Is Sig Hansen Leaving ‘Deadliest Catch’? Everything He’s Said About His Future

The Season 21 finale of Deadliest Catch featured Sig Hansen suffering a terrifying medical scare that had doctors recommending he retire, or at least spend less time out fishing on the perilous waters. Hansen collapsed on his boat and was rushed to the hospital after a bout of exhaustion.

This wasn’t his first medical emergency during his time on the Discovery Channel show, either, which begs the question — will he take doctors’ advice and retire from crab fishing?

Although Deadliest Catch has not been confirmed for Season 22 yet, its continued popularity suggests that it will return in 2026. Scroll down for everything we know about whether Hansen will still be part of the show, or if he’ll be retiring once and for all.

Is Sig Hansen retiring and leaving Deadliest Catch?

No, Hansen has no plans to leave the show at this point. During the Season 21 finale, Hansen was not ready to follow doctors’ orders. “I don’t see that happening,” he said, regarding retirement. “Quite frankly, I don’t want to.”

The fisherman also opened up to People about his future, and although he admitted retiring is on his mind these days, he also made it clear that it’s not something he’s ready for just yet.

“I think I’ve got a few more years left in me,” he confirmed. “I think about it all the time. And when I do think about retiring, it’s only because I’ve lost so many people, and I’m more fearful every time we go out on the water. And so that’s very true, a part of it is just, you think about your own mortality, and I’m fearful.”

Hansen said it’s “obvious” that retirement is “going to happen” one day, though, as he’s ready to spend more time with his wife, June Hansen, and grandkids. “Look at all the years and decades that [June’s] given up for me, waiting. It’s got to go the other way,” he said. “I’ve got four grandkids now. I used to laugh at all these old-timers when they brag about their grandkids and talk about how that’s their whole world. I’m like, ‘You guys are nuts. Can’t we talk about fishing?’ And now, I’m one of those guys. Can’t help it. And I love it. I really do.”

Back in 2019, Hansen admitted to Entertainment Weekly that he had “one foot out the door,” although he also said, “I can’t stop. That’s the problem. All of us are egomaniacs. You want to stop, but the ego portion won’t let me stop. There’s no way in hell.”

Why did Sig Hansen leave Deadliest Catch?

Hansen did not leave Deadliest Catch, although there was a month in 2010 where he stepped away from the show. At the time, it was announced that he would not be returning for Season 7 due to an issue with the show’s network, Discovery.

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Discovery sued two of Hansen’s castmates, Johnathan Hillstrand and Andy Hillstrand, claiming they didn’t finish working on a planned Deadliest Catch spinoff. “We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the situation with Discovery, we are unable to continue participating in Deadliest Catch,” Hansen said in a joint statement with the Hillstrands. “It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive Catch fans we have met over the years.”

It appears that the group reached some sort of settlement behind the scenes, as Hansen and the Hillstrands all ended up returning to the show.

What happened to Sig Hansen?

Hansen suffered a heart attack while filming an episode of Deadliest Catch in 2016. “It wasn’t like you see in the movies,” he told People. “I had this really sharp, sharp pain, like a knife, right behind my chest plate. It just kept pushing, and it was making me more angry.”

He revealed that he had a “blood clot lodged in one of my arteries,” which was dissolved with a shot that Hansen believes saved his life.

In October 2018, he had another “slight heart attack,” which was triggered by an allergic reaction to an antibiotic he was taking for a sinus infection.