After a year of speculation, Kamie Crawford is finally sharing her side about what went down with former Catfish co-host, Nev Schulman.
Last October, the former beauty queen surprised fans when she announced her decision to leave Catfish: The TV Show after six seasons. Many viewers credited her for the resurgence of the series, living for her quotable moments, her nuanced takes, and her ability to advocate for and empathize with victims. She added a freshness to the show that was definitely needed after such a long run on MTV.
"After six years of living my absolute dream working on Catfish – one of the most iconic shows in television history, it is with a heavy heart and much consideration that I have decided to move on to my next adventure," Kamie said in her statement at the time.
The article continues after the video.
However, amid her departure announcement, some fans clocked the fact that Nev never publicly acknowledged Kamie's decision to leave the show. No appreciation for her time and contributions, no congratulations on her current successes, and no best of luck on what was to come in her future. In her statement, she seemed to focus more on gratitude and the love and support from viewers than on her co-host, Nev, as well.
Given how close they appeared to be on the show, it raised some eyebrows, sparking questions of whether or not there was bad blood between them. Still, the model and host kept it cute and never added any fuel to the fire whenever fans of the show asked if something happened behind the scenes that they weren't privy to.
The speculation would reignite following the recent news of the cancellation of Catfish after 9 seasons. Late last month, Nev posted a TikTok alongside former co-host Max Joseph (who was apparently in talks to return to the show and be Kamie's replacement, but alas, no.). In the video, Nev and Max talked about the show's cancellation, but the focus was thanking those a part of the show for their accomplishments as well as their contributions, fans and production included.
Screengrab via Nev Schulman/TikTok
Someone noticeably absent from the conversation, though, was Kamie, despite her six-season run as the series' new permanent co-host alongside Nev.
The omission felt intentional and stirred up renewed speculation about Kamie Crawford and Nev Schulman, and if their professional split was as amicable as once believed. Comments and TikToks were made in response, prompting Nev to do a bit of damage control by adding a comment to his TikTok acknowledging Kamie. He commented, "and a HUGE THANKS to Kamie of course!!!"
Perhaps too little, too late, because now, Kamie has taken to her platform, the Relationshit with Kamie Crawford podcast, to provide some context behind what's being speculated about. There, she opened up -- tastefully, of course -- about the situation and shared her timeline of how things unfolded and where she stands with Nev now.
Here's what we learned.
Why Kamie Crawford Left 'Catfish'
Whether it was the people she met along the way, or the doors that opened up because of her stint on the series, Kamie expressed a lot of gratitude for what her time on Catfish allotted.
After joining Catfish as a guest in September 2018, Kamie explained she became a permanent co-host in July 2019 and went on to film 100 or so episodes. In May 2022, she landed an overall deal with Paramount and MTV Entertainment Studios. This led to hosting opportunities with series like Sex on the Beach and Are U the One? while continuing her work with Catfish and her podcast, Relationshit with Kamie Crawford, which launched in 2021.
Kamie left the show in October 2024 but clarified that she hadn't filmed any new episodes as of March 2024. "It was a very difficult decision," she said in the September 26 episode.
She went on to acknowledge that while some listeners of a previous episode she recorded felt she was holding back about her reasons for leaving, that was intentional. "Not everything is everyone's business," she added. "And that is how I have kept it for over a year... on purpose."
"I have been minding my Black ass business."
Via Kamie Crawford/Instagram
She's Setting Boundaries Around What She Chooses to Share
After filming 100 episodes and acting as a co-host on Catfish for six seasons, Kamie discussed that her decision around keeping some things private about the show was a matter of boundaries. Though she felt she cultivated a safe space on her podcast to be revelatory and transparent because her listeners are her "besties," she is also aware of the need to have boundaries and not give access of everything about her life to everyone.
