Matt Gutman bio: spouse, father, ethnicity, family, languages, what happened
Matt Gutman is a prominent television reporter. He serves as ABC News' Chief National Correspondent and appears on several ABC programs. He is also known as the host of Sea Rescue, a top wildlife show. Matt Gutman's bio explores insights into his life, career, and success stories.

Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- As a television reporter, Matt Gutman has traveled widely and met many people.
- He has shared compelling stories and exposed societal problems.
- Despite facing arrest, deportation, and suspension, his dedication to the truth drives him.
- Gutman kicked off his career as a freelance reporter in Argentina in late 2000.
- His first published article was for the now-defunct English-language Buenos Aires daily.
Matt Gutman's profile summary
Full name | Matthew A. Gutman |
Gender | Male |
Date of birth | December 5th, 1977 |
Age | 43 years |
Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
Place of birth | Westfield, New Jersey, United States |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | White |
Profession | Journalist, news reporter, television host |
Years active | 2000 -present |
Education | Williams College |
Height | 5 feet 7 inches (173 cm) |
Hair colour | Black |
Eye colour | Brown |
Sexual orientation | Straight |
Marital status | Married |
@mattgutmanabc | |
X (Twitter) | @mattgutmanABC |
@matt.gutman |
Matt Gutman's bio
The TV journalist was born on December 5th, 1977, in Westfield, New Jersey, in the United States, to white American parents. Matt Gutman's age is 47 years as of 2025.
His parents are Paul J. Gutman and Sharon Gutman. Matt Gutman's father died in a small plane crash in Georgia when the journalist was 12 years old.
Gutman was raised alongside his sister Rachel in New Jersey. He attended Newark Academy, where he was honoured as a scholar-athlete football player. The journalist later joined William College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2000.

Source: Original
Profession
Gutman kicked off his career as a freelance reporter in Argentina in late 2000. His first published article was for the now-defunct English-language Buenos Aires daily. Later on, he worked for the Jerusalem Post, based in Israel. He worked there from 2001 to 2005.
In 2008, he joined ABC News as a reporter. He became famous in 2014 after he began hosting the ABC Wildlife program called Sea Rescue. The program won the 2016 Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Series. He was a regular host for the program until its end in 2018.
At ABC News, he has been a regular on World News Tonight, 20/20, Good Morning America, and Nightline.
Matt is also an author. He has written a book titled The Boys in the Cave: Deep Inside the Impossible Rescue in Thailand. The book is about the international rescue of the soccer team from a cave in Thailand in July 2018.
Gutman lived in the Middle East for nearly eight years. This explains why Matt Gutman speaks Arabic. He covered most major conflicts, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon.
Matt Gutman's arrest in Venezuela
His journalism career has not been a walk in the park. In 2016, he was arrested by police and intelligence while reporting on Venezuela's collapsing health care system. He was transferred to the government agency's headquarters in Valencia, together with two physicians who were helping him.
The police later released Matt and the two physicians, and he was deported back to the United States. He was accused of compromising the security of the nation and disturbing the public order.
What happened to Matt Gutman?
In February 2021, Matt was suspended for violating a company policy on COVID-19 safety. He walked into a hospital to do a story without getting permission from management beforehand. The suspension was the second in less than a year.
In 2020, he was suspended for wrongly reporting the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. During his live report, while details about the crash were still scarce and amid a lot of misinformation on social media, Gutman did the unthinkable.
He erroneously said that all four of Bryant’s daughters had been on board, insinuating that all had perished in the crush. Even though he apologised and acknowledged the mistake, he was suspended for it. However, he reported back to work on October 23rd, 2020
Who is Matt Gutman's wife?
The journalist is married to Daphna Venyige. They tied the knot on May 17th, 2007, in front of family and friends. Daphna and Matt worked for the ABC News network but in different departments.
Who are Matt Gutman's children?
Matt Gutman's family is blessed with two children. They welcomed their first child, a daughter named Libby, in 2008. Six years later, the couple welcomed their second child, a son called Ben.
The reporter loves his wife and kids, as he regularly takes to social media to share pictures of them having a good time.
How many languages does Matt Gutman speak?
As an award-winning television reporter, Matt has travelled to various places telling stories. He has interacted with people from different backgrounds. Apart from English, he revealed in a tweet in 2018 that he speaks a little Arabic.
His book The Boys in the Cave: Deep Inside the Impossible Rescue in Thailand was published in 2018. It has been translated into six languages.
Does Matt Gutman suffer from anxiety?
Yes, the ABC News correspondent has spoken publicly about his struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. He has written a book titled No Time to Panic detailing his experiences and the methods he used to manage his anxiety, including pharmaceuticals, therapy, and psychedelics.
Matt recounted the struggles he has had with the condition to ABC News’ Linsey Davis:
The first time I experienced panic... that full-on underwear wedding I'm molting into a werewolf experience... was in college. I was defending my thesis. And I got up to the podium and it felt like the floor had fallen out. I was gripping the podium with this [night]... white knuckled grip... and I couldn't see, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't do anything.
But it took 15 years for me to actually recognize that... that suite of symptoms that I had experienced was actually a panic attack.
Quick facts about Matt Gutman
- What is Matt Gutman's nationality? He was born in Westfield, New Jersey, United States. Therefore, he is an American citizen by birth.
- What is Matt Gutman's ethnicity? He is Jewish since both of his parents are of Jewish descent.
- Is Matt Gutman still married? The journalist is still married to the love of his life, Daphna Venyige. They have been married since May 17th, 2007.
- Where did Matt Gutman go to college? He attended William College and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2000.
- Where is Matt Gutman today? He still works at ABC News network as the Chief National Correspondent based in Los Angeles.
Matt Gutman is an inspiration to many young people around the world with dreams of becoming journalists. His courage and appetite for the truth are out of this world. Matt Gutman's bio has shown that he is a determined and hardworking television reporter.
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