Matt Bearden is an American comedian, actor, and radio host based in Austin, Texas. He was a member and creative director of Monks' Night Out, an Austin improv and sketch troupe. He played Quinton in the MTV sitcom Austin Stories, created and hosted the comedy showcase PUNCH!, and became a host on KLBJ-FM.
Bearden graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. A college friend challenged him to try stand-up in 1990. He later became involved in Austin's improv scene and watched comics at The Velveeta Room after improv shows before trying stand-up again. By November 1996, he was Monks' Night Out's creative director. In 1996, he auditioned for Austin Stories as a stand-up comic. Members of the original cast already knew his improv work and brought him into the show.
Bearden played Quinton, an oddball friend of the central characters. Co-creator Brad Pope named the character after a Quentin Tarantino impression he had seen Bearden perform in improv. The series aired twelve episodes in 1997 and 1998. After it ended, Bearden spent a brief period in Los Angeles, then returned to Austin and became a principal behind Bad Dog Comedy Theater. He later played James opposite Scoot McNairy's Russell in Alex Holdridge's independent film Wrong Numbers (2001). Set in Austin, the comedy follows the two underage friends as they try to buy beer over the course of a night; it won a prize at the Austin Film Festival.
Bearden won Cap City Comedy Club's Funniest Person in Austin competition in 2002. His home had been without electricity for three weeks, and he intended to use the $750 first-place prize to get it restored. During the finals, Matt Sadler's performance prompted Bearden to rewrite his own set before going onstage. Bearden won, paid the overdue bill, and got the electricity turned back on. Comedy Central talent staff were among the judges. Executive JoAnn Grigioni later named Bearden among the contest winners the network had put on the air. Bearden toured as a stand-up comic and booked and managed comedy clubs, including The Velveeta Room. Readers of The Austin Chronicle voted him Best Comedian in its 2008 Best of Austin poll. At that year's Fun Fun Fun Fest, he kept his set going through wind and noise from a neighboring stage and won over the crowd. Bearden was booked for several shows at the 2013 Moontower Comedy and Oddity Festival, including a Friday closing set at the Scottish Rite Theater. An episode of Comedy Central Stand-Up Featuring devoted to his stand-up aired on June 19, 2020.
With Cap City Comedy Club, Bearden created PUNCH!, a weekly showcase centered on stand-up but also open to improv, sketch, and variety acts. He selected local performers and touring comics for the lineups. By 2013, the show frequently sold out and attracted new performers. The show could fill the room with a lineup made entirely of local comics. Bearden's booking and hosting were central to its appeal. Bearden also scouted open-mic performances and offered newer comics opportunities to perform. PUNCH! later returned after a two-year hiatus. Bearden was billed to host a Stars in Bars show at the 2018 Moontower Comedy Festival.
By 2011, Bearden was a regular on KLBJ-FM's Dudley and Bob morning show. A 2012 account followed him into the studio with Dale Dudley and Bob Fonseca, the show's three principal on-air personalities. Dudley led discussions of current events, Fonseca weighed in, and Bearden supplied the pointed turns in their exchanges. The program was later called The Dudley & Bob with Matt Show. In February 2020, the station moved the show to afternoons. He subsequently hosted Mornings with Matt and Bob with Bob Fonseca on KLBJ-FM.