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‘I miss this’: ‘Matty in the Morning’ host gets candid in return to Boston radio on ‘Toucher & Hardy’
Longtime Boston radio host Matt Siegel, who left Kiss 108's 'Matty in the Morning' show in 2022, revealed what it would take to get him to return to entertaining listeners during an appearance on 'Toucher & Hardy.'
Boston radio legend Matty Siegel has mostly stayed out of the spotlight – with a few exceptions – after leaving his job of 41 years hosting “Matty in the Morning” on Kiss 108 in 2022.
But with Siegel and his wife back in the Boston area for the summer, the longtime morning show king stopped by 98.5 the Sports Hub’s “Toucher & Hardy” show Tuesday to discuss retirement, his friendship with host Fred Toucher, his unique relationship with Boston radio’s female listenership, and whether he would ever consider starting a podcast.
Toucher and Siegel started the segment by addressing how the pair were able to remain friends over the years in the competitive, ego-filled world of talk radio. In the end, the pair concluded they weren’t competing for the same listenership.
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“We had an unwritten thing going on that was awesome,” Siegel said. “My show was No. 1 with women, and Fred’s show was No. 1 with men. We both made money and it was good.”
Toucher asked Siegel how he was able to maintain such a strong relationship with female listeners despite being “caustic” compared to other Top 40 DJs that Toucher found “patronizing” and “gossipy.”
“My career was based on making women laugh,” Siegel said. “And as long as they aren’t pointing while they’re laughing, you can make a living.”
The early end of ‘Matty in the Morning’
Siegel didn’t directly address his departure from Kiss 108 in 2022, which was preceded by an on-air walkoff, a dust-up with his producer, and an initially unexplained absence, all stemming from his comments about pop star Demi Lovato.
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Instead, Siegel echoed sentiments he expressed in a 2024 Boston Globe interview, when he admitted that after making a career of saying whatever he wanted, he retired earlier than anticipated because he “wasn’t very good at dealing with some of the woke stuff.”
“I didn’t always agree with my [Program Director],” Siegel told “Toucher & Hardy” listeners. “In radio, if you want to win, you have to be yourself.”
Will Matty ever come back?
When Toucher asked Siegel whether he missed being on the airwaves, Matty was honest.
“You want me to be serious? I miss this,” Siegel said. “I miss it, I love it.”
Siegel noted that the sentiment was common among other recent retirees in his South Florida community, which abuts a golf course.
“It’s weird to get up in the morning and God forbid you don’t have a tee time,” Siegel said. “Now what do you do?
Siegel admitted he was surprised that he was unable to “keep a foot in” the world of radio once he retired, and discussed some of the other ventures he briefly considered.
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“I could do influencer things, but I don’t know how to do that and I don’t want to do that,” Siegel said. “I thought for sure I’d do a podcast until I found out how little it pays. Unless you’re Joe Rogan.”
But Siegel did leave the door open for a return to doing what he does best – for the right offer.
“Hello, Spotify? I was a big deal in this town,” Siegel said. “Call me.”
Watch Matty Siegel on “Toucher & Hardy”
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