The cast of History Channel’s “Swamp People” has gained audience’s hearts for many reasons. It’s not only the fact that the show’s stars are fully dedicated to their gator-hunting craft that makes them so endearing to watch, but also that they’ve demonstrated over and over again that they’re just common folks, but with a rare and extremely dangerous job.
One of the current “Swamp People” fan favorites is Joey Edgar, who alongside his family has been making a living out of the Pierre Part’s swamps for generations. Nonetheless, his family is not the only thing that the audiences have been focused on in recent seasons, as Joey’s weight loss has awakened the concern of many long-time viewers of the show, due to how extreme his physical transformation has been.
So what is going on with Joey Edgar from “Swamp People”? What’s the explanation behind his weight transformation ,and what is he planning to do in the future? Keep with us to find out!
Why Did He Lose Weight?
“Swamp People” fans have been watching Joey Edgar and his family make a living catching gators in Pierre Part, Louisiana, since their debut in the series’ seventh season. Back then, Joey sported a chubby but strong build, which was fitting for a man whose work depended on his physical ability to catch massively heavy ‘gators.
Nonetheless, when the show’s 15th season premiered in early 2024, viewers found a slimmer Joey on their TV screens. The massive weight loss he underwent wasn’t explained on TV, evident enough that “Swamp People” fans went to Joey’s social media asking for relevant information which never came. The whole issue left everyone wondering whether Joey’s physical transformation was a choice, or even an issue to start with.
Later during the 16th season of “Swamp People”, Joey finally revealed that he’d been diagnosed with diabetes, and had to lose weight because of it. Though not much was explained about his condition, it’s known that he’s doing well and isn’t sick, just taking the necessary measures to maintain a stable, healthy lifestyle.
While Joey’s diabetes doesn’t impede him from working, it’s worth noting that losing weight also meant losing part of his ability to efficiently hold and pull up the ‘gators onto the boat, leaving him no option but to install lifting gear onto the vessel, to make things easier.
Is His Daughter Hunting Now?
Not only is Joey Edgar taking the necessary measures to keep making a living out of ‘gator hunting while taking care of his health, but he’s also making sure that the next generation understands well what their family’s craft is about.
Although it isn’t rare for the Edgar family to take part in the show, the 16th season of “Swamp People” brought the amazing news that Joey’s daughter Kallie is joining him on the boat. The plan was to train her in ‘gator hunting, but she’s no stranger to the craft, as she grew up on the swamps alongside her siblings.
Regarding this addition to the series, “Swamp People”’s executive producer Brian Catalina told TV Insider that Kallie joining her family reinforced the importance of the family in the alligator business. He also affirmed that she’s the ‘embodiment’ of the show’s values, including her work ethic, smartness, and politeness.
While Kallie seems to be very committed to the family’s business, she’s been accomplishing more things on her own. As Joey shared on a 2023 social media post, Kallie is a pediatric dental assistant, and has several health certifications. The pride that Joey expresses for his daughter is evident in the posts he makes about her, so it’s unsurprising that he’s so dedicated to teaching her the art of alligator hunting too.
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What’s Going On With “Swamp People”?
History Channel’s “Swamp People” has been going strongly for a long while, defying not only the economy, the inherent risks of the alligator hunting profession, and setbacks in production throughout the years, but also environmental challenges which have been put in their way.
While dealing with harsh conditions isn’t anything new for the stars of “Swamp People”, that doesn’t mean that these types of issues don’t put a large anxiety factor on their shoulders. Such a thing happened during the show’s 16th season, as the hunters had to put in double the effort to hunt fast and efficiently as Hurricane Francine stalked its way toward the South.
The conditions weren’t good to start with, but the hunters did everything they could to sort out the challenges and have a good season. Nonetheless, a hurricane wasn’t the only thing put in their way throughout their time in the swamps, as executive producer Brian Catalina also revealed that the cast was affected by the extremely hot weather present in Louisiana as the show was filmed. In his words, these environmental conditions not only affected the animal’s behavior, but also made it dangerous for the show’s crew and cast to hunt under those conditions.
Though the whole situation sounds harsh, there’s no denying that every alligator hunter in the show is as hard-working and committed to their job as they appear to be on TV.
What’s Going On With “Swamp People”?
The 16th season of “Swamp People” features many fan favorites, including not only the Edgar family but also other fan favorites such as Troy Landry, Ronnie Adams, and Bruce Mitchell.
The new season emphasizes the dangers of the job and the importance of hard work as well as safety precautions, but also focuses on the role that the new generations will play, not only in the show but in the alligator hunting industry in general. This is demonstrated by Kallie Edgar’s addition to the show, which comes a couple of seasons after the young but fearsome Cheyenne ‘Pickle’ Wheat joined the show to learn from Troy Landry, steadily finding great results that “Swamp People”’s viewers can attest to by themselves.
Whether Kallie will turn out to be as great of an alligator hunter as her father is yet to be seen, but everyone is cheering on her and Joey Edgar.
