‘Below Deck Med’: Joe Bradley Says Watching Nathan Gallagher’s True Character on Screen Was ‘Refreshing’

Joe Bradley doesn’t think that Nathan Gallagher should have returned for Below Deck Mediterranean Season 11. But he’s also glad that viewers got a glimpse at what he says is the controversial bosun’s true personality. 

Joe Bradley said Nathan Gallagher had ‘anger issues’ 

Back in July, Joe chatted with Us Weekly about his tense dynamic with Nathan in the latest season of the Bravo show. 

“Watching it back and seeing Nathan — who he truly is — is rather refreshing to me,” the deckhand said. “I know who Nathan is, I know what he’s like, how he can react and for him to get his two minutes of how he actually is is refreshing to me.”

Joe did not address Nathan’s recent domestic violence conviction in Australia. But he did call out his co-worker’s temper, which can change on a dime. 

“The fact that he can just switch is so alarming to me because I’ve seen it before. … This is who he is,” he said. 

“It didn’t look good for him. We’re all professionals at the end of the day so [the rest of the crew] don’t know who Nathan really is yet. This is Nathan. This is who he is. He switches,” he continued. He’s generally got anger issues and you hopefully throughout the season you will discover what Nathan has to offer in terms of who he is.”

‘Below Deck Med’ star thinks Nathan shouldn’t have signed up for season 11 

However, Joe did say that he admired Nathan’s work ethic. 

“I love the fact that he’s a working man and he fights for his family and he’s put himself in that position financially to fight for his family. I can’t take that from him,” he said. He added: “I admire that as much as I don’t like him. I admire fighting for your family.”

At the same time, Joe questioned Nathan’s decision to spend weeks away from former Below Deck Med deckhand Gael Cameron, with whom he welcomed a child in 2025. Despite having a newborn, Gael left Australia to live in a temporary rental in Croatia with their son so that she could be closer to her then-partner. 

“He should not be there. It’s detrimental,” Joe said of Nathan’s attempt to juggle work and family responsibilities. “You might think to yourself, ‘Oh, it’s only six weeks.’ But those six weeks feel like nine months.”

Joe’s comments about Nathan look even more pointed now that Below Deck Med viewers have witnessed an ugly fight between the two men after a crew dinner. The argument began when Gael confronted Joe about his tension with Nathan, and things escalated from there. 

The Bravo star’s reflections on Nathan’s anger issues are also notable in light of the latter’s recent domestic violence conviction in Australia. In September, a judge found that Nathan has committed assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, and intentionally choking a person without consent. He was not present in court for the hearing and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. The charges against him stemmed from a December 2025 incident where he attacked Gael. That incident occurred after filming for Below Deck Med Season 11 had wrapped. 

Despite the domestic violence case against him, Bravo elected not to remove Nathan from season 11’s episodes. However, the network has said it does not plan to work with him in the future. 

For more​​ news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram.