Mat George, popular podcast host, killed in hit-and-run in L.A.

With an infectious personality and comical takes on dating, Mat George quickly created a large community as co-host of the popular two-year-old dating and relationship podcast “She Rates Dogs.”

George, 26, died early Saturday when a driver struck him as he walked in an unmarked crosswalk in Beverly Grove in what police described as a hit-and-run collision.

A white BMW was traveling east on Beverly Boulevard as George was crossing Croft Avenue at 2:20 a.m., the Los Angeles Police Department said. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics provided medical treatment, but George was pronounced dead at the scene.

“She Rates Dogs” co-host Michaela Okland announced George’s death on Twitter.

“I would rather you guys [hear] this from me than a news article. Mat was killed in a hit and run last night,” Okland tweeted. “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 said George loved helping people, especially those in the LGBTQ community because he came out “pretty late” in life.

“It was so important to him to make people feel accepted and heard in a way he knew his younger self had longed for,” she said.

The 26-year-old man originally from Kansas City was familiar with the loneliness of not having anyone to turn to.

“Growing up and being in the closet, I never knew anyone or heard about anyone who had similar experiences and fears that I had,” George said in an interview last year with Shoutout Arizona.

According to his LinkedIn account, George earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Arizona State University. He told Shoutout Arizona he moved to Los Angeles during the pandemic.

After news of his death, friends, fans and fellow comedians shared their shock and memories across social media.

Friend and comedian Abby Govindan wrote on social media that George “was the funniest person I know hands down, funnier than most career comedians. I told him that every time we talked. His career barely got started and I was so excited to watch him succeed. I’m at a loss for words. Rest In Peace.”

Kathrine Kuhlmann described her friend as “an absolutely remarkable person.”

“Everyone who knew him, interacted with him, or listened to him knew there was something incredible about him and the way he made people laugh and feel seen, heard, and loved,” she wrote in her Instagram story.

A new episode of “She Rates Dogs” was scheduled to be released Tuesday, but Okland said on the podcast’s Twitter account that “it will likely be put on hold.”

“I know in years to come I’ll feel so lucky that there’s so many recordings of Mat’s laugh to revisit,” she said.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run can contact police detectives at (213) 473-0222, or make an anonymous report to the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or www.lacrimestoppers.org. The city of Los Angeles is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, apprehension or conviction of an offender.

City News Service contributed to this report.