Boston Radio Host Storms Off Show After Being Told to Stop Making Jokes About Demi Lovato’s Non-Binary Status

Andrew ShusterMay 19th, 2021, 1:17 pm
 
Matt Siegel Demi Lovato

Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for iHeart

Matt Siegel, the host of the Matty in the Morning show on Boston’s Kiss 108 FM, abruptly stormed off his long-running morning show on Wednesday after being told to “stop talking” about Demi Lovato’s announcement that they are non-binary.

Siegel, who’s been hosting his Boston radio show since 1981, delivered an on-air rant suggesting he was quitting the program for good.

“They pulled the plug on me and they said, ‘You cannot talk about what you’re talking about,’” he said on-air. “I like my boss personally, he’s been very nice to me. It’s not personal, it’s professional.”

Siegel further intimated that he had previously been chastised for bashing conservatives. “If I’m left-wing and I go anti-Trump I get in trouble, but today I was anti-wokeness and I can’t do that,” he said.

Siegel continued, “So basically what I’m told is I can talk about light, funny things and where the Jonas Brothers are gonna be, but I can’t do what I really want to do which is just be a funny comic who tells it like it is… It has been a hell of a run, but I think it’s coming to an end.”

The radio host added, “I was told by my boss I cannot talk about what I want to talk about — by the way it’s a joke, the whole binary thing. I don’t care what Demi Lovato does. But now we have to worry about ‘You might offend someone.’ Basically, I offended right-wing people and today I offended left-wing people. So basically what they want me to do is be a lightweight show. We have that in the market… We have radio stations that don’t offend anybody.”

Referring to Matty in the Morning as “the number one radio show in the history of Boston radio,” Siegel continued, “I am the biggest of all time and they said ‘Shut up Matt, stop talking.’ Well, I hope you’re happy because I just stopped talking. Matty out.”

A listener later posted audio of Siegel’s rant on Twitter.

As we noted earlier Wednesday, Lovato made the announcement during the latest episode of their new podcast, 4D With Demi Lovato, that they are non-binary and identify as they/them.

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