Fans know Matty Matheson as the lovable, tattooed chef-turned-actor who stole scenes in FX’s hit series The Bear. But this week, the internet exploded when the Canadian multihyphenate unleashed a wild new side hustle: fronting a hardcore punk band called Pig Pen. And trust us, you’ve never seen Chef Carmy’s fixer like this before.
The chaos erupted late Tuesday when Matheson debuted Pig Pen with a sweaty, unannounced gig at a dive bar in Toronto. Clips instantly went viral, showing the 42-year-old screaming into a mic, shirtless and covered in fake blood, while the crowd moshed to tracks like “Knife Fight in the Walk-In” and “Hollandaise Hell.” Fans in the comments lost it: “Is this the same guy who fixed microwaves on TV?!” one user gasped.
Matheson, who’s also a real-life restaurateur and former punk scene kid, told fans Pig Pen is a “midlife crisis turned up to 11.” The band’s sound? Think “if The Misfits ran a food truck that only served ghost pepper wings.” Their first single drops next week, but insiders say live shows are already selling out—including a rumored Bear cast afterparty set in Chicago.
Co-star Ayo Edebiri reportedly joked, “Matty’s the reason our set first aid kit has earplugs now.” Even The Bear creator Christopher Storer gave a nod, tweeting: “Carmy would 100% rage to this.”
But why a punk band? Matheson smirked in a recent interview: “Cooking, acting, screaming… it’s all about leaving everything on the table. Also, I owe my therapist new material.”
Pig Pen’s Instagram already has 200k followers, with fans begging for a collab with The Bear’s soundtrack (which features real punk legends like Fugazi). One thing’s clear: Matty Matheson isn’t just serving drama on-screen anymore.
Want more? Tap below for wild concert footage and the story behind Matheson’s shockingly metal past.