The Inspiring Backstory of Matt Iseman, Host of American Ninja Warrior

“I’ve had to be my own best champion in my career and the same with my health.”

By Kimberly Davidow

I had the pleasure to interview Matt Iseman, host of American Ninja Warrior. Matt lives with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) — a chronic autoimmune disease affecting 1.4 million Americans. Matt is helping Joint Decisions kick off a national contest encouraging other patients to post photos of themselves with a cardboard cutout of Matt for a chance to win a meet and greet with him later this year. Matt will be streaming live from his social media channels and the Joint Decisions Facebook page on October 4 to kick off the campaign, Matt Across America. Cardboard cutouts of Matt Iseman will then visit participating physician offices across the country from October 4 — mid-December. To join the campaign, patients take a photo with “Matt” at physician infusion (IV) centers, and post the photos to social media using a campaign hashtag, #MattMeAndIV. Patients can also enter by downloading and printing an image of one of the cardboard “Matts” from the Joint Decisions Facebook page. At the end of the campaign, one random photo will be selected as the winner who will receive a meet and greet with the “real” Matt.