Kamie Crawford Calls Out Nev Schulman's TikTok Omission
However, Kamie called out Nev's TikTok video with Max Joseph about the cancellation, saying while it was "all well and good" that they took the time to count their blessings, it was also "very noticeable" that she was "purposefully left out of the thank yous." "If I had to bet my last dollar, I would bet that it was on purpose," she added.
Kamie then took note of people's reactions to seeing the video, their comments of disappointment and their video responses expressing their speculation around why she wouldn't be included in the video. She felt commentators had the right to say what they feel and appreciated the outrage, but in her mind, she didn't expect to be included.
"That is my experience," Kamie explained, alluding to her time working with her former co-host. "Is it unfortunate, does it hurt my feelings? I think I've gone through over a year's worth of healing and therapy and praying and crying and everything in between that at this point acceptance is the place that I'm at... I'm at the acceptance part and I'm good."
Still, she gave fans and supporters their thanks for showing love and always coming through for her. "So I appreciate the love and support and the flowers -- virtual flowers, of course -- that everyone has been leaving me. It is truly like a testament to the community that I've been able to build and the people who watch me and support me and I can't thank you enough."
"I am choosing my peace."
Via Kamie Crawford/Instagram
She's Done Explaining Herself
"For the past year and some change, I have been minding my Black ass business. I have been silent, not silenced. Because, by the way, no NDA is involved here," Kamie revealed in the episode. "I'm choosing what it is I want to say and what I don't want to say. I'm intentional with my words and the things I want to do."
Kamie went on to add, "I should be thanked for being quiet when I don't have to be. I'm choosing my peace. I am choosing to share what I want to share."
"The Kamie erasure is insane," she said, but like she later assured listeners, she doesn't have to take away from anyone else's light to validate her own so she still gave the show's influence and impact their credit.
Kamie Crawford Is Choosing Herself
"I'm choosing myself. In leaving the show, I was choosing myself, and I'm going to keep doing that."
Kamie's self-advocacy continues to be unmatched. In choosing herself, our good sis has walked away from opportunities that no longer serve her, aligned with ones that expand her, and attracted more love and abundance in the process. Now, newly engaged and renovating her home, Kamie has fully entered her peace era, moving with purpose, integrity, and professionalism.
While she had time today to speak up for herself, Kamie is still proving that choosing yourself is the level-up that hits every single time.
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Featured image by Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com/Shutterstock
RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
Then there were those who gave up their zip code altogether and found a permanent home in the skies. After years spent recruiting students for a university, Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare became a full-time travel influencer and founded her travel company, Shakespeare Agency. And she's not alone.
These stories mirror the experiences of women across the world. For millions, the pandemic induced a seismic shift in priorities and desires. Corporate careers that were once hailed as the ultimate “I made it” moment in one's career were pushed to the back burner as women quit their jobs in search of a more self-fulfilling purpose.
xoNecole spoke to these three Black women who used the pandemic as a springboard to make their wildest dreams a reality, the lessons they learned, and posed the question of whether they’ll ever return to cubicle life.
Answers have been edited for context and length.
xoNecole: How did the pandemic lead to you leaving the cubicle?
Randi: I was becoming stagnant. I was working in mortgage and banking but I felt like my personality was too big for that job! From there, I transitioned to radio but was laid off during the pandemic. That’s what made me go full throttle with entrepreneurship.
Gabrielle: I moved around a lot for work. Five times over a span of seven years. I knew I needed a break because I had experienced so much. So, I just quit one day. Effective immediately. I didn’t know what I was going to do, I just knew I needed a break and to just regroup.
Lisa-Gaye: I was working in recruiting at a university and my dream job just kind of fell into my lap! But, I never got to fully enjoy it before the world shut down in March [2020] and I was laid off. On top of that, I was stuck in Miami because Jamaica had closed its borders due to the pandemic before I was able to return.
Randi O
xoN: Tell us about your journey after leaving Corporate America.
