Matt Vogel (puppeteer)

For other people with the same name, see Matt Vogel (disambiguation).

Matt Vogel
Born	Matthew James Vogel (1970-10-06) October 6, 1970 (age 54) Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
Occupations	Puppeteer actor director
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Kelly C. McDonnell ​ (m. 1997)​
Children	5
Website	www.mattvogel.com

Matthew James Vogel (born October 6, 1970)^[1] is an American puppeteer, actor and director known for his work with Sesame Workshop and the Muppets. He has performed Kermit the Frog since 2017, and has been the full-time performer of Big Bird since 2018 and Count Von Count since 2013.

Early life

Vogel was born in Kansas City, Kansas. As a child, he was a fan of both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show.^[2] He interned at Mesner Puppet Theater where he played his first role of Victor Frankenstein in Paul Mesner Puppets’ production of “Frankenstein” in 1993.^[3] After 1993, he moved from Kansas City to New York.^[4] He received a BFA in Theatre from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University of St. Louis, Missouri.^[5]

Career

Vogel began his career with the Jim Henson Company in 1996, joining Sesame Street as an ensemble puppeteer and understudy performer for Big Bird. In 2018, he became the full-time performer for Big Bird following Caroll Spinney's retirement.^[6][7][8] Since 2008, he has additionally served as a director on the program and was appointed puppet captain in 2012.^[9] Following Jerry Nelson's death the same year, he inherited the role of Count von Count.^[7] He has additionally performed Mr. Johnson, Forgetful Jones, Sherlock Hemlock, and the Yip-Yip Martians. Since 2013, he has performed Alex, a Muppet addressing parental incarceration, for the Sesame Street in Communities initiative.^[10]

Since 2008, Vogel has been a principal performer with the Muppets, inheriting many of Nelson's character roles. He has performed the characters Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Sweetums, Camilla the Chicken, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Pops, '80s Robot, and Constantine. In July 2017, he was officially announced as the new performer for Kermit the Frog,^[11] succeeding Whitmire in the role. His first performance as Kermit was in a "Muppets Thought of the Week" segment on YouTube.^[12] He performed Robin the Frog until 2017 with Peter Linz subsequently taking the role to allow Kermit and Robin to appear in scenes together.^[9][11][4]

In 2016, Vogel voiced Wilkins in Alice Through the Looking Glass.^[13]

Personal life

Vogel married Kelly C. McDonnell on August 31, 1997. They have five children.^[3][14]

Filmography

Film

Year	Production	Role	Notes
1999	The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland	Big Bird	Assistant performer
2005	The Producers	Pigeon	Puppeteer
2008	A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa	Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Lew Zealand, Robin the Frog, Pigeon Son	Performer; Television film
2011	The Muppets	Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Penguin	Performer
2013	Scooby-Doo! Adventures: The Mystery Map	Fred Jones	Performer (puppetry only); Direct-to-DVD film
2014	Muppets Most Wanted	Constantine, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Pops, Robin the Frog, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, '80s Robot, Camilla the Chicken, Uncle Deadly, Dr. Julius Strangepork	Performer
	I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story		Documentary film; Self
2016	Alice Through the Looking Glass	Wilkins	Voice

Television

Year(s)	Production	Role	Notes
1996–present	Sesame Street	Big Bird (2018–present),[6] Count von Count (2013–present), Mr. Johnson (2014–present), Various characters	Performer (also director)
1996	Elmo Saves Christmas		Additional performer; Television special
1996–1998	Big Bag		Additional performer
1998	The Puzzle Place	Skye, Nuzzle	Performer (season 3)
2000	Between the Lions	Various characters	Ensemble performer
2002–2007	Play with Me Sesame	Ernie	Assistant performer
2003–2005	Oobi	Angus	Performer[15]
2006	Blue's Room	Alphabet Puppy	Puppeteer
2007	Jack's Big Music Show	Leonard the Country Squirrel	Performer, Episode: "Leonard the Country Squirrel"
2008	Studio DC: Almost Live	Camilla the Chicken, Floyd Pepper (puppetry only)	Performer
2009	30 Rock		Puppeteer,[16][17] Episode: "Apollo, Apollo"
2015–2016	The Muppets	Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Sweetums, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Robin the Frog	Performer
2016	The Furchester Hotel	Big Bird, Count von Count
	Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas	Count von Count, Constable/Mr. Johnson, Big Bird (puppetry only)	Performer (also director); Television special
2019	Lip Sync Battle	Big Bird	Performer[18]
2020–2021	The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo	Count von Count, Big Bird, Biff, Mr. Johnson	Performer (also director)
2020	Amphibia	Crumpet the Frog	Voice role, Episode: "Swamp and Sensibility" Credited as Kermit the Frog[19]
	Muppets Now	Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Camilla the Chicken, Cacti	Performer
2021–2023	The Masked Singer	Kermit the Frog, Snail,[20] Crazy Harry, Uncle Deadly, Big Bird, Count von Count	3 episodes; Contestant (season 5)[21] Episodes: "Muppets Night", "Sesame Street Night"[22][23]
2021	Donkey Hodie	King Friday	Performer
	A Capitol Fourth	Kermit the Frog	Performer; Television special
	Muppets Haunted Mansion	Kermit the Frog, Floyd Pepper, Pops, Crazy Harry, Lew Zealand, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums	Performer; Disney+ Halloween special
2022	Best in Snow	Kermit the Frog	Performer; Disney+ special[24]
2023	The Muppets Mayhem	Floyd Pepper	Performer; Main role

