Here’s just a few of the reasons we adore Matt Rogers, prince of Christmas

Matt Rogers is an American actor, podcaster, voice-over artist, and writer from Long Island, New York.

As an openly queer entertainer, Rogers has climbed his way to fame by proudly embracing his identity. His hilarious Showtime special, ‘Have You Heard of Christmas?’ is on its way to becoming a seasonal holiday classic, but this talented star is evergreen.

Are you intrigued about the Las Culturistas podcaster? Keep reading to learn more about Roger’s journey and where it all started.

Matt Rogers at a glance

Before we get too far into his still young life, let’s disambiguate further that we’re talking about Matt Rogers, the Fire Island actor—not Matthew Rogers, the American Idol Season 2 contestant.

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With that out of the way, here are some quick stats about Matt:

• Birthday: March 5, 1990
• Birthplace: Long Island, New York
• Nationality: American
• Current City: Los Angeles (Since 2019)
• Gender Identity: Male
• Pronouns: He/him
• Sexual Orientation: Gay
• Relationship: Single
• Instagram:@mattrogerstho

Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang are NOT a couple…but they are besties

The names Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang go together like spaghetti and meatballs but the two are a pair of friends, not a pair in love.

These two were reportedly pressured by their peers to strike a friendship but Rogers recalls how they both did not believe common sexual orientation to be reasonable grounds alone for friendship. The duo struck a rapport during a Halloween party after discovering that they knew all the words to 2010 Nicki Minaj’s bonus track, “Super Bass,” and that rapport has snowballed ever since into a decade-long storied friendship for the ages.

Their friendship also extends to professional endeavors. Matt and Bowen have co-hosted a podcast together called Las Culturistas since 2016. In 2022, the popular podcast even celebrated its 300th episode.

In 2022, Yang and Rogers also co-starred in the funny, breezy queer rom-com Fire Island which is a gay retelling of the classic Pride and Prejudice from a queer Asian-American perspective.

Matt Rogers is a lamb for Mariah Carey

When he was a child, Matt shared with us that he became obsessed with Celine Dion, but his mom encouraged him to give Mariah Carey a shot. And when he listened to her Butterfly album for the first time, the rest was history!

I just forgot anyone else’s name, and absolutely fell in love. And what’s funny is that the Butterfly album was definitely a time where she discovered her sensuality and sexuality—it was new musical terrain for her. And, in many ways, it was revolutionary for me as a little kid, because I discovered that I loved R&B music.

Growing up, Matt Rogers was never a big fan of Christmas. His recent musical special Have you Heard of Christmas? which toured the US and can be streamed on Showtime is an extension of this childhood idea.

Emphasizing his eternal place in Mariah Carey’s standom, Rogers defends her title as the Queen of Christmas. By combining music and Christmas much akin to her work in his latest special, he hopes to earn the moniker Prince of Christmas.

Matt’s had a steady rise to stardom

In 2009, Matt Rogers was a part of the improv group Hammerkatz while studying at Upright Citizens Brigade. He performed in several shows and also worked as the artistic director of a musical sketch during the stint.

In 2016, he was deemed a Comic to Watch by Comedy Central. Since then, he began a podcast called Las Culturistas with his wonderful co-queer conspirator Bowen Yang.

In 2020, he co-hosted a television game show called Gayme Show with Dave Mizzoni where straight men were questioned about the queer community. He also hosted Haute Dog, where three dog groomers compete for every episode to find the best look for their pets.

Rogers also has guest-starred on many television series like Shrill, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens, and Search Party.

In 2021, Matt bagged a role in the comedy series I Love That for You and of course a starring role in Fire Island. The entire cast of Fire Island won the Gotham Award for Best Ensemble.

Rogers has lent his voice to several characters on the comedy series Our Cartoon President. In 2021, he began voicing the character Twink, a blue-haired baby gay on the Netflix comedy show Q-Force in addition to being a writer.

Recently, he joined Season Two of Comedy Central’s The Other Two as a staff writer. He also starred in the Showtime series I Love That For You as Darcy Leeds.

If it isn’t already clear, Matt Rogers is gay

Matt came out during his time at New York University, where he was pursuing a BFA in Dramatic Writing.

Closing Thoughts

Mainstream visibility for queer comics is still limited and comedians like Rogers are trying to carve an exclusive space for queer voices. Matt believes it is liberating for everyone to love themselves for who they want to be or who they are.

Representation in the art industry encourages future talents to shed inhibitions and claim their place on the world stage. We are just in the beginning of a representation revolution, and Matt is one of the people leading the way.

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