31 Facts About Matthew Johns

Matthew Johns was born on 27 July 1971 and is an Australian rugby league media personality, commentator and former professional player.

An Australian international and New South Wales State of Origin representative five-eighth, Johns played his club football primarily with the Newcastle Knights, alongside his younger brother, Andrew.

Since March 2011, Matthew Johns has been a co-host on the Triple M Sydney breakfast show called The Grill Team with Mark Geyer.

Since 2012, Matthew Johns has been a part of the Fox Sports NRL coverage.

Matthew Johns had his own show on Channel 7 for one season in 2010, The Matty Johns Show and since 2013 has hosted a rugby league analysis and light entertainment show on Foxtel airing two nights each week.

Matthew Johns played as five-eighth for the Knights, playing outside his younger brother Andrew Johns at halfback for nine seasons.

Matthew Johns was part of the Australian squad that won the 1995 Rugby League World Cup, and went on to play eight matches for his country.

Matthew Johns played four State of Origin series matches for New South Wales for four losses.

Matthew Johns was selected for the Australian team to compete in the end of season 1999 Rugby League Tri-Nations tournament.

Salary cap problems led to Matthew Johns leaving the Newcastle club at the end of 2000 to play a season with the UK based Super League club Wigan.

Matthew Johns considered playing for Wales at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup due to his Welsh heritage.

Matthew Johns played for the Wigan Warriors at five-eighth in their 2001 Super League Grand Final loss to the Bradford Bulls.

Matthew Johns returned to the National Rugby League in 2002 to play a season with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, before shoulder and neck injuries forced his retirement at the end of the season.

Matthew Johns admitted to taking part but stated that the act was consensual.

In May 2009, Matthew Johns agreed to be interviewed by the Nine Network to give his viewpoint of the incident, saying it had been painful for his family and regretted what happened.

Matthew Johns stated that he had been apprehensive about the consequences of the incident for seven years.

Subsequent to the Four Corners program, Matthew Johns was stood down by Channel Nine from his role as rugby league commentator and co-host of The Footy Show.

The Reg Reagan character was developed further in an article in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2000 where Matthew Johns described the character as a late 1970s Australian who smoked only Winfield Reds and drank KB beer.

Matthew Johns appeared in Footy Legends where he appeared as himself.

In 2002, Matthew Johns became a regular on The Footy Show with Reagan and a new character, Trent, a gay flight attendant from San Francisco.

Matthew Johns appeared on The Footy Show and as a commentator on Nine's broadcasts of rugby league matches.

Matthew Johns has recorded a DVD titled "All of Me", released in June 2004, featuring skits by Reg Reagan and Trent the flight attendant.

Matthew Johns was indefinitely stood down from his position on the Nine Network in May 2009 after the airing of the Four Corners program.

Matthew Johns was asked by Channel 9 to make a comeback to commentary later in the season but Johns declined.

Towards the end of 2009, Matthew Johns turned down a $600,000-a-year contract with Channel 9 in favour of starting up his own production company alongside John Singleton.

In 2012, Matthew Johns joined Fox Sports as part of their rugby league coverage.

Matthew Johns is the host of his own show "Sunday Night with Matty Johns".

In 2004, Matthew Johns released Reg Reagan's 'This Is My Life' through Pan Macmillan.

In March 2011 Matthew Johns joined Triple M Sydney's breakfast show The Grill Team introducing a number of character impersonations including "Bruce", the effeminate producer for Triple M's sister station 2DayFM's breakfast team Kyle and Jackie O; the crude coal-mining magnate Nathan Tinkler; and the rugby league greats Andrew Matthew Johns, Brad Fittler and Darren Lockyer as the "Future Immortals Gone Nuts".

In June 2023, his brother Andrew Johns quit the show after a public falling out over comments Matthew Johns made about Queensland ahead of the 2023 State of Origin series.

Matthew Johns is founder and co-owner of Steel City Beer Company with Andrew Matthew Johns, Danny Buderus, Kurt Gidley and Matt Hoy.