![Matthew Smith](https://images.foxtv.com/static.q13fox.com/www.q13fox.com/content/uploads/2022/01/180/180/matt_smith.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Matthew Smith
Matthew Smith co-anchors FOX 13 News weeknights at 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. alongside Hana Kim. He also co-anchors FOX 13 News at 9 p.m. weeknights on FOX 13+ with Sabirah Rayford, and is a reporter on the FOX 13 Seattle Investigates team. Matthew is a veteran anchor and reporter who joined FOX 13 Seattle in late 2021.
Born in Michigan, Matt caught the journalism bug at a young age – he was interning at a TV station by 17-years-old and filed his first on-air report at the age of 18.
He proceeded to move around the country with stops in West Virginia, Texas, Nebraska and Michigan before finding his way to Seattle with his wife.
While Matt grew up in Michigan, he likes to call Washington his "chosen" home. Matt got married to his wife Jen in 2020 in Anacortes. Since then the family has grown with the addition of a foster son. The three live with two cats, Moo and Paws, who are always visible on Matt’s social media.
If he is not at work, you can find Matt with his family exploring Washington. Matt and his wife have fallen in love with the Cascades – they enjoy hiking and kayaking, while their son seems to want to be outdoors 24/7.
Matt also loves books, movies and craft beer – though, he gives many of his hobbies up while training for a marathon. He has run several to date and is always trying to improve his time. Matt has also competed in a number of eating competitions – once dubbed the burrito king of West Virginia; he insists that he has hung up his competitive eating bib.
At work, Matt has earned numerous awards for his work on-camera and behind it. He was awarded back-to-back Emmys as Michigan’s top reporter, and a third for his work on the anchor desk as the first COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the state of Washington.
A self-professed nerd, Matt loves talking about climate and the environment. In 2021, he was named a Metcalf Fellow through the University of Rhode Island. His work has focused on the Flint water crisis, the increase in PFAS/PFOA contaminations, air quality concerns in Washington and salmon recovery.
Matt has appeared on national news programs to report on hurricanes and wildfires but says his favorite stories are the ones he finds in his own community.
Feel free to reach out to Matt via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter -- or the grocery store, Matt is always looking to connect with viewers!
The latest from Matthew Smith
WA state agency under fire over juvenile justice crisis
The head of Washington's juvenile detention agency is facing growing calls to resign, including from state legislators, union staff, advisory boards and now, the families of residents inside the facility.
WA union leaders call on Gov. Inslee to fire embattled DCYF leader
Governor Inslee is facing a growing call for him to fire Secretary Ross Hunter, his handpicked leader of Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Exclusive: WA DCYF head responds to calls to step down after Green Hill School failures
DCYF is facing an undeniable truth: the state agency tasked with running Washington’s juvenile detention facilities has unwittingly engineered its own downfall.
WA youth detention worker caught on recording talking about oral sex with inmate
Employees hired by the state to work with juvenile inmates behind bars are now finding themselves on the other side of the law.
Orca nearly struck by boat, Puget Sound boater fined
A Bellingham boater was caught on camera driving through a pod of killer whales, and nearly striking an orca within moments of it leaping out of the water.
DCYF loses court battle amid crisis, residents return to local facility
After a judge’s ruling, DCYF had no choice but to return dozens of young adults to it’s juvenile detention center in Chehalis.
WA youth detention worker arrested for inappropriate relationship with former resident
A youth detention employee was arrested this week for having what the Department of Children, Youth and Families referred to as an “inappropriate relationship” with a former resident.
Judge orders DCYF to return WA inmates to juvenile facilities within 14 days
A judge has issued a preliminary ruling that requires the state to move 43 inmates back to juvenile detention facilities within 14 calendar days.
WA juvenile detention crisis forces inmates into adult prisons: ‘I feel betrayed’
Four weeks ago, Caya Lenay was being celebrated by DCYF for earning a degree while behind bars. Now, he’s in an adult prison along with 10 classmates, due to a lack of space in juvenile detention.
Amid juvenile detention crisis, Washington moves 43 young prisoners to adult prisons
In an attempt to stem it’s youth detention facility crisis, Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) announced Friday they’ve moved 43 young people into adult prisons.