worst. In January of 2024, Joey posted a Facebook picture where he posed with another trapper who had a lasso around a sizable alligator's neck.

The image was also accompanied by a proclamation of his gratitude that Swamp People was getting another season.

"God is good, he’s blessed us with another season! I hope our swamp fans are tuned in watching Swamp People!"

While there were plenty of comments from folks who congratulated him on the fortunate news, intermingled with adulation for the show, others voiced concern.

"Why did Joey lose so much weight?" one person in the comments section queried.

Another also remarked that his weight change was very noticeable: "Joey looks thinner this season hope all is well!"

However, others just thought the imagery in the Facebook post was intriguing: "Looks like you are taking that swamp puppy for a walk."

One commenter, responding to another media outlet's story pertaining to Edgar's weight loss wrote that it seems Joey's ability to wrangle "swamp puppies has been inhibited by this drop in weight. It is sad to watch him, not be able to pull in an alligator like he used to. I realize he needed to lose some weight because of his diabetes, but I’m thinking he’s gone a little too far now."

During Swamp People's Season 16 premiere, Joey revealed that his weight loss was indeed attributed to medical issues. However, viewers sighed a breath of relief once they discovered that the reality TV persona's condition is actually one that some 38.4 million Americans live with on a daily basis, according to the CDC.

Joey revealed that he had to lose weight due to being diagnosed with diabetes. This culminated in him being put on a more stringent diet/meal plan in order to monitor his health. Furthermore, most human bodies are able to process insulin more effectively when they aren't as heavy.

WebMD writes that overweight individuals have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Furthermore, higher levels of weight "directly impact insulin." Furthermore, individuals with Type 2 diabetes can, in fact, reverse or severely mitigate the effects of their disease if they lose weight.

So while there are several people who fear for Joey Edgar's health, it appears he's doing what's best for his condition and livelihood. Even if the image is jarring for Swamp People viewers.