Boston radio host Matt Siegel stormed off the air Wednesday in protest of not being able to joke about Demi Lovato’s announcement that they’re nonbinary. It’s unclear if Siegel actually ended his show.
The “Matty in the Morning” host and four-decade radio vet abruptly departed his Kiss 108 program, declaring, “Matty out.”
A representative for WXKS-FM did not immediately return a request for comment, though the Boston Globe noted that the station’s general manager, Alan Chartrand, insisted, “Everything is going to be fine.”
The Globe also said Siegel himself said “no,” he will not return to the show. NBC News Boston, however, reported that Siegel said he has an “obligation” to his team and will return on Thursday.
After the incident on Wednesday, an audio clip from Siegel’s show made the rounds on Twitter. In it, he said the station “pulled the plug” on him when he spoke about Lovato, and his issues with that “are not personal,” but professional.
Siegel complained of not being able to express his opinion, whether it is anti-Donald Trump or “anti-woke.”
“Basically what I’m told is I can talk about light, funny things like 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,” he fumed. “So I’m ending my portion of the radio show right now.”
He told his listeners he loved them and added, “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.”
“40+ years of Matt Siegel’s legacy just came to a halt. Boston radio has died today,” a Twitter account dedicated to the Boston radio scene subsequently declared.
Lovato announced early Wednesday morning that they are nonbinary and now use they/them pronouns. In posts across their social media, the pop singer said, “Today is a day I’m so happy to share more of my life with you all- I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary & will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward.”