Randi: I do it all now! I have a podcast, I’m an on-air talent, I act, and I own a public relations company that focuses on social media engagement. It’s all from my network. When you go out and start a business, you can’t just say, “Okay I’m done with Corporate America,” and “Let me do my own thing.” If you don’t build community, if you don’t build a network it's going to be very hard to sustain.
Gabrielle: I realized in New York, there was not a lot to do for Black lesbians and queer folks. We don’t really have dedicated bars and spaces so I started doing events and it took off. I started focusing on my brand, Raw Honey. I opened a co-working space, and I was able to host an NYC Pride event in front of 100,000 people. I hit the ground running with Raw Honey. My events were all women coming to find community and come together with other lesbians and queer folks. I found my purpose in that.
Lisa-Gaye: After being laid off, I wrote out all of my passions and that’s how I came up with [my company] Shakespeare Agency. It was all of the things that I loved to do under one umbrella. The pandemic pulled that out of me. I had a very large social media following, so I pitched to hotels that I would feature them on my blog and social media. This reignited my passion for travel. I took the rest of the year to refocus my brand to focus solely on being a content creator within the travel space.
Gabrielle
xoN: What have you learned about yourself during your time as an entrepreneur?
Randi: [I learned] the importance of my network and community that I created. When I was laid off I was still keeping those relationships with people that I used to work with. So it was easy for me to transition into social media management and I didn’t have to start from scratch.
Gabrielle: The biggest thing I learned about myself was my own personal identity as a Black lesbian and how much I had assimilated into straight and corporate culture and not being myself. Now, I feel comfortable and confident being my authentic self. Now, I'm not sacrificing anything else for my career. I have a full life. I have friends. I have a social life. And when you are happy and have a full quality of life, I feel like [I] can have more longevity in my career.
Lisa-Gaye: [I'm doing] the best that I've ever done. The discipline that I’m building within myself. Nobody is saying, ‘Oh you have to be at work at this time.’ There’s no boss saying, ‘Why are you late?’ But, if I’m laying in bed at 10 a.m. then it's me saying [to myself], 'Okay, Lisa, get up, it's time for you to start working!’ That’s all on me.
xoNecole: What mistakes do you want to help people avoid when leaving Corporate America?
Randi: You have to learn about the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. You have a fast season and a slow season and I started to learn that when you're self-employed the latter season hits hard. Don't get caught up on the lows, just keep going and don't stop. I’m glad I did.
Gabrielle: I think everyone should quit their job and just figure it out for a second. You will discover so much about yourself when you take a second to just focus on you. Your skill set will always be there. You can’t be afraid of what will happen when you bet on yourself.
Lisa-Gaye: When it comes to being an influencer the field is saturated and a lot of people suffer from imposter syndrome. There is nothing wrong with being an imposter but find out how to make it yours, how to make it better. If you go to the store, you see 10 million different brands of bread! But you are choosing the brand that you like because you like that particular flavor.
So be an imposter, but be the best imposter of yourself and add your own flair, your own flavor. Make the better bread. The bread that you want.
Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
xoNecole: Will you ever return to your 9 to 5?
Randi: I wouldn’t go back to Corporate America. But I don’t mind working under someone. A lot of people try to get into this business saying, “I can't work under anyone.” That’s not necessarily the reason to start a business because you're always going to answer to somebody. Clients, brands, there’s always someone else involved.
Gabrielle: I went back! I really needed a break and I gave myself that. But, I realized I’m a corporate girl, [and] I enjoy the work that I do. I’m good at it and I really missed that side of myself. I have different sides of me and my whole identity is not Raw Honey or my queerness. A big side of me is business and that’s why I love having my career. Now I feel like my best self.
Lisa-Gaye: I really don’t. For right now, I love working for myself. It's gratifying, it's challenging, it's exciting. It’s a big deal for me to say I own my own business. That I am my own boss, and I'm a Black woman doing it.
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Featured image courtesy of Lisa-Gaye Shakespeare
Originally published on February 6, 2023