She Rates Dogs co-host Mat George, 26, died on Saturday July 17 after a car struck and killed him in a hit and run accident around 2:20 a.m. The Arizona native co-hosted the podcast with Michaela Okland, 24. An eyewitness saw that Mat had been hit by a white BMW that drove off. Mat died on the scene, according to The New York Times. Michaela implored anyone with possible information about the car that hit Mat to call the LAPD or crime stoppers in her Instagram Stories. “Mat was walking. Literally just walking. They did not stop or slow down or attempt to call 911,” she wrote in the Story.
I would rather you guys here this from me than a news article. Mat was killed in a hit and run last night. I don’t really have any other words right now. I wish I could contact everybody who knows him personally but the news is already out and I just can’t do it right now
— michaela okland (@MichaelaOkla) July 17, 2021
Michaela announced his death in a Saturday tweet. “Mat was killed in a hit and run last night. I don’t really have any other words right now. I wish I could contact everybody who knows him personally but the news is already out and I just can’t do it right now,” she wrote. She also announced that they had recorded one more episode of She Rates Dogs. She said that it will be released at an undisclosed later date and said Mat loved the “community” that the podcast provided. “Your words and support made him so happy,” she wrote. Following his tragic passing, Mat’s legacy will live on in the hearts of She Rates Dogs fans. Here are five things to know about Mat.
1. Mat Was Known For His Vibrant Personality And Humor
On the She Rates Dogs podcast, Mat and Michaela shared their experiences dating. After his death, Michaela noted his love of music and sense of humor. “He loved singing along to songs he didn’t know the words to, pretending to be straight to get on reality dating shows and talking in really bad accents,” she said in a statement to The New York Times. Michaela also sweetly wrote that he was probably laughing at a typo she’d made in her tweet announcing his passing. Mat had also tweeted a video of himself singing along to “Believe” by Cher in 2019. He’d hilariously written that he’d sent it to a guy on Grindr, who mentioned having Cher tickets. “No it’s not gonna work out with the guy,” he wrote.
2. Mat Was Medical Scribe Before Podcasting
Before Mat and Michaela started the She Rates Dogs podcast, Mat had worked as a medical scribe in Phoenix, Arizona, according to his LinkedIn page. Mat spoke about making the jump from a medicinal career to the entertainment realm in an interview with Shoutout Arizona. “Before switching from a life that was going towards medicine to a life in entertainment there were a lot of questions going through my mind,” he said. “Could I really do this and still make enough money to support a family one day. After a long 2 weeks of thinking about it 24/7, I ultimately decided that I was going to make the switch.”
3. Mat Attended Arizona State University
Mat graduated from Arizona State University, where he was a member of the Sigma Pi fraternity, in 2017, according to his LinkedIn. He told Shoutout Arizona that his experiences telling stories about his love life at ASU inspired him to open up more, which led to the podcast. “Towards the end of my college days at Arizona State University I started to share my experiences as a gay man with different people I was close to. Their reactions made me realize that a lot of these stories were funny to others, which then gave me more confidence to start sharing them with even more people,” he said.
4. Mat Was Going To Be A Part Of Michaela’s Bridal Party
As Mat and Michaela were so close, she intended on including her in her bridal party when she eventually got married. She joked how Mat would likely stick out in a March tweet. “I am thinking about what my bridesmaids dresses would look like and just realized Mat is gonna f**k up my aesthetic,” she wrote at the time. Michaela re-shared the tweet after his passing with a sad emoji.
— michaela okland (@MichaelaOkla) July 19, 2021
Mat raved about his friendship to Michaela to Shoutout Arizona. “Not only has she given me an opportunity to chase my dreams, but she’s also been a friend I can go to about anything without the fear of being judged. She has been my rock throughout the past few years and I’m so fortunate to have met her while attending ASU,” he said.
5. Mat Went Viral On Multiple Occasions
I love ASU pic.twitter.com/0TVtrkMVoU
— rach (@notrachsak) April 5, 2017
Many fans and friends noted Mat’s sense of humor when speaking about the host. His hilarity was beloved by many, and it made him go viral on a number of occasions. Back when he was a student at ASU, he’d used vodka bottles to offer measurements for a microwave he was trying to sell in a Facebook group. More recently, he shook up debate when he jokingly shared a tweet of Nick Jonas and implied that the singer looked better with facial hair on July 15. “By the way if you are a man with a beard my dms are open,” he wrote in a thread. He also inspired discussion when he posted a silly picture of his mom posing with Snoop Dogg. “I’ve been in LA for a year and haven’t seen a single celebrity. My mom comes for a weekend and meets Snoop Dogg,” he wrote. The tweet caused arguments as to whether or not it was really the rapper. “Can everyone stop saying it’s not Snoop Dogg. My mom’s gonna be heartbroken the next time she logs onto Twitter,” he sarcastically responded.