Matt Bradley Is Missing From 'Deadliest Catch' — Where Is He Now?
Matt left the show for personal reasons after Season 17 and came back in the 19th. But what about after that?
Published Aug. 12 2024, 5:43 p.m. ET
Season 20 of Deadliest Catch has continued the tradition of providing its viewers with an excellent mix of action, danger, and interpersonal battles. With new regulations being put in place, the fishermen are feeling the heat of competition, creating all sorts of extraneous conflict. As the captains duke it out to see if they fill and exceed their quotas, plenty of other life-threatening scenarios have arisen.
Viewers have also noticed that there is a familiar face missing from Season 20's cast.
Longtime fans of Deadliest Catch have gotten to know all of the captains and consistent crew members of the various fishing vessels featured in the nearly 20 years since the show first premiered. Matt Bradley is a deckhand who worked on the FV Northwestern under Captain Sig Hansen at the beginning of the series and remained on the show for the majority of its run. He left the show for personal reasons after Season 17 and came back in the 19th. This season he is noticeably missing, so where is he?
Where is Matt Bradley from 'Deadliest Catch' now? He's nowhere to be found on Season 20, so what is he up to?
Matt decided to leave Deadliest Catch after the 17th Season so that he could support his wife's vape shop business and be closer to his family. Unfortunately, starting a business can have more pitfalls than it does rewards, and the family quickly found themselves in dire financial straits. He returned to the series in Season 19, but his position on the FV Northwestern was already filled. Irony reigns supreme, as Jake Anderson, who Matt had much beef with in the past, gave him a job on the Saga.
Why did Matt Bradley decide to leave 'Deadliest Catch' for the second time, and is he still fishing?
Fans noticed that Matt is missing from Season 20 of Deadliest Catch, and there is a very simple reason. Matt announced on Facebook that he would not be featured in Season 20, and many congratulated him on his retirement. So, it would appear that Matt has retired from the crabbing world, at least for the time being. Considering the years spent doing such a dangerous job, it makes sense that he took a step back after likely getting his family financially back on track. Life on a fishing vessel is difficult.
Matt faced many difficulties in his life prior to 'Deadliest Catch,' and has been candid about his past addictions.
Matt struggled with a lot of issues from his childhood through adulthood. He developed a drug habit early in life, but things got really bad when he began using heroin. In a 2017 interview with Jeremy Broderick, the founder of Winward Way Recovery, he spoke about how he managed to stay sober during the fishing season. "Getting high when you’re on board, you’re not going anywhere," he said, adding, "[My logic] was that the boat was the most boring place in the world to be loaded. That kept me sober."
