Matt Vogel (puppeteer)

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

Career
Vogel began his puppeteering career at the Jim Henson Company in 1996, joining Sesame Street as an ensemble puppeteer. Since 2008, Vogel has served as a director on the program and was appointed puppet captain in 2012.

In 1996, Vogel became the understudy performer for Big Bird, officially taking over the role in 2018 following Caroll Spinney's retirement. Vogel also served as the assistant puppeteer for Ernie on Sesame Street, working alongside Whitmire. Following Jerry Nelson's passing in 2012, Vogel assumed performing duties for Count von Count. Vogel has additionally performed Mr. Johnson, Biff, Herb the Dinosaur, Hansel, Forgetful Jones, Sherlock Hemlock, and one of the Yip-Yip Martians. Since 2013, Vogel has performed Alex, a Muppet addressing parental incarceration, for the Sesame Street in Communities initiative.

Since 2008, Vogel has been a principal cast performer with the Muppets, inheriting many of Nelson's character roles. Vogel 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, Vogel was officially announced as the new performer for Kermit the Frog, succeeding Steve Whitmire in the role. His first performance as Kermit was in a "Muppets Thought of the Week" segment on YouTube. He performed Robin the Frog until 2017, when Peter Linz took over the role to allow Kermit and Robin to appear in scenes together.

In 2016, Vogel voiced the character Wilkins in Alice Through the Looking Glass.

Personal life
Vogel is originally from Kansas City, Kansas. As a child, he was a fan of both Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. Vogel interned at Mesner Puppet Theater where he played his first role of Victor Frankenstein in Paul Mesner Puppets’ production of “Frankenstein” in 1993. After 1993, he moved from Kansas City to New York. Vogel has been married to his wife Kelly C. McDonnell since August 31, 1997; together they have five children.