From Myth To Metaphor: Where Did the Term ‘Catfish’ Come From?

One time I was watching Catfish: The TV Show on MTV and my boyfriend asked, "Ok, so I know being catfished means someone is pretending to be someone else online, but why?"

Really, it doesn't seem to make sense. I mean, catfish aren't really known for being deceptive or sneaky.

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Exploring The Origins: Why is Catfishing Called Catfishing?

I drew a blank. So, I went to my Google machine.

Nev Schulman was the host of Catfish: The TV Show on MTV, but he was also the subject of a 2010 documentary called, you guessed it, Catfish.

He was in an online relationship with a woman named 'Megan' that turned out to actually be Angela, a middle-aged woman with a husband and kids. She went so far as to make dozens of fake Facebook pages just to make 'Megan' look more real. It was a lot, you guys.

READ MORE: How to Tell If You're Being Catfished: 9 Warning Signs to Look Out For

From Myth To Reality: Where Did the Term 'Catfish' Come From?

Now, even though, I saw the documentary back in the day, I still couldn't remember where 'catfish' came from.

Well, according to Yahoo! Entertainment, "Its moniker originated from a metaphorical anecdote Angela’s husband Vince used to describe her in the 2010 doc.

He says that when live codfish were shipped in vats from Alaska to China, they were paired with catfish to keep them active and thus maintain the quality of the fish.

Angela, then, is his catfish: She makes the lives of those around her interesting. By extension she “catfishes” Nev. (Vince’s history lesson, according to the Boston Globe, is, rather fittingly, a myth itself, circulated by fiction writers Henry Nevinson and Charles Marriott in 1913.)"

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Decoding The Meaning Behind 'Catfish'

I guess I was in too much shock from Angela's crazy story unfolding to remember where the actual name came from.

So, there you have it. The story behind liars online being called 'catfish' turns out to be a fictional story too! It just lies on top of fiction!

After seeing all the crazy stories unravel on Catfish: The TV Show, Angela's story from the documentary, doesn't even seem that insane anymore.

MORE: Manager Writes Up Employee Who ‘Catfished’ Her on Social Media

Catfish: The TV Show premiered in November 2012 and ran on MTV for nine season. The ninth season aired its last episode in July 2024.

The show was a reality-documentary style show. In each episode the team from the show would get a request from someone involved in an online relationship with a person they've never met in real life.

The show then investigates the circumstances of the relationship and the other party. They work to see if everyone is being honest and tries to get them to meet in person.