Jake Anderson confirms his divorce from wife Jenna Anderson in the upcoming season 22 premiere of Deadliest Catch, revealing they separated last year.
“After 17 years being together, 13 years married, Jenna and I have decided to call it quits,” Jake, 45, says during the all-new episode, which airs in its entirety on Discovery Channel, Friday, May 8, according to People.
The longtime fisherman, who has been on the reality show since 2007, explains that the breakdown of their marriage wasn’t just one thing.
“It’s due to a lot of things. The major one is that I’m gone too much crab fishing,” Jake confesses. “But I got three little ones that need to eat, that have to go to school, that have to have doctor’s appointments, and I don’t have a job.”
During the episode, which was filmed in fall 2025, Jake confirms that he and Jenna had been separated for eight months.
As fans know, the former couple tied the knot in 2012 after meeting in 2009. They went on to welcome three children: sons Aiden, 11, and Luka, 6, and daughter Cadence, 8.
Jake recalled his and Jenna’s meet-cute during an interview with Screener TV, telling them that the pair crossed paths at a festival in Seattle after Jenna and her family asked for an autograph.
Deadliest Catch has shown how dangerous the life of a crab fisherman can be, and the deaths of several cast members over the years have only further proved it. The Discovery Channel series premiered in April 2005, introducing viewers to the world of commercial fishing. Deadliest Catch follows a crew as they hunt for crab […]
“I autographed [her item with], ‘You’re beautiful,’” he shared. “I was trying to stay out of trouble, so I was living on the boat. “I wasn’t going out and spending money; I was trying to save my money. She started calling me, and I started calling her, for a few weeks. We fell in love.”
Over the years, Jake has shown snippets of his home life on social media, but Jenna has rarely made an appearance in the pictures.
Ahead of the season premiere, however, Jake seemingly gave fans a glimpse at his life as a single dad. He shared a sweet photo of his two sons watching the show with him from their couch on Sunday, May 3.
“ME AND THE BOYS Deadliest Catch season 22,” Jake captioned the snap.
While Jake doesn’t expand further on his relationship during the upcoming episode, he does discuss the shakeups in his professional life.
At one point in the premiere, Jake has a meeting with an attorney, who raises concerns about his ownership stake in the Titan Explorer.
“I don’t want you investing any more money in your ownership interest in the Titan Explorer because that could end up being an asset that needs to be divided in the case,” the lawyer explains to him.
Amid tensions over the ship, Jake takes over as the captain of Phil Harris’ old boat, Cornelia Marie, which also needs some work.
“I worked on it before,” Jake tells the cameras. “I was young, had just met Jenna, was getting yelled at all the time. Life was hard for me.”
Season 22 of Deadliest Catch premieres on Discovery Channel Friday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
