Catfish

Nev Schulman is still coming to terms with his traumatic bike accident, which left him with a broken neck and other injuries ... explaining his situation could've been a lot worse.

We caught up with the "Catfish" star on "TMZ Live" Monday -- Nev fought back tears while recounting the aftermath of his brutal crash ... noting he is lucky to be alive.

As NS put it ... his medical team at Stony Brook University Hospital were shocked that he was even able to move following his surgery ... since they expected him to be in a far worse condition, given his injuries.

Nev Schulman is lucky to be alive ... he got in a bike accident that could have paralyzed him for life, or even worse.

Nev said he was riding his bike last Monday, going to his son's school to bring him home, when disaster hit. “I never made it to pick up my son from school on the bike. In fact in some ways, I’m glad I didn’t. I was alone on impact. Me and the truck. And then I guess the pavement. I was alone and unconscious.”

The 39-year-old 'Catfish' host revealed he was rushed to a Southampton, New York hospital and doctors quickly diagnosed him ... he had a broken neck, and there were ominous signs.

Nev Schulman wants to play matchmaker for a pair of folks who got catfished by people pretending to be Katy Perry and "Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery.

We got the "Catfish" star at Aces Pizza in New York City Friday, and our photog asked him about the Kentucky woman who divorced her husband and got swindled out of $10,000 by someone pretending to be the Netflix actor.

Nev says the newly single mother, McKayla, would make a great match for a guy from his old MTV show ... Spencer.

As Nev explains, Spencer infamously got catfished by a woman masquerading as the "Dark Horse" singer ... and their awkward meeting was featured on his show.

Needless to say, Nev thinks Spencer and McKayla have enough in common to strike up a relationship.

While lots of folks are dragging McKayla for thinking she actually had a shot with a celeb, Nev says not so fast ... and he tells us why it's not that extreme of a premise.

Still, Nev cautions anyone going online in search of love to beware of some big red flags ... like when your potential partner starts asking for money. Nev says that's a dead giveaway.

It's funny ... Nev thinks he's actually being catfished here in some ways ... as we reported, McKayla detailed her saga on a YouTube channel called "Catfished."

A woman's life turned upside-down when she sent a bunch of money to one of the stars from "Stranger Things" ... and even divorced her husband because the "actor" told her to.

McKayla, a single mom from Kentucky, claims she was catfished and scammed out of $10k by someone who claimed to be Dacre Montgomery -- known for playing heartthrob-turned-villain, Billy Hargrove, in the Netflix series.

She shared her wild experience on the YouTube channel, Catfished, saying the 2 met on an online forum and chatted for a year before he asked her to be his girlfriend -- for reference, McKayla was still married, but claimed her relationship with her husband was toxic.

BTW, the real Dacre has been dating model Liv Pollock since 2017, but that bit of crucial info didn't seem to stop McKayla from thinking this was legit. He told her to choose between her husband and him ... and shockingly enough, she ditched her husband!

He also told her he couldn't access any of his bank accounts, saying they were all controlled by Liv ... which led to her sending the $10k of gift cards, crypto, and cash through payment apps over time.

Nev Schulman grew up Jewish, but his wife has him all-in on Christmas ... but Hanukkah also has a special place in his heart.

We got the "Catfish" host at LAX and he told our photog he celebrates both December holidays with his wife and kids ... the Schulman household seems pretty fun.

Nev says he loves Christmas morning and all the stories and songs surrounding the holiday ... not to mention the presents.

Hanukkah's a little bit different ... Nev explains why folks would be wise not to assume the Jewish holiday is just their version of Xmas.

For Nev, he says he likes the historical and religious significance of Hanukkah ... it's clear it means a lot to him.

Manti Te'o -- the college football superstar who fell for one of the most famous catfishing scams to date -- is opening up on his decision to go public with his side of the hoax ... saying attending a Jay-Z concert helped him come forward.

Remember, the former Notre Dame linebacker reportedly lost his grandma and girlfriend within hours of each other in 2012 ... except the entire romance was based on a lie.

As it turns out, Te'o didn't know his GF -- Lennay Kekua, a student at Stanford -- didn't actually exist ... despite previously stating he had met her in person (Te'o adamantly denies being involved in the hoax).

Manti -- who was eventually drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft -- is now speaking about the whole thing ... and says he was first inspired to go public with his story after attending a Jay-Z concert as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2017.

"Cam Jordan with the Saints took a bunch of us teammates to a Jay-Z concert," Te'o said on "CBS Mornings."

"And at that concert, Jay-Z opens up with saying these words -- 'you cannot heal what you don't reveal.' And it may have been just some random words to everybody, but for me, at that time, it hit me like a ton of bricks."

"In order for me to kind of heal from this, I needed to reveal it."

Te'o said he vowed to share his side when the next opportunity came -- and in 2020, documentary director Tony Vainuku approached him.

What resulted was the "Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist" project, which just hit Netflix on Tuesday.

Nev Schulman is not reuniting with his longtime TV partner Max Joseph for the next season of 'Catfish' ... even though Nev made fans think it was happening.

Here's the deal, Nev posted a video on social media Tuesday showing him goofing off with Max and promoting the reality show's upcoming return, leading to a flood of comments from folks freaking out about Max potentially being involved or asking if he was in the fold.

But, our sources tell us Max is NOT returning to the show or appearing on any episodes this season.

We're told Nev and Max have remained friends over the years and the video was shot Monday night while the duo was kicking it in Los Angeles.

TMZ broke the story ... Max quit the MTV show, which he helped create and host for 7 years, back in 2018 to pursue a career in filmmaking.

It sounds like the door is open should Max ever get the 'Catfish' hosting itch ... our sources say Nev would love to have him back in the future, if that's something Max would ever want to do.

