Deadliest Catch star Jake Anderson has announced his shock divorce from wife Jenna after 13 years of marriage. The 45-year-old television personality, who married Jenna in 2012, shared the news during the upcoming season 22 premiere of Deadliest Catch, set to air on Friday, May 8. The couple have three children together: Aiden, 11, Cadence, eight, and Luka, six.
Announcement on the Show
During the episode, Anderson revealed, 'After 17 years being together, 13 years married, Jenna and I have decided to call it quits.' He explained that the split resulted from 'a lot of things,' but the major one is that he is gone too much crab fishing. He added, 'But I got three little ones that need to eat, that have to go to school, that have to have doctor's appointments, and I don't have a job.'
Separation Timeline
Anderson also disclosed that while filming the new season in fall 2025, he and Jenna had already been separated for eight months. The former couple first met in 2009 at a festival in Seattle. Anderson recalled that he was on shipyard duty at the time, and when Jenna approached him for an autograph, he wrote, 'You're beautiful.' After her nieces encouraged her, Jenna gave him her phone number. Anderson noted, 'I was trying to stay out of trouble, so I was living on the boat. She started calling me, and I started calling her, for a few weeks. We fell in love.'
Romantic Proposal and Wedding
Jenna previously shared details of Anderson's proposal in an interview with TLC. They were at a lookout point as the sun was setting when he expressed his love and how wonderful the previous three years had been. Before he could even pull out the ring, Jenna said yes. Three years later, they were married in a ceremony officiated by Deadliest Catch co-star Sig Hansen.
Fatherhood Insights
In 2015, shortly after his first child was born, Anderson spoke about fatherhood with Hollywood Soapbox. He said, 'I can't do a lot of things that I used to do so freely. It really pushes me to further my career in the wheelhouse, any wheelhouse. It's so dangerous, and it's so hard on my wife and my child that I'm actually really scared.'
Other Personal Struggles
During the season 22 premiere, Anderson faces additional personal challenges. He is seen consulting his lawyer about his ownership of the Titan Explorer, with the attorney warning, 'I don't want you investing any more money in your ownership interest in the Titan Explorer because that could end up being an asset that needs to be divided in the case.' Anderson, who has starred on Deadliest Catch since 2007, also becomes captain of the Cornelia Marie, the boat previously owned by the late Phil Harris. He reflected, 'I worked on it before. I was young, had just met Jenna, was getting yelled at all the time. Life was hard for me.'
Season 22 of Deadliest Catch premieres on May 8 on the Discovery Channel.
