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‘Matty in the Morning’ co-host Rebekah ‘Bex’ Maroun is leaving Kiss 108 following on-air incident
"I wish you nothing but the best, always."
A co-host of Kiss 108’s popular radio show “Matty in the Morning” is leaving the station, only a few weeks after being subjected to the on-air wrath of titular host Matt Siegel.
Co-host/executive producer Rebekah “Bex” Maroun announced on Wednesday that she would be leaving Kiss 108 to move home to her native Philadelphia.
“When I moved to Boston, I wanted to make it home, and I wanted to be here, and spend the rest of my life here,” Maroun said. “And honestly, when COVID hit, everything in my life sort of changed. I realized how much I missed my family and my friends and being surrounded by the people that I wanted to be close to.”
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Before arriving at Kiss 108 in October 2018, Maroun previously spent six years in Philadelphia media, most prominently as a host/producer for Entercom’s 96.5 TDY.
Maroun’s departure caps a turbulent month for “Matty in the Morning.” On May 19, Siegel walked off the show and threatened to quit after claiming station management told him to tone down his commentary on pop star Demi Lovato, who had come out as non-binary.
“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 told Boston.com on May 19. “But of course, it’s a comedy show, so I did it in the context of jokes.
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“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 continued. “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.’”
Despite Siegel’s proclamations, he returned to the show on May 20, saying that station management asked him not to quit and that he was told he had “full support” and the “freedom to say what I want.” Near the end of the May 20 show, Siegel criticized Maroun for not posting audio from the May 19 episode on the Kiss 108 website.
“I was told that I couldn’t poke fun at Demi Lovato because she might be at our Jingle Ball or something, OK?” Siegel said. “And I said, ‘I’ll quit before I stop doing that.’ And you wouldn’t post it?”
“That was not my decision,” Maroun said. “That is a decision that comes from way above me. I’m just doing my job.”
Siegel then criticized iHeartMedia, the corporate owner of Kiss 108, before turning his venom back to Maroun.
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“Don’t you ever do that,” Siegel said. “You work for me.”
Siegel later sarcastically thanked Maroun for not calling him about the decision not to post the May 19 audio, at which point Maroun said that she had in fact called Siegel.
“You need to stop. Turn your mic off. Turn it off,” Siegel said, before cutting to commercial.
While Siegel apologized for his behavior on the May 21 episode of “Matty in the Morning,” Maroun wasn’t on air that day to accept Siegel’s apology, leading to speculation online that she had quit the station.
While Maroun did return to the show briefly in the month of May, she was off the air for much of June, leading fans to fill her social media with comments asking about her whereabouts. (Neither Maroun nor representatives for Kiss 108 responded to requests for comment for this article.)
“We miss hearing you every weekday here in Boston,” wrote one Instagram user. “I have been listening for years and you are without a doubt the best producer the show has ever had.”
“Miss you Bex,” read another. “You are a breath of fresh air to stale old Matty.”
Despite the on-air incident with Siegel, Maroun wished her “Matty in the Morning” colleagues the best in her departure.
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“I appreciate everything that you guys have done. It’s been such a privilege to be a part of this show,” Maroun said. “I’m really excited: It’s celebratory, it’s kind of bittersweet, but I’m excited for what’s to come. I wish you nothing but the best, always.”
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