A local Boston radio host walked off his own morning show Tuesday after management reportedly instructed him to ease up on his criticism of singer Demi Lovato’s non-binary identity.
Matt Siegel, host of “Matty in the Morning” on Boston’s Kiss 108, told his audience, “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,” according to CBS Boston.
‘Matty, out’: Audio clip of Matt Siegel (Matty in the Morning) @Kiss108 apparently quitting live on the air this morning (via Kevin Doyle) pic.twitter.com/YToNubWkJr
— Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) May 19, 2021
Despite speculation that he had quit his long-running radio show, Siegel told Boston.com he believed “cooler heads will prevail.”
“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,” Siegel said. “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,” he went on. “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.’”
“There’s no ill feeling between me and my boss or me and my company, none,” Siegel said. “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 also explained that he faced pressure from higher-ups before over his commentary on former President Donald Trump.
“I did a whole thing talking about Trump, and then I got heat on that — ‘Half our listeners are Republicans, what are you doing, you’re gonna lose all our male listeners’ — so I stopped,” he said. “So I stopped talking about Trump, and today I’m ‘anti-woke.’ You know the expression, ‘The guy standing in the middle of the road gets hit by cars going both ways?’ That’s what happened to me.”
Lovato announced earlier this week she’s officially changing her pronouns to “they/them” and identifying as “nonbinary.”
“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,” Lovato wrote on Twitter.
“This has come after a lot of healing & self-reflective work. I’m still learning & coming into myself, & I don’t claim to be an expert or a spokesperson. Sharing this with you now opens another level of vulnerability for me,” Lovato continued. “I’m doing this for those out there that haven’t been able to share who they truly are with their loved ones. Please keep living in your truths & know I am sending so much love your way xox.”
Related: ‘I’m So Fluid Now’: Demi Lovato Says She’s ‘Pansexual,’ Attracted To ‘Anything, Really’