For years, Liz Cavalier — better known to fans as the “Gator Queen” (and sometimes credited as Elizabeth/Liz Choate) — stood out on Swamp People as a fearless hunter who could hang with anyone on the water. Then, after Season 6, she vanished from the lineup and viewers were left asking the same thing: did she walk away… or was she pushed out?
The clearest answer comes from Liz herself. In late 2015, Liz posted that she and her family would no longer be participating starting Season 7, adding that it was “due to unknown reasons” tied to the production side and that it was painful because fans would be the ones to “suffer” from changes she didn’t understand. The tone of her message — and the fact she described it as unexplained — is why her exit has long been viewed as a cast shake-up, not a planned farewell.
Why Did She Leave Swamp People?
Publicly, Liz never gave one neat, official reason like “I quit to do X.” Instead, her 2015 statement centered on being removed under circumstances she said weren’t explained. At the time, reporting around the show suggested multiple cast members were told they weren’t returning as the series shifted into a new season.
That said, Liz’s story gets more complicated — and more human — when you look at what she shared after her TV exit.
In May 2016, Liz made headlines again when she posted openly about her daughter Jessica’s struggle with addiction. In Liz’s words, Jessica had been battling substance abuse “for quite awhile,” and Liz shared an emotional update that Jessica was 101 days sober at that point.
Because those dates are so close — her Swamp People exit in 2015 and her daughter’s recovery update in 2016 — some fans have wondered if family pressure and caregiving could have been part of the bigger picture.
Liz did not explicitly say she left the show to care for her daughter, so it’s not something that can be stated as fact. But for many viewers, the timeline is hard to ignore: a sudden exit, followed by a very personal family revelation that suggested she was dealing with a serious situation at home.
Later, Liz shared another uplifting milestone when she posted a message celebrating Jessica’s recovery, including Jessica’s words about reaching one year without substances.
Her Brief Return and What It Suggests
One detail that surprises many fans is that Liz did return — at least briefly. In Season 12 (2021), HISTORY’s official episode description notes that “Alligator Queen Liz Cavalier returns to the swamp” to help cull an overpopulation of aggressive gators while teaching her stepson.
That return is why some fans read her story as less of a permanent fallout and more of a situation that cooled with time.
Even though her 2015 message showed real frustration with the production side, her later appearance on the show suggests the door was not completely closed — and that whatever happened in 2015 didn’t necessarily turn into a lifelong break.
Where Is Liz Now?
These days, Liz appears to be doing what she’s always done best: building a life around the swamp, her skills, and her family.
Liz’s public-facing pages have promoted bookings for gator hunts, suggesting she’s continued running her own hunting-related business activity and staying rooted in that world beyond TV fame. She’s also tied her name to products like her cookbook, keeping her “Gator Queen” brand alive for fans who followed her from the show into real life.
Just as notably, her social presence has leaned heavily into family. Liz has shared posts that show her spending time with Jessica and her granddaughter, the kind of everyday moments that hint at a woman who’s prioritizing being close to the people who matter most.
And she’s also shown a more “at home” side of her life, including creative projects like wreath-making and seasonal crafts that fans often comment on and celebrate.
The Bottom Line
Liz didn’t disappear because she stopped being “Liz.” She left the show after Season 6 amid a cast shake-up she said she didn’t fully understand.
But the years that followed revealed something deeper happening behind the scenes of her life: a family battle she chose to speak about publicly, moments of recovery worth celebrating, and a lifestyle that never depended on TV cameras in the first place.
And with her brief return in 2021, it’s clear the Swamp People chapter wasn’t erased — it just became one part of a bigger story that, for Liz, seems to center on home, family, and keeping the “Gator Queen” spirit alive on her own terms.
0 Comments