Was ‘Below Deck Sailing Yacht’ Canceled? What We Know About the Show’s Future

Warning: The following post contains discussions of sexual assault.

It’s officially been a year since new episodes of Below Deck Sailing Yacht have aired on Bravo. The show’s fifth season premiered in November 2024 and concluded on January 27, 2025, and the network has not announced plans for a Season 6 yet.

Considering the show aired one season a year from 2020 to 2024 (which spilled into 2025), it’s been concerning for fans that there hasn’t been any news about the show’s future at this time. The lack of a renewal comes following shocking allegations against cast member Gary King and the network.

Scroll down for everything we know about Below Deck Sailing Yacht‘s future and the sexual misconduct claims.

Was Below Deck Sailing Yacht canceled?

Below Deck Sailing Yacht has not officially been canceled, but there are no renewal plans at this time. In November 2025, Noah Samton, the SVP of unscripted production at Bravo, told The Hollywood Reporter, “At the moment, Below Deck Sailing Yacht is not happening.”

Fan-favorite cast member Daisy Kelliher joined the cast of Below Deck Down Under amid news that Sailing Yacht wasn’t returning. “Daisy is somebody we’ve always loved working with,” Samton explained.

As for Sailing Yacht’s future, he added, “Everything is always in the conversation, and nothing is ever an official pause. It’s very much a ‘we’ll see.’”

What happened with Gary King from Below Deck Sailing Yacht?

In October 2023, Rolling Stone published an exposé about Below Deck Sailing Yacht, with accusations of sexual misconduct against King, who joined the show in Season 2. A makeup artist named Samantha Suarez alleged that King acted inappropriately with her while they were filming the show’s fourth season in 2022.

Part of Suarez’s duties during Season 4 required her to assist with talent when they were sequestering in their rooms amid COVID-19 regulations. She recalled one night when he was allegedly inebriated after filming interviews and she had to walk him back to his room. Suarez accused King of repeatedly asking her to get in his bed and then answering his door in his underwear when she returned with food and water for him, which was part of her job duties.

Fred Jagueneau/Bravo

According to Suarez, King allegedly, “came up behind her, grabbed her, pressed her against his body, and refused to let go of her even though she says she tried to kick and elbow him to get him off her.”

Another crew member told the outlet that they had witnessed King make women uncomfortable on set. “He’s next-level scary with women,” they said.

Suarez said she immediately went to producers with what happened and had a meeting with a co-executive producer the following day. Another meeting with more higher-ups followed, during which Suarez said she asked to no longer do King’s hair and makeup or be put in a situation where she was alone with him. She also followed-up on her allegations in an email to the COO of 51 Minds, Below Deck’s production company.

During a conversation with an HR representative, Suarez alleged that she was urged not to talk about the allegations with other staffers. She claimed executive producers offered to fire King after the alleged incident, but noted that she “wanted leadership to make that decision based on the information they had and not put the responsibility on her to say whether or not she wanted King fired.”

Suarez was not happy about the way the entire situation was handled and claimed that she was not asked back to work on the show after reporting the alleged incident.

When Suarez went public with her claims, Season 4 of Below Deck Sailing Yacht had already finished airing and Season 5 had already filmed with King as a member of the cast. When the fifth season aired in October 2024, King claimed he was being edited out of the final cut and denied Suarez’s accusations against him.

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A post shared by Gary King (@king_gk)

“Sad to see this has all been edited out of tonight’s episode. Scary how ones persons lies can ruin someone’s career and livelihood,” he wrote on Instagram. “Oh well my head is held I’m high as I know the truth. Karma will get ya, anyways. Seeing as most of me will probably be edited out of this season 😢 I will try post as much as possible to show you all what you’re missing out on 🤗.”

Why was Bravo sued over Below Deck Sailing Yacht?

In February 2025, Suarez and her boyfriend Grey Duddleston, a camera operator for Below Deck, sued King, NBC Universal, Bravo, 51 Minds, and more on counts that included sexual battery, assault, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and emotional distress, according to People.

In her lawsuit, Suarez reiterated the previous claims she made against King and alleged that she was “sure she was about to be raped” when the alleged incident, which was interrupted by a phone call, took place.

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Suarez recalled the leadership and production team of Below Deck telling her that King had allegedly admitted to the accusations and apologizing for them. According to the lawsuit, Duddleston then witnessed King allegedly engaging in “disturbing, sexually aggressive behavior” two weeks later. He accused King of “groping” two female cast members, pulling off someone’s swimsuit, making lewd remarks, and grabbing camera operators’ genitals after consuming alcohol. There were allegedly no consequences for King after Duddleston’s allegations.

Duddleston and Suarez said they were not asked back to Below Deck after making these accusations and wanted to be awarded monetary damages. Suarez also accused the network and 51 Minds of “effectively [abandoning]” her in the aftermath of her allegations.

If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network‘s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one is in immediate danger, call 911.