# Matt Friend

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American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, and impressionist

Matt Friend Born Matthew Jonas Friend (1998-06-24) June 24, 1998 (age 28) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Alma mater New York University Comedy career Years active 2018–present Medium Stand-up, television Genres Impersonations, character comedy, Jewish culture, American culture, political comedy, current events, pop culture Website https://www.mattfriend.com/

**Matthew Jonas Friend**[1] (born June 24, 1998) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, commentator, voice actor, and impressionist. Known for his ability to perform impressions of dozens of celebrity figures, Friend creates short-form video content on social media and has appeared on news shows and at red carpet events.[2]

Friend is noted for his impressions of both political and entertainment figures, regularly impersonating [Donald Trump](/source/Donald_Trump), [Barack Obama](/source/Barack_Obama), [Mitch McConnell](/source/Mitch_McConnell), [Jeff Goldblum](/source/Jeff_Goldblum), [Howard Stern](/source/Howard_Stern), [Bill Maher](/source/Bill_Maher), [JD Vance](/source/JD_Vance), [Stanley Tucci](/source/Stanley_Tucci), among others.[3]

His stand-up performances combine impersonations, observational humour and crowd work.[4]

## Early life

Friend grew up in [Chicago](/source/Chicago), Illinois and attended the [Francis W. Parker School](/source/Francis_W._Parker_School_(Chicago)), taking acting classes at [The Second City](/source/The_Second_City) as a kid. He is Jewish.[5] He originally attended [Tufts University](/source/Tufts_University) (like his father, who was roommates with [Hank Azaria](/source/Hank_Azaria) there), subsequently transferring to [New York University](/source/New_York_University), partially because he wanted to be in that city to further his career. [6] Friend cited [Mike Myers](/source/Mike_Myers), [Don Rickles](/source/Don_Rickles), [Rich Little](/source/Rich_Little), and [Johnny Carson](/source/Johnny_Carson) as notable influences.[7]

## Career

While at NYU's [Gallatin School of Individualized Study](/source/Gallatin_School_of_Individualized_Study), Friend was a production intern at *[The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon](/source/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Jimmy_Fallon)*.[8] In 2023, Friend's impressions began to garner significant social media attention. He began performing these impressions both on live television and for audiences on [TikTok](/source/TikTok), [Snapchat](/source/Snapchat), and [Instagram](/source/Instagram).[9][10] [John Stamos](/source/John_Stamos) discovered him on [TikTok](/source/TikTok) early in the pandemic and has been a mentor/advocate for his career. In 2025, [Ryan Chen (The Chinese Trump)](/source/Ryan_Chen) cited him as an influence.[11]

In March 2023, Friend signed with the [United Talent Agency](/source/United_Talent_Agency).[12][13] A year later, he performed at the [White House Correspondents' Dinner](/source/White_House_Correspondents'_Dinner) in April 2024.

## Filmography

### Film

Year Title Role Notes 2023 Good Burger 2 Serious Waiter

### Television

Year Title Role Notes 2019 How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) Mark Zuckerberg Episode: "If This Is Reality, I'm Not Interested" 2022 A Very Cold War Christmas Tucker Carlson, Mitch McConnell TV short; voice 2022–23 The Simpsons Jimmy Fallon, Baby Jeff Goldblum 2 episodes; voice 2024 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Hunter Biden, Mitch McConnell Episode: "Edward Norton" 2024 What If...? The Grandmaster Episode: "What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?"; voice 2024–25 Family Guy Jeff Goldblum, Jared Fogle, Stanley Tucci, Howard Stern, Charles Dickens 5 episodes; voice

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["2020 Graduates, NYU Gallatin"](https://gallatin.nyu.edu/utilities/events/2020/05/graduates.html). *NYU Gallatin School*. Retrieved 2024-08-27.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Foster, R. Daniel. ["Billionaire Ankur Jain And Comic Matt Friend Target The Comedy Market"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rdaniel-foster/2025/04/28/billionaire-ankur-jain-and-comic-matt-friend-target-the-comedy-market/). *Forbes*. Retrieved 2025-11-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Matt Friend Gives the Right Impression"](https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/august-2025/matt-friend-gives-the-right-impression/). *Chicago Magazine*. Retrieved 2025-11-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Esposito, Stefano (2025-03-05). ["Comedian Matt Friend, from Lincoln Park, opens mouth and impressions pour out"](https://chicago.suntimes.com/comedy/2025/03/05/matt-friend-impressions-comedy-chicago-park-west). *Chicago Sun-Times*. Retrieved 2025-11-24.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Matt Friend (2023-12-02). [*CNN host SHOCKED by spot on Trump, McConnell, & George Santos impressions | Comedian Matt Friend*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_MBN98MFp0). Retrieved 2024-07-18 – via YouTube.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Matthew Friend | Never Himself"](https://nyunews.com/uta/nyu-up-and-comers-2019/matthew-friend-never-himself-comedian-impressionist-snl-hopeful/). 14 March 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["First impressions: stand-up comedian and voice-over artist Matt Friend sounds off - Philadelphia Weekly"](https://philadelphiaweekly.com/first-impressions-stand-up-comedian-and-voice-over-artist-matt-friend-sounds-off/). 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Matthew Friend | Never Himself"](https://nyunews.com/uta/nyu-up-and-comers-2019/matthew-friend-never-himself-comedian-impressionist-snl-hopeful/). 14 March 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Comedian Matt Friend shows off impressions, talks DC show"](https://news.yahoo.com/comedian-matt-friend-shows-off-154018161.html). *Yahoo News*. Retrieved 2023-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Matt Friend Does Six Random Celebrity Impressions"](https://www.nbcchicago.com/entertainment/chicago-today/matt-friend-does-six-random-celebrity-impressions/2957928/). *NBC Chicago*. Retrieved 2023-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/world/asia/chinese-trump-impersonator.html#selection-695.127-695.142](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/world/asia/chinese-trump-impersonator.html#selection-695.127-695.142)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Comedian Matt Friend Signs With UTA (Exclusive)"](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/comedian-matt-friend-signs-uta-180218082.html). *Yahoo Finance*. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Vlessing, Etan (2023-03-23). ["Comedian Matt Friend Signs With UTA (Exclusive)"](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/comedian-matt-friend-signs-uta-1235359207/). *The Hollywood Reporter*. Retrieved 2023-04-26.

## External links

- [Matt Friend](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11352924/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matt Friend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Friend) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Friend?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.