Matthew Friend is an old soul living inside a 23-year-old impressionist’s body. Matthew graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School in 2020, but his love of comedy and entertainment was sparked when he was four years old. He had watched Austin Powers (yes, as a four-year-old) and started mimicking the characters’ voices—and the rest was history. To date, Matthew has almost 350K followers on TikTok. He has appeared on the Today Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, NBC’s New York Live TV, Good Day LA, Good Day NY, and WGN. In 2019, Matthew won Kenan Thompson’s Ultimate Comedy Experience at Carolines on Broadway. His professional experience includes hosting HQ Trivia, performing at corporate events, and doing stand-up comedy throughout the country. Matthew’s repertoire includes more than 250 impressions ranging from Rami Malek to Timothee Chalamet. His favorite to do right now is Jennifer Coolidge.

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Presented by the New York Comedy Festival

Taking over venues around the City including Town Hall, Carolines on Broadway, the Beacon Theatre and Madison Square Garden, the New York Comedy Festival celebrates comedy in all its forms: live podcast recordings, panels, improv, film screenings and stand-up, hosted and performed by some of the biggest names in the industry. Headliners for this year’s event include Tracy Morgan, Jenny Slate, Wanda Sykes, JB Smoove, John Mulaney, Bill Maher and Conan O’Brien. Additionally, 200-plus comedians will be performing more than 100 shows throughout the City during the seven-day festival.

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