Mike Rowe has a long association with Discovery channel, with his series “Dirty Jobs” premiering way back in 2003. Since 2005, his distinctive voice has been heard by viewers of Discovery hit “Deadliest Catch,” on which Rowe serves as narrator.
He Claims He’s Owed $2.1M in Unpaid Fees for ‘Deadliest Catch’
People is reporting that Rowe and his company, Lab Rat, launched a lawsuit, naming Discovery Talent Services as defendant.
In his suit, Rowe claims that the company is in breach of his “pay or play” contract, alleging that he’s been stiffed for episodes of “Deadliest Catch” he believes he should have been paid for, but was not.
Rowe’s lawsuit states that he and the company entered into an agreement in 2020 that would see him paid $40,000 per episode.
Rowe Claims He Should Be Paid for Episodes He Didn’t Narrate
Rowe’s lawyers contend that agreement covered the entire series, including episodes that did not feature his narration. Rowe alleges that Discovery Talent Services did not bring him in to narrate five episodes during the 21st season, and that his contract stipulates he be paid even for episodes he doesn’t narrate.
As reported by People, the suit also states that “Lab Rat and Rowe have also learned that the episodes of the original ‘Deadliest Catch’ series that are aired internationally are materially different than the episodes 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 would apply to those as well.”
He’s Also Seeking Payment for Several ‘Deadliest Catch’ Spinoffs
In addition, the suit also contends that Rowe’s agreement not only includes the original series, but its multiple spinoffs. These include “Deadliest Catch: The Bait” (which aired from 2013-2018), “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove” (which lasted for just one season in 2016), “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline” (2020-2022), “Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns” (2022) and the upcoming “Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge,” set to debut in 2027.
The lawsuit goes on to allege, “Because DTS exercised its choice not to use Rowe as a Narrator in at least 51 episodes of ‘Deadliest Catch’ spinoffs, Lab Rat is entitled to payment of at least $2.04 million.” Rowe and his attorneys believe they have a solid case, and have demanded a jury trial.
While People did not receive a response after reaching out to representatives at Warner Bros. Discovery, the New York Post has reported that Discovery was not prepared to offer any comment on Rowe’s lawsuit at the moment.
Rowe Previously Sued Discovery Over Payment Issues
This isn’t the first time that Rowe has taken Discovery to court. In June 2025, he sued Discovery’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, over claims that he wasn’t paid residuals after “Deadliest Catch” was licensed to various streaming platforms.
At that time, the company responded in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, with a spokesperson insisting that the company valued its “long-standing relationship with Rowe and have fulfilled our contractual obligations for royalty payments.”
The statement added: “We dispute the allegations and will defend ourselves against these claims.”
