Matt Iseman
Birth dateJanuary 22, 1971 (age 55)
Birth placeDenver, Colorado, U.S.
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Columbia University (MD)
OccupationComedian, actor, television host, physician
Height193 cm

Matt Iseman (born January 22, 1971)[1] is an American comedian, actor, and television host,[2] who began his career as a physician. He is best known for his role as the play-by-play announcer and the moderator of American Ninja Warrior. He was the winner of The New Celebrity Apprentice in 2017, the show's only season.

Iseman is also known for his involvement with the sport of Strongman where he does athlete interviews for Arnold Strongman Classic, Shaw Classic and Rogue Invitational.

Early life and medical career

Iseman was born in Denver, Colorado.[1] The son of a pulmonologist, Iseman was raised in Denver and followed his father into a medical career,[3] earning a B.A. with honors from Princeton University and an M.D. from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.[4] Iseman is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish, Danish, and English descent.[citation needed] He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital in his hometown of Denver,[5] and later relocated to the Los Angeles area.

Comedy career

Iseman began doing stand-up comedy, with a routine based partly on his experiences as a doctor. He worked with the improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and in 2002 became a full-time professional comedian. In addition to comedy club work, Iseman's medical background has led to performing for medical and health-related organizations. He has performed at USO shows in Afghanistan, South Korea, Bosnia, and Hungary.[6]

He cites Brian Regan as a comedy inspiration.[7] Iseman's comedy outside of humor about medicine and medical profession is mainly observational, and he generally avoids off-color material.[citation needed]

Television work

Iseman has hosted the game shows Scream Play on E! and Casino Night on GSN. He appears as a regular cast member on the home makeover show Clean House and its companion outtakes show, Clean House Comes Clean, both on the Style Network. Additionally, as of 2024, he hosted every season of American Ninja Warrior on the channel G4 and later on the NBC network with the exception of the very first season. Iseman began working with American Ninja Warrior in 2010. He uses his athleticism and work as a comedian to add his style to the show with Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (former NFL player), and Zuri Hall (sideline correspondent).[6]

He also has worked episodically in television shows including The Drew Carey Show, NCIS, and General Hospital. He has appeared on the syndicated MAD TV, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Fox's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, and Fox News Channel's Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. He was the narrator of Dumbest Stuff On Wheels on SPEED. As of May 4, 2010, Iseman is the host of Sports Soup,[8] a spin-off of E!'s The Soup, on Versus.

Iseman won the 15th overall season and first run of The New Celebrity Apprentice[9] and appeared as one of the contestants in the third episode of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race[10] to raise funds for the Arthritis Foundation.

Iseman is the new host of Live Rescue on A&E, taking over for former host Ashleigh Banfield.[11]

Iseman also fills in as a guest host on REELZ On Patrol: Live as needed.[12]

Personal life

Iseman was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2002, at age 31. His disease is being treated successfully.[13]

Iseman is a cancer survivor. In 2018, he wrote on his Instagram account that he had part of a kidney removed due to cancer more than 10 years earlier.[14]

Matt Iseman's wife is named Britton All. They got married in September 2024. Matt proposed to her in a spontaneous way that included Arnold Schwarzenegger.[15]

Selected filmography

Television

As actor

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003General HospitalRock Fowler
2010P Lo's HouseDr. TuckTV movie
2013The LeagueAirport Police OfficerEpisode: "The Bye Week"
2014Hot in ClevelandMikeEpisode: "The Undead"
2017American Dad!Demon SportscasterVoice, episode: "The Life and Times of Stan Smith"

As himself

YearTitleRoleNotes
2003–2011Clean HouseGo-to guyMain/Recurring role
2010–presentAmerican Ninja WarriorHost
2011–2012Dumbest Stuff on WheelsNarrator
2013–2017Home & FamilyGuest / Co-hostMultiple episodes
2014–2020TodayGuest / Segment co-hostMultiple episodes
2016American Ninja Warrior: Ninja vs. NinjaHost
2017The New Celebrity ApprenticeContestant
2018–2019American Ninja Warrior JuniorHost
2019Live RescueHost
2019–present25 Words or LessCelebrity guestMultiple episodes
2020RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag RaceSpecial guest / Bette BourdeauxEpisode:"RuPaul roast"
2022Shaw ClassicHost / Emcee
2023–2024On Patrol: LiveGuest HostMultiple episodes - US Thanksgiving 2023 and 2024

Video game

YearTitleRoleNote
2019American Ninja Warrior: ChallengeHimself[16]Voice

References

  1. ^ "Matt Iseman". TVGuide.com. Archived September 5, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  2. ^ Weiner, Yitzi (11 October 2017). "The Inspiring Backstory of Matt Iseman, Host of American Ninja Warrior". Medium
  3. ^ Adams, Sam (2015-06-09). "Fire and Ise: American Ninja Warrior's Matt Iseman". Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  4. ^ Austin, Ezra (18 September 2019). "Matt Iseman '93 Highlights Amazing Athletes on American Ninja Warrior". Princeton Alumni Weekly.
  5. ^ "Curriculum Vitae Michael D. Iseman, M.D.". National Jewish Health. Archived March 4, 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ American Ninja Warrior Hosts, G4; G4; NBC Universal (June 2012). "American Ninja Warrior Hosts". NBC Universal. p. hosts. Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012. Matt joined the American Ninja Warrior team in 2010. Before co-hosting ANW, Matt had intentions of being a medical doctor but quickly realized stand-up comedy was more in his DNA. He has utilized his energetic, charismatic style around the world performing shows for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Bosnia, Hungary, and other top vacation destinations and has been able to parlay that into his work as co-host with Akbar Gbaja-Biamila on American Ninja Warrior.
  7. ^ Diaz, Anthony; Jimenez, Daniella; Lombardo, Gabriella; Rivera, Joseph (1 November 2019). "Talking with comedian and 'American Ninja' host Matt Iseman". New York Newsday. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Michael Schneider (14 September 2008). "E! heats up 'Sports Soup': Versus to offer sports-flavored edition of show". Variety. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  9. ^ Nilles, Billy (February 13, 2017). "Who Won The New Celebrity Apprentice: Boy George or Matt Iseman?". E! News. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  10. ^ ""American Ninja Warrior", "Schitt's Creek", "Glee" stars transform into "Celebrity Drag Race" in a breathtaking way.". archyde. 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  11. ^ Belcher, Sara (21 August 2020). "'Live Rescue's New Host Is a Former Doctor". distractify.com
  12. ^ "'American Ninja Warrior' Host Matt Iseman Steps In To Host 'On Patrol: Live' Over Thanksgiving Weekend". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
  13. ^ Morgan, John & Shoop, Stephen A., M.D. (July 20, 2004). "'Scream Play' host scripts triumph over rheumatoid arthritis". USA Today. Archived March 4, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Lee, Nikki (5 February 2018). "Matt Iseman shared a deeply personal message for World Cancer Day". americaninjawarriornation.com
  15. ^ "Why Matt Iseman's "Special" Proposal to His Wife Included Arnold Schwarzenegger". NBC. 2025-06-04. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  16. ^ "American Ninja Warrior Makes The Leap To Video Games, Lands On Switch This March". Nintendo Life. 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2020-11-09.