Catfish host reveals he was expelled from college for punching a girl… but claims Ray Rice assault 'makes me sick'

  • Nev Schulman, 29, 'punched a girl at a college dance in 2006', he reveals
  • Presenter arrested and expelled for offence at Sarah Lawrence College 
  • He claims in his new book she got his neck caught in a camera strap
  • But source says he took photo of lesbian, she pushed camera, he hit her
  • Revelation comes days after he branded Ray Rice a 'coward' for his attack

TV star Nev Schulman was expelled from school for punching a girl, it has emerged.

The presenter of MTV's dating docu-series Catfish has been a prominent voice in the fight to stop domestic violence.

He openly condemned NFL star Ray Rice for allegedly punching his wife unconscious, tweeting a picture of himself in an elevator with the caption: 'Cowards make me sick. Real men show strength through patience & honor. This elevator is abuse free'.

Revealed: Catfish presenter Nev Schulman, 29, was expelled from college after punching a girl at a dance

Revealed: Catfish presenter Nev Schulman, 29, was expelled from college after punching a girl at a dance

But it has now emerged that the 29-year-old was arrested and sent down in his junior year of Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, after hitting a female student. 

Writing in his new book, out last week, Schulman reveals he was taking photographs of friends at a dance titled Sleaze Ball when a girl started on him.

He claims she tackled him to the ground, pulling the camera which was attached to a strap around his neck.

'In an effort to free myself,' he writes, 'I punched the person and ran off; when I returned minutes later, I discovered that the short, stocky, crew-cut-styled individual I'd fought with was a woman - a fact that I hadn't been aware of in the heat of the moment.

'The next thing I knew, I'd been arrested.' 

However, witnesses dispute his version of events.

Condemned: Schulman sparked anger when he branded Ray Rice a 'coward' for assaulting his wife Janay in the same week it emerged he also hit a woman. Schulman claims he was trying to raise awareness of abuse

Condemned: Schulman sparked anger when he branded Ray Rice a 'coward' for assaulting his wife Janay in the same week it emerged he also hit a woman. Schulman claims he was trying to raise awareness of abuse

Controversial: Nev Schulman sparked a wave of criticism when he tweeted this photo of himself in a lift with the caption 'abuse free' hours after footage emerged of Rice punching his wife unconscious in an elevator

Controversial: Nev Schulman sparked a wave of criticism when he tweeted this photo of himself in a lift with the caption 'abuse free' hours after footage emerged of Rice punching his wife unconscious in an elevator

A source told Page Six: 'Nev stuck his camera in the face of two girls kissing and was sort of taking a picture and she shoved the camera away. He was very angry about this and he just decks her.'

The revelation, which contradicts claims early on in his career that he had dropped out of college, comes as Schulman faces criticism for his tweet about Ray Rice.

Hours after TMZ published footage of the NFL star assaulting Janay Palmer, Schulman posted his reaction - sparking a storm of anger.

Schulman argued he was trying to raise awareness and support for victims of abuse, he was soon hit by a further wave of criticism when Twitter users discovered his book describing his own attack.

He rose to fame hosting the docu-series Catfish about how people present themselves in online dating

He rose to fame hosting the docu-series Catfish about how people present themselves in online dating

One wrote: 'If you have a problem with Ray Rice you should boycott "Catfish" because Nev Schulam thinks it's OK to punch women'

Another said: Catfish star Nev Schulman has some explaining to do'.

Schulman's book, In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age, reflects on how he came to create the hit series Catfish, which has been commissioned for a third series.

The semi-autobiographical account documents his own experience of being duped by an online dater who fabricated their life story.