Kiss 108 Host Matt Siegel Has Officially Announced His Retirement From Radio, Effective Immediately

If you've spent some time in Boston and listened to the radio, then there's a good chance you've stumbled across Kiss 108 and their most famous host, Matt Siegel. His Matty in the Morning show first graced the air in 1981 and was often ranked as the leading morning show segment in Boston.

In fact, from 2001 to 2009 it was distributed all over New England. However, a recent radio silence has folks worried about the future of his work with the station. So, what happened to Matty in the Morning?

In the early hours of May 3, 2022, Matt took to the air for the first time since April 19, 2022, to make an announcement that many fans were somewhat expecting but nonetheless saddened to hear: He is retiring from radio, effective immediately.

"This past year has been a little bit rough for me — brain surgery, broken foot, I started getting a little grumpy on the radio, which I hate," Matt said, per NBC. "All I want to do is make people laugh. I got off target, I guess you would say."

The four-decade radio veteran added, "My wife and kids talked with me over the last several weeks and helped me come to a decision. As of now, I am retired. I'm leaving Kiss 108 and starting my new life as a mediocre golfer."

The 72-year-old host thanked fans by saying, "It's time, it's time. It's been such a glorious run. I love you guys more than words can express, I'll miss you all terribly."

After Demi Lovato came out as nonbinary and shared that their official gender pronouns are now they/them, Matt, who actually interviewed Demi years ago, began commenting on the singer's announcement in a way that must've made management at Kiss 108 uncomfortable.

According to many Twitter users, Matt disrespectfully joked about Demi's announcement, which could be why Kiss 108 station managers asked the radio show host to stop talking about Lovato while on the air.

Matt didn't take too kindly to having his opinion stifled and didn't like that he was being instructed to not discuss a certain topic. So he decided to up and leave Matty in the Morning, walking out right in the middle of it.

"They pulled the plug on me and they said you cannot talk about what you're talking about. Again, I like my boss personally. ... It's not personal. It's professional," Matty said on air.

He went on to say, "So I'm ending my portion of the radio show right now. I don't know. ... I just want to say, I love my listeners. I love you, and it's been a hell of a run, but I think it's coming to an end."

Some listeners have uploaded audio (although it's admittedly not of the best quality) of what Matty apparently said after he was told not to discuss Demi's announcement. The clip provides a wealth of insight into the situation as it stood in 2021.

Almost immediately after the incident, Matt told Boston.com that he still wanted to work with the show's team. He said, "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."

He went on to add that he felt as though "cooler heads will prevail," according to NBC Boston, and it seems like they did. The Boston Globe reported that Matt returned to local airwaves after the issue. "I'm here. Good morning," Matt said on his show on Thursday, May 20, 2021.

"I was on a roll, and I haven’t been on a roll in a long time," Matt said, commenting on the radio show regarding his stance on Demi's gender announcement.

He said that he felt "like the old Matty on the air. And that's when [he] got the call [from upper management] and [he] just snapped." The long-time radio show host said that it was at that moment that he felt like he just couldn't be there anymore, which is why he got up to leave.

However, he reportedly repeated some of his statements about Lovato live on air during his Thursday return to the broadcast.

"Somebody has to say this is ridiculous, you know. And the company was like, ‘What? You can’t talk about that.' It’s like somebody has to say ‘Are you kidding? Like life’s not complicated enough. Now you’re telling young people they don’t know what they are. I say, please. You know what I’m saying?'" Matt said at the time, clearly maintaining the same strong stance.

It seems that despite coming to a mutual understanding with the network about his freedoms on the air in 2021, Matt still had enough reason to want out of the show entirely in 2022. In his absence, the longtime program will be helmed by Billy Costa, Justin Aguirre, and Winnie Akoury. Matt's longtime co-host, Lisa Donovan, has also been missing from the show in recent episodes and there's no clear indication when she'll return either.