Mike Rowe sued Discovery for alleged unpaid fees during the reporting period The Deadliest Catch.
According to court documents obtained by Us WeeklyRowe, 64, and his production company Lab Rat filed a lawsuit against Discovery Talent Services on Wednesday, July 1. Rowe, who has The Deadliest Catch since it premiered in 2005, he and Discovery reached an agreement in 2020.
The parties are said to have agreed that Rowe, who is also the presenter of Dirty Jobshe can narrate the show and be paid $40,000 per episode. Rowe’s lawyers also said he should have been compensated for the episodes he did not report.
Rowe said the television company breached its contract by allegedly refusing to honor a “pay or play” deal for his involvement. The Deadliest Catch and its consequences. (The Deadliest Catch has spawned many spinoffs, including Deadliest Catch: Bait, Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove, Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, Deadliest Catch: Viking Returns and the future Most Dangerous Catch: Northern Edgewhich will premiere in 2027).
Discovery didn’t use Rowe for five episodes in between The Deadliest Catch season 21, according to the documents. Rowe’s legal team argued that he should be paid more money after reading the first episodes The Deadliest Catch the series was “materially different” in the international broadcast compared to the one that aired in the United States.
“To the extent any of these international episodes are determined to be ‘originally produced episodes,’ the pay-or-play agreement will apply to those as well,” the filing said.
People reported that Rowe and Lab Rat believe they are “entitled to at least $2.04 million” after Discovery allegedly “chose not to use Rowe as Narrator for at least 51 episodes The Deadliest Catch spinoffs.” Rowe is seeking “additional payments in 12 long installments” plus interest, on each property.
Us has reached out to Discovery for comment.
This is not the first time Rowe has taken legal action against Discovery. Last year, Rowe filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery. In June 2025 in a file obtained by The Hollywood ReporterRowe said that he was not paid the residuals later The Deadliest Catch licensed for streaming platforms. The Discovery Network denied Rowe’s allegations.
“We value our long-standing relationship with Rowe and have fulfilled our contractual obligations to pay royalties,” a Discovery spokesperson said in a June 2025 statement to the site. “We deny these allegations and we will respond to these allegations.”
