Edgar Hansen was a memorable shipmate in Deadliest Catch, but it’s not clear what happened to the crabman after he disappeared from the Discovery Channel show. The F/V Northwestern has been a fan-favorite boat on Deadliest Catch since its appearance in season 1. Helmed by the star of the series, Sig Hansen, the boat has appeared in every season of the Discovery Channel reality series. Sig is joined by his family in the show, with his daughter Mandy and his two brothers, Norman and Edgar, all helping out on their family boat.

The Hansen brothers have been through their fair share of trials and tribulations, with Norman Hansen nearly dying in an episode of Deadliest Catch. Edgar came on the show in season 9 and was immediately respected for his fishing proficiency. He also looks quite a bit like his older brother Sig, but he has a much more laid-back personality which quickly endeared him to viewers. Despite being liked by fans of the show and the crew of the F/V Northwestern, Edgar suddenly stopped appearing on Deadliest Catch while his brothers and niece continued crabbing.

Edgar Hansen Disappeared From Deadliest Catch After His Legal Troubles Came To Light

Edgar’s last appearance on Deadliest Catch comes in the season 14 finale, “Storm Surge”, but in season 15, he was nowhere to be seen. According to court records obtained by The Seattle Times, in July 2018, Edgar Hansen admitted to inappropriately sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl the previous fall. In exchange for Edgar pleading guilty to fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation (a gross misdemeanor), he served no jail time and instead received a 364-day suspended jail sentence and was ordered to pay court fines and fees of $1,653.

Edgar was also instructed to undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation and treatment and give a DNA sample to authorities. Asked to write a statement by the Snohomish County District Court judge, Edgar wrote,

“I committed this assault for the purpose of my own sexual gratification. I am very sorry for that conduct and I have commenced treatment to ensure that nothing like this assault ever happens again.”

This all took place back in 2018, in the middle of season 14 airing. Once the news got out, it was likely that Discovery decided not to renew Edgar’s contract to appear on the show.

Edgar Hansen Is No Longer In The Public Eye (Though Redditors Swear They Saw Him On Deadliest Catch)

Edgar Hansen has little in the way of a social media presence, so it’s not exactly clear what he’s been up to since being fired from Deadliest Catch. However, eagle-eyed fans on Reddit claim they’ve seen him on the Northwestern in the background of some scenes. User u/juice2425 says,

“Edgar still works on the boat for some seasons, every so often you can catch a glimpse of him in the background. He was fired by Discovery not from the boat.”

Another Redditor u/kashy87 writes,

“Just because the show fired him doesn’t mean he’s out of the family business. Discovery just wants nothing to do with him.”

Mandy Hansen also posted a video to her Instagram that clearly shows Edgar Hansen partaking in a kick-off tradition of biting the head off a fish.

It makes perfect sense that Edgar would remain working on the Northwestern, as nothing would preclude him from doing so. Discovery Channel doesn’t dictate who does and doesn’t get to serve on a boat; they only get to decide who they put on their show. It’s a fairly by-the-book result of everything that happened. Edgar was accused of a crime, he pled guilty, was sentenced, served his sentence, and likely resumed working. It all checks out.

The Discovery Channel has the right to decide who goes on Deadliest Catch and if they so decide to take Edgar off, that doesn’t mean they can remove him from the Northwestern, which it’s clear they have not. While it’s possible that the Redditors are wrong, their theory makes sense.