A Boston radio show host abruptly stormed off his long-running show on Monday after being instructed to “stop talking” about pop star Demi Lovato’s non-binary status.
Matt Siegel, who has hosted Boston’s “Matty in the Morning” show on Kiss 108 FM since 1981, delivered an on-air rant intimating that he was quitting for good before going off-air. His apparent departure from his show, however, was short-lived and he was back on the air Thursday morning.
“They pulled the plug on me and they said, ‘You cannot talk about what you’re talking about,’” the shock-jock remarked on-air. “I like my boss personally, he’s been very nice to me. It’s not personal, it’s professional.”
Evidently, this isn’t the first time that Siegel has been called on the carpet. He’s also allegedly been reprimanded over going after 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 declared.
(Audio Credit: Matty in the Morning)
Siegel indicated that it was time to move on: “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.”
“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,” the radio host continued.
“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,” he added.
Siegel referenced “Matty in the Morning” as “the number one radio show in the history of Boston radio.” He then stated: “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.”
“I loved the radio show this morning. I’m totally dead serious. I felt like I was back. We’re laughing and we’re having fun. We put people who were mad at me, we talked about that, we acknowledged that I was making people mad. You know? It was living, breathing radio.”
— Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) May 19, 2021
The radio host spoke to Boston.com explaining why he stomped off-air: “I’m against her binary thing; I think she’s a troubled woman and a lot of young people are taking her seriously and it bothers me.”
“But of course, it’s a comedy show, so I did it in the context of jokes. We were having fun with it, and my boss called up and said that I’d crossed the line and they didn’t want me talking about it anymore… I responded by saying, ‘If I can’t talk about what I’m thinking at this point in my career, I don’t want to be on the radio anymore,'” he recounted.
Siegel told his colleagues that he would return to his show on Thursday and that he intended to address walking off-air.
“There’s no ill-feeling between me and my boss or me and my company, none. They’re doing their jobs. I get it. They got a lot of heat this morning, people complaining about things I said on the air. He doesn’t want me to be fired. His heart was in the right place,” Siegel commented.
He apparently did just that, returning to the air Thursday morning with a message to listeners: “I did say that I was going to quit,” Siegel said on his show Thursday morning. “The company reached out to me and said, ‘Please don’t. We support you and we will not be stopping you from saying what you want to say.’ So I said, ‘Okay.'”
“Sorry to disappoint those of you who are excited that I was leaving, but I’m still here,” Siegel snarked on Thursday. “And that’s it. It’s going to be good and I don’t want to talk about anymore.”
Lovato announced her non-binary status in a video via Twitter on Wednesday. She stated that she would be changing applicable pronouns to they/them.
The “Sorry Not Sorry” singer explained that she identifies as pansexual, claiming that she doesn’t want to be seen as an “expert or spokesperson,” and that she has “opened up another level of vulnerability” by sharing her stance with their fans.
Commenters on Twitter stood up for Siegel’s right to free speech and his comedic license:
@Kiss108 Matty has a point. You’ve censored him. You would think he was Lenny Bruce. He’s not. Many over the age of 50 don’t get the non-binary thing. He represents many from your demographic. I hope he comes back. He’s ornery & I love him! Yay Matty!
— Melida Arredondo (@MelidaArredondo) May 19, 2021
I’m with Matt Siegel, I grew up listening to him and now the cancel society is shutting him up to, so sad. Matt start your own radio show I’ll be listening
— Rynnette (@rjr_maroun) May 19, 2021
If Matty was on YT, That would be my go to head break. My young adult kids r miserable. Laughing at any thing is illegal. If u aren’t talking about Politics which is more corrupt now than all govt. coverups combined, you are censured. I support Matty 100% , violation of his 1st!
— # WE “ARE” THE PEOPLE 💗🤍💙 (@SuzanneElmore1) May 20, 2021
He’s number 1 in the ratings for a reason. It’s a shame they tried to censor him so much. Really hope this isn’t curtains for his show 😔
— Phantom Menace (@campaign_col) May 19, 2021
Now he can make more money podcasting. It’s called freedom of speech right? You can have opinions, even offensive ones. As long as you aren’t violent or threatening. Pc culture makes it SO hard to socialize without developing severe anxiety disorders. People are afraid to speak.
— Leviatiem (@Eydis_Leviatiem) May 19, 2021
I know all to well, having a Monday night live radio show of my own, what it is like to be on a station which promotes being edgy, yet threatens your show if you do not watch what you say.
GOOD FOR YOU, MATT! \m/ #istandwithmatty
— Ashley “A$h Attack” Bottoms (@AshleyGrrrL) May 19, 2021
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