MatPat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MatPat
Patrick in 2025
Personal information
Born	Matthew Robert Patrick (1986-11-15) November 15, 1986 (age 38) Medina, Ohio, U.S.
Education	Duke University (BA)
Occupation	Internet celebrity digital actor analytics strategist consultant
Spouse(s)	Stephanie Cordato ​ (m. 2012)​
Signature
YouTube information
Genre	Gaming
Subscribers	40 million (combined)
Total views	10 billion (combined)
Network	Long Haul Management Clients & Partners
Subscriber and view counts updated as of May 5, 2024.

Matthew Robert Patrick (born November 15, 1986), known as MatPat, is a famous internet personality. He used to be a YouTuber and now helps with political advice. He created and hosted the popular YouTube series Game Theorists. This show looked deeply into video games.

MatPat also started spin-off channels. These include Film Theorists, Food Theorists, and Style Theorists. Each channel explores different topics. They analyze movies, TV shows, web series, food, and fashion. MatPat narrated most videos on his channels. He stopped being the main host on March 9, 2024.

He also created the gaming channel GTLive. MatPat hosted the YouTube Premium series MatPat's Game Lab. He also hosted the 2023 Streamy Awards. As of May 2024, MatPat had over 40 million subscribers. His channels had over nine billion total views. He still made some appearances and hosted GTLive until October 2024. In June 2025, he helped start a group in the U.S. government. This group helps people who create online content.

Early Life and School

Matthew Robert Patrick was born on November 15, 1986. His hometown is Medina, Ohio. His friends gave him the nickname "MatPat" in sixth grade. He was an only child. MatPat loved video games, theater, and school from a young age.

He was the top student in his high school class. He earned a scholarship to Duke University. In 2009, he graduated with two main subjects. These were theater and psychology. He also focused on neuroscience.

MatPat's Career Journey

After college, MatPat moved to New York City. He wanted to become an actor. He performed in theater shows but didn't have much success. He was unemployed for two years. His first YouTube videos were actually auditions for plays.

In 2011, he decided to change his YouTube channel. He wanted it to show his skills. He could write, research, and edit videos. He was inspired by a show called Extra Credits. This show talked about learning new things from unexpected places.

Starting Game Theory

MatPat uploaded the first Game Theory episode on April 18, 2011. It discussed time portals and quantum mechanics in the game Chrono Trigger. The channel slowly gained more viewers. His videos were featured on popular gaming websites.

In 2012, MatPat added new parts to his channel. Other YouTubers hosted these segments. In 2015, he started a new channel called Film Theory. This channel looked at movies and TV shows. It gained over one million subscribers in just one month.

MatPat also made videos about the gaming world. He sometimes talked about other important topics. On August 26, 2015, he started a live show called GTLive. On this show, he played games and reacted to videos with his wife, Stephanie. By March 2022, GTLive had 2.94 million subscribers. It also had over 649 million views.

Other Shows and Appearances

On June 8, 2016, MatPat launched a new show. It was called MatPat's Game Lab. This show was on Google's paid service, YouTube Premium. The show put video game players in real-life situations. These situations were like things that happen in video games. Examples included defusing bombs and parkour. MatPat wanted to make more seasons. However, YouTube did not continue the show.

He also appeared in other YouTube Premium series. These included Scare PewDiePie (2016) and Escape the Night (2018). He also had small roles in Markiplier's YouTube movies. These were A Heist with Markiplier (2019) and In Space with Markiplier (2022).

On May 29, 2016, MatPat and eleven other YouTubers met with Pope Francis. MatPat asked the Pope to encourage people to "fight for what's right." He gave the Pope a copy of the game Undertale (2015). He said the game's message of mercy fit the Pope's message for that year.

Growing the Theory Channels

In 2019, The Game Theorists held a long charity livestream. It lasted 9 hours. They raised $1.3 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Many famous YouTubers joined the stream. They held two more charity streams for St. Jude in 2020 and 2021.

The third Theory channel, The Food Theorists, started in July 2020. It used the same style as the other channels. It mixed food science with psychology and other ideas. This channel was planned for two years before it launched. As of October 2022, it had 4 million subscribers. It gained 1 million subscribers in just one week.

On December 20, 2022, a fourth Theory channel was announced. This was The Style Theorists. It launched on February 18, 2023. This channel explores the science, math, history, and mystery of fashion. It reached one million subscribers in three days.

MatPat also made short appearances in YouTube Rewind videos. On August 27, 2023, MatPat hosted the Streamy Awards. This show had 15 million views in its first two days. This made it the most-watched show in its history.

On January 9, 2024, MatPat announced he would step down. He said "Goodbye Internet" in a video. He stopped hosting the channels on March 9, 2024. Different team members took over each channel. MatPat still helped creatively and appeared on GTLive until mid-2024. He said he and his wife had planned this change for years. He also wanted to work on new creative projects. One project is a lo-fi mystery series called LoreFi. Its channel started in summer 2024.

Other Projects and Collaborations

MatPat was involved in the web series Terrain of Magical Expertise. He helped it get more attention. In 2016, MatPat hosted the reality series The Runner.

In 2017, MatPat and his wife Stephanie joined a Nintendo event. It was the Pokkén Tournament DX Invitational at E3 2017. His team won the tournament. MatPat also voiced Computron in the animated series Transformers: Titans Return (2017). In 2019, he worked with Nickelodeon on a show called Fact or Nicktion. MatPat is also a co-producer for the Broadway play Grey House.

MatPat's videos about Five Nights at Freddy's are very popular. He made 68 theory videos about the series. He even had a small role in the 2023 film adaptation. He played a waiter. In 2024, he worked with the series to create a special figure and pins.

In May 2024, MatPat appeared on an episode of Wired's "Web's Most Searched Questions" series. Also in 2024, MatPat helped produce a musical based on the anime Your Lie in April. In 2025, he was an executive producer for the musical's cast album. His wife Stephanie also helped produce it.

Helping Online Creators

MatPat (third from left in front line) with other content creators and Representatives Beth Van Duyne and Yvette Clarke at the Creator Economy Caucus launch in June 2025.

On June 10, 2025, MatPat announced a new group. It is called the Creator Economy Caucus. This group is part of the United States House of Representatives. He said it is a group where online creators can work with lawmakers. They want to make sure laws are fair for the internet age. MatPat said about 10 representatives supported his idea.

Personal Life

MatPat with his wife Stephanie in 2018

MatPat is married to Stephanie (born Cordato). They met while studying at Duke University. They became close after making a funny video. It was a Legend of Zelda parody. They got married on May 19, 2012. Their son, Oliver Julian Patrick, was born in 2018. The family lives in both California and North Carolina.

Awards and Nominations

MatPat and his channels have won many awards. They have been nominated for even more.

• In 2016, The Game Theorists won a Streamy Award for Gaming.
• MatPat's Game Lab won a Streamy Award for Virtual Reality and 360 in 2016.
• In 2017, The Game Theorists won a Streamy Award for Editing.
• The Game Theorists won a Streamy Award for Gaming in 2019.
• In 2021, The Game Theorists won a Streamy Award for Writing.

YouTube Channels

Images for kids

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  MatPat's signature

See also

In Spanish: MatPat para niños