Matt Rife, a stand-up comedian from Ohio, has become an internet sensation thanks to his viral comedy clips that have gone viral online. His clips have gained him fans from all over the country and even made appearances on NBC’s Bring the Funny comedy competition series.
Rife began his comedy career early, garnering many female supporters; however, he has recently come under scrutiny for opening his latest special with an offensive joke regarding domestic violence.
He is a stand-up comedian
Matt Rife has been entertaining audiences for more than a decade as a comedian. Beginning at 15, his journey has taken him all around the world to perform with some of the top stand-up comics in the industry, and on television.
Rife recently received criticism for an offensive and indefensible joke he told during his Netflix special Natural Selection about domestic violence, yet blamed his critics for missing its context and intent.
Rife’s comedy has previously drawn sharp criticism. His comments included an offensive joke about women with large clitorises and one regarding an ER worker partner being broken up with. Rife defended his right to offend in comedy shows and even claimed cancel culture was “absolutely bogus,” though critics were unconvinced of this claim.
He is a TikTok star
Matt Rife became an overnight sensation on TikTok with the success of his debut stand-up special. A good-looking guy with razor-sharp wit, his gorgeous locks could rival any Faberge egg’s centerpiece – no surprise then that many straight women find him attractive enough to attend his shows and try flirting with during crowd work; one woman even donned a shirt reading: ‘Would trade husband for Matt Rife.”
Rife’s popularity has not come without controversy. Last month, he made headlines when opening his Netflix comedy special Natural Selection with an offensive domestic violence joke.
Rife responded to criticism with an explanation: everyone has the right to express their opinion freely. He didn’t defend his decision to tell a 6-year-old that Santa isn’t real, which resulted in massive backlash across social media users. When challenged on it by people upset with his joke, Rife issued a link leading directly to a page selling helmets for children with special needs and offering an apology, rather than offering an actual solution for his offenses.
He is a writer
Matt Rife is an award-winning writer and standup comedian best known for his guest appearances on Wild ‘N Out and as Brandon Bliss on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. A frequent performer at the World Famous Laugh Factory, Rife released his inaugural standup special Natural Selection in November 2023.
Matt Rife’s Netflix special has raised questions about how offensive comedy can be. Although Rife is no stranger to controversy, his special has provoked outrage among women for its regressive humor, prompting conversations on whether comedy targeting vulnerable groups can still be entertaining.
Rife recently made comments that stood up to scrutiny in an interview with Variety. He maintained his views that comedians should feel free to offend when making jokes, a point which was later reiterated in court proceedings against comedians who apologize for their jokes and deny they have an offensive nature. Rife noted however, there should be limits placed upon offensive humor within comedy shows, noting there must be boundaries that should not be crossed.
He is a producer
Matt Rife, 28, hails from Ohio and rose to fame on TikTok through viral comedy clips he uploaded. Currently on his ProbleMATTic World Tour and appearing on shows such as Wild ‘N Out and Bring the Funny, Rife has also won numerous awards and been recognized in awards shows such as Comedy Central’s Comedy Uproar Awards and TV Guide Awards.
His YouTube special, Only Fans, has amassed 13.8 million views to date and has gained the unflinching admiration of its viewers. Renowned for being unafraid to offend audiences, in an interview he declared that nothing off-limits when it comes to comedy.
Rife’s most memorable TikTok moments involve engaging with women in his audience, particularly straight women. His natural beauty made him appealing to this demographic and catapulted him to stardom; this is also what attracted such a wide fan base from female fans. Unfortunately, Rife was made a target by critics due to his Netflix special which focused on appealing specifically to female viewers; many jokes within it were offensive to many viewers; since then he issued an Instagram apology in response to any outrage caused by critics by creating another special that focused around pandering women; this special was met with backlash; Rife issued an Instagram apology in response.