Guy Montgomery: Partner, Spelling Bee, Comedy Career & More

If you’ve seen Guy Montgomery pop up on a panel show or caught a clip of his Spelling Bee antics, you might have wondered about the man behind the microphone. He’s a New Zealand comedian who turned a web series into a hit TV show, became a dad, and even won a Logie along the way. This article traces his path from Auckland comedy clubs to international stages, with a close look at his relationship, his latest projects, and the show that made him a household name.

Birth date: 29 September 1988 ·
Age: 36 ·
Nationality: New Zealand ·
Occupation: Comedian ·
Known for: Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont-Spelling Bee

Six key facts, one pattern: Montgomery’s professional and personal milestones are tightly intertwined with his creative output and his partnership with fellow performer Chelsie Preston Crayford.

Who is Guy Montgomery’s partner?

Chelsie Preston Crayford biography

• Chelsie Preston Crayford is a New Zealand actress, best known for her Logie-winning role as Tilly Devine in Underbelly: Razor (New Idea (celebrity magazine)).
• She and Montgomery met at an improv show called Snort at the Basement Theatre in Auckland, according to Now To Love NZ (celebrity news outlet).

Relationship timeline

• Montgomery and Preston Crayford got engaged in November 2023 (New Idea (celebrity magazine)).
• The couple have a child together, born in September 2025 (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)). Preston Crayford already had a daughter named Olive from a previous relationship (Now To Love NZ (celebrity news outlet)).
• Whether the couple are officially married has not been publicly confirmed.

The implication: his private life remains a protected space in an otherwise highly visible career.

What is Guy Montgomery doing now?

Current comedy tours

• Montgomery is touring Australia and London in 2026 with Spelling Bee Live, a stage version of his TV show (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
• He recorded a stand-up special titled 50,000,000 Guy Fans Can’t Be Wrong in 2025 (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).

Spelling Bee live shows

• The live format brings the panel show’s word-play and improvisation to theatre audiences, with Montgomery as the host and ringmaster.
• Jubilee Street Management, which represents Montgomery, describes him as “a master of multi-tasking comedy” (Jubilee Street Management (talent agency)).

Podcast projects

• Montgomery co-hosts a podcast with comedian Rose Matafeo, which began in 2020 (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)). The show is released regularly.

The strategy: leveraging a proven format to build audience reach across two markets.

Can Guy Montgomery speak French?

French accent demonstration on TikTok

• Montgomery posted a TikTok video in which he attempts a French accent, prompting questions about his language skills.
• The video went viral, but no interview or verified source confirms that he speaks French fluently.

Language skills overview

• Claims about Montgomery speaking multiple languages are anecdotal, according to Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia), which lists no confirmed languages beyond English.
• His ability to mimic accents is well documented from his improv and character work, but that does not equal fluency.

“Professional in tone and content.”

— Guy Montgomery, describing his own Spelling Bee show on social media

What TV shows and movies has Guy Montgomery appeared in?

Taskmaster appearances

• Montgomery appeared on Taskmaster in 2022, a popular panel show that tests contestants’ creativity and problem-solving (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).

Guest roles and specials

• He has been a regular guest on 7 Days, Best Bits, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and Thank God You’re Here (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
• He won the Billy T Award in 2014 and the Fred Award in 2023 for his shows Presents a Succinct and Concise Summary of How He Feels About Certain Things and My Brain is Blowing Me Crazy, respectively (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).

What this means: his panel-show reliability built the credibility needed for his own franchise.

What is the Guy Mont-Spelling Bee?

Format and rules

• The show is a panel game where contestants spell words under whimsical constraints, interspersed with Montgomery’s deadpan banter. It began as a web series before being picked up by television (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).
• A higher-budget Australian version later aired on the ABC (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).

Notable winners and episodes

• Montgomery won the Australian Silver Logie Award for Most Popular New Talent in 2025 for his work on the ABC version, as well as the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent (Wikipedia (community-edited encyclopedia)).

“Guy Montgomery is a master of multi-tasking comedy – he writes, performs, produces, and hosts all at once.”

— Jubilee Street Management (talent agency)

The pattern: each milestone builds on the previous, with TV success enabling live touring.

For the Australian and New Zealand comedy scenes, the pattern is clear: Montgomery has moved from a reliable support act to a headliner with a franchise property. The risk is that the Spelling Bee brand could become his sole identity – but his regular podcast output and live tours suggest he’s deliberately maintaining multiple lanes.

Frequently Asked Questions

For New Zealand audiences, the takeaway is that Montgomery has built a sustainable career by leaning into his unique niche – wordplay, deadpan delivery, and a willingness to be vulnerable about family life. The implication for Australian viewers: his cross-Tasman appeal is now cemented, and the Spelling Bee format is likely to keep growing.