Suspended Virginia Tech linebacker Isi Etute told cops he beat the hell out of a 40-year-old after the man had catfished him ... this according to prosecutors.

Officials made the stunning revelation in a Virginia courtroom Wednesday ... explaining Etute broke it all down for cops during their murder investigation days ago.

Prosecutors say Etute told the cops he had matched with a person named "Angie" on Tinder believing she was a woman -- and had met up with her for oral sex on April 10.

Officials say Etute then told cops he and "Angie" set up another date on May 31, but when he discovered there that she was actually a man -- the football player attacked.

Prosecutors say Etute told cops he punched the victim several times in the face and also stomped on him.

Prosecutors say Etute added that he did not call cops after the attack, despite hearing "bubbling and gurgling" as he left the apartment.

The man was found dead two days later ... with officials saying he had missing teeth and broken bones in his face and skull.

But, Etute's attorney, Jimmy Turk, appeared to defend the football player's alleged actions ... saying in court, "Nobody deserves to die, but I don’t mind saying, don’t pretend you are something that you are not."

"Don’t target or lure anyone under that perception. That’s just wrong."

Etute -- who's been charged with 2nd-degree murder -- was granted bail at the hearing and is due back in court in September.

6/15 -- Ariana Grande seems to be on the same page as "Catfish" creator Nev Schulman. She posted a photo of them together on her social media, just a day after we posted our story about Nev wanting to get her on the show.

From the looks of this side-by-side ... we'd say AG and Nev would make great co-hosts together. Helluva tease here -- now, make it happen please!!!

Nev Schulman says he's flattered to have an uber-famous fan, who also follows him on Instagram -- and now he'll get a trifecta ... IF he gets Ariana Grande to join him on "Catfish." And, yes ... he's saying there's a chance!!!

We got the host at LAX and when we asked if he has a celebrity wish list of guest cohosts ... he revealed something we didn't know about Ariana. Watch the clip ... Nev fanboys pretty hard for the "Sweetener" singer, even though he claims he originally played it cool when he reached out to her on IG.

Seems like whatever Schulman did worked, because he says she's interested in appearing on his show ... it's just a matter of making it happen.

As we reported ... Nev lost his longtime cohost, Max Joseph, last year when Max decided to pursue filmmaking full-time.

As far as replacements go ... safe to say Ariana would make a big splash.

Nev Schulman went fishing for a new "Catfish" co-host and turned up with a handful of celebs to help him ... including NBA star Nick Young.

Sources close to the production tell TMZ ... Swaggy P will be 1 of 8 guest co-hosts when the new season debuts Wednesday night. The other guests include model Slick Woods; Jane Carrey, Jim's daughter; Tallulah Willis, singer Elle King and former NFL star Rashad Jennings.

TMZ broke the story ... Nev's been searching for a new co-host since Max Joseph bounced earlier this year after 7 years on the job.

That set things in motion for MTV to begin its search. Nev himself had a list in mind and really swung for the fences ... 'cause he was down to bring Cardi B on board. No dice there, but he still got some entertaining guests.

Nick's no stranger to the spotlight. He once made out with a puppet and went on a bro date with Draymond Green but also nearly blew his hand off in this crazy 4th of July video.

Swaggy P's gonna have tough competition ... he's not the only guest co-host who knows how to grab headlines. Remember, Slick recently went into labor right after walking the runway at NYFW.

Nev Schulman wants Cardi B as his next 'Catfish' co-host 'cause he likes it like that ... but landing her's a different story.

We hit up Nev on the heels of Max Joseph announcing he's leaving the show after 7 seasons as its co-host and wanted to know who's sliding next to him on MTV. Nev starts graciously and says Max is irreplaceable, but adds the show must go on.

And, with that said ... Nev's set his sights on the "Bodak Yellow" rapper. Of course, he's singing her praises, but he knows landing her is tricky for obvious reasons. No problem, he's already thinking of ways to hook her in for at least a guest hosting gig.

If not Cardi, Nev says he's definitely keen on getting a woman's take on the show.

Nev Schulman is losing his longtime TV partner and 'Catfish' co-host, Max Joseph, to life behind the camera ... TMZ has learned.

Max tells us he's quitting the MTV show -- which he helped create and co-host for 7 years -- to pursue his budding career in filmmaking. He says, "For a while now I have been straddling two careers as TV host and filmmaker and, while this level of busy-ness is a dream come true, my life can no longer sustain it."

Max adds ... "With 'Catfish' still going strong after 7 seasons, 115 episodes, 31 specials and showing no sign of slowing down, I feel it is finally the time for me to make my exit."

Nev says he's gonna miss Max for "his ability to listen, empathize and advise" and adds ... "While selfishly I'd love to keep him all to myself, I know that unleashing the creativity and passion that he has will benefit so many of us."

Nev Schulman's life is already becoming a movie thanks to Tyler Perry, who's putting Nev and his entire 'Catfish' crew in his next flick alongside Tiffany Haddish.

We got Nev at LAX on his way back from filming in Atlanta, where he told us he didn't have to work too hard with the way Perry wrote him and his crew into the script.

It's pretty cool ... Haddish plays a woman who calls the 'Catfish' guys up because she thinks her sister is getting duped, so it's like an episode of Nev's show playing out in the flick.

And now ... some much needed comic relief, courtesy of "Catfish" host Nev Schulman's insanely cute kid, who's learned a thing or 2 in just over 12 short months.

We got Nev and his wife, Laura Perlongo, at LAX with their little girl, Cleo. Nev recently told us Cleo was learning how to walk, and let's just say ... you've come a long way, baby!

She's doing a lot more than walking and, based on this video, could have a future in medicine. Mom and Dad are rightfully beaming with pride.

We're ecstatic too ... to share some good news. #Cleorocks