Other appearances

Year	Title	Role(s)	Notes
2017	The Muppets Take the Bowl	Kermit the Frog, Uncle Deadly, Floyd Pepper, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Camilla the Chicken, Dr. Julius Strangepork, Snowth, Sweetums (voice)	Performer, live show at the Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 8–10[25]
2018	The Muppets Take the O2		Performer, live show at the O2, Jul. 13–14[26]
2019	Muppet Babies Play Date	Kermit the Frog (baby)	Performer (puppetry only)
2021	The Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach[27]	Kermit the Frog, Camilla the Chicken	Voice, theme park show
2023	Disney Holidays in Hollywood[28]	Kermit the Frog	Voice, theme park show

See also

• List of Sesame Street puppeteers
• List of Muppets

References

1. "What You Need to Know About Matt Vogel: The New Kermit". July 13, 2017. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
2. "Kansas City, Kansas, native Matt Vogel, thriving in prominent puppeteering roles". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
3. Gish, Sarah. "KCK native Matt Vogel is the new voice of Kermit the Frog". Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
4. Gish, Sarah (July 2017). "KCK native Matt Vogel is the new voice of Kermit the Frog". The Kansas City Star. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
5. "Bio". Matt Vogel. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
6. Cordero, Rosy (December 8, 2019). "Sesame Street legend Caroll Spinney, who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, dies at 85". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
7. Vogel, Matt (October 13, 2016). "Matt Vogel is Big Bird". BBC. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
8. "'Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration' HBO Review: Stream It or Skip It?". November 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
9. "Matt Vogel, Muppet Performer Behind Iconic Characters Kermit the Frog and Big Bird, Named Webster University's 2023 Commencement Speaker". news.webster.edu. February 6, 2023. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
10. The Associated Press (July 11, 2017). "Kermit the Frog gets a new voice after 27 years". CBC News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
11. Petski, Denise (July 10, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Exiting After 27 Years". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
12. Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017). "Longtime Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Replaced After 27 Years". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
13. "Meet the Seconds: See exclusive images of Time's critters from 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'". EW.com. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
14. "Ten Minutes With Matt Vogel". Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
15. "Matt Vogel". TV.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
16. Staff (January 31, 2013). "So long, 30 Rock: We bid Liz Lemon adieu with some of our favourite show moments". National Post. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
17. 30 Rock: Season 3 (Bonus Features — Behind-The-Scenes With The Muppets CD). Universal Studios Home Entertainment. 2009.
18. "Watch Big Bird On Lip Sync Battle - ToughPigs". June 6, 2023. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
19. Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 23, 2020). "Disney Channel Renews 'Amphibia' For Season 3; Kermit The Frog, Jenifer Lewis, George Takei And More To Guest Star On Season 2". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
20. Matt Vogel [@welcomemattv] (March 11, 2021). "This is so sweet, dear Stephanie! Thanks, friend" (Tweet). Retrieved April 8, 2021 – via Twitter.
21. Vogel, Matt [@welcomemattv] (March 11, 2021). "This is so sweet" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
22. Seemeyer, Zach (October 26, 2022). "'The Masked Singer' Brings On The Muppets for a Wild Night With Two Big Unmaskings! (Recap)". Entertainment Tonight Online. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
23. Schneider, Michael (March 15, 2023). "'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of the Squirrel and Jackalope: Here's Who They Are". Variety. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
24. "Images | Disney Plus Press". March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
25. Itzkoff, Dave (July 28, 2020). "It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
26. Itzkoff, Dave (July 28, 2020). "It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
27. "Video: The Muppet Christmas Caroling Coach Debuts at Disney Merriest Nites". laughingplace.com. November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
28. "PHOTOS, VIDEO:'Disney Holidays in Hollywood' Brings The Muppets to Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney's Hollywood Studios". wdwnt.com. November 13, 2023. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved July 7, 2024.

External links

• Official site Archived April 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• Matt Vogel at IMDb

Preceded by Adam Hunt	Performer of Scooter 2000	Succeeded by Brian Henson
Preceded by Richard Hunt	Performer of Janice 2000	Succeeded by Brian Henson
Preceded by Alice Dinnean	Performer of Camilla the Chicken 2008–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by None	80s Robot^[broken anchor] 2011–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Rickey Boyd	Performer of Crazy Harry 2008–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Floyd Pepper 2008–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Lew Zealand 2008–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Robin the Frog 2008–2017	Succeeded by Peter Linz
Preceded by Noel MacNeal	Performer of Sweetums 2009–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Pops 2011–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Uncle Deadly 2011–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Count von Count 2013–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Performer of Mr. Johnson 2016–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Steve Whitmire	Performer of Kermit the Frog 2017–present	Succeeded by none
Preceded by Caroll Spinney	Performer of Big Bird 1998–present	Succeeded by none
Preceded by None	Constantine^[broken anchor] 2014–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Richard Hunt	Forgetful Jones 2019–present	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Jerry Nelson	Sherlock Hemlock 2011–present	Succeeded by None