Matt Rife’s Natural Selection Is His First Special For a Mainstream Platform
This 28-year-old comedian is best known for his live performances that have gone viral on TikTok. Natural Selection marks his debut special for mainstream platforms; filled with uninspiring dick jokes and an outright hostile attitude toward his audience, it features self-justifying defensive posture.
His latest special has come under fire for its misogynist jokes, such as an anecdote about seeing a restaurant hostess with a black eye. These insults target vulnerable groups, provoking an online backlash and sparking debate online.
Matt Rife is a stand-up comedian
Matt Rife has become one of the hottest young comedians on the scene since starting his career at age 15. Since then he has opened for legendary comedy acts such as DL Hughley, Ralphie May, Mike Epps, and DeRay Davis as an opening act. Additionally he became one of the youngest regulars at Hollywood’s legendary Laugh Factory while touring nationally.
Rife’s popularity has skyrocketed since he started uploading clips of his standup routines onto TikTok, most notably his crowd work that involves long improv exchanges with audience members.
Rife has appeared on multiple MTV shows, such as Wild N Out and Brooklyn Nine-Nine; his new Netflix special Natural Selection poses questions regarding whether comedy that targets vulnerable groups can still be considered funny; Mizejewski stated that calling for a boycott against Rife’s comedy would only serve to alienate its target.
He is a host on MTV’s Wild N Out
Rife’s rise to mainstream fame was propelled largely by viral comedy clips on TikTok, where his engaging stage presence attracted predominantly female viewers. Due to this large following on TikTok he gained entry onto Barstool’s BFFs podcast and even advanced into semi-finals of NBC’s Bring the Funny competitions.
Netflix also provided him with the platform for him to release his debut stand-up special, Natural Selection, which caused some outrage when it started off with an offensive joke.
Mizejewski believes such responses to be counterproductive; rather, he emphasizes the need for comedians to value their audiences and understand the significance of their work.
He is a writer for Comedy Central
Rife’s rise to fame was propelled largely by TikTok, where his crowd work videos quickly went viral. His tongue-in-cheek relationship advice resonated particularly strongly with female viewers. Following this success he went on to release specials on Moment and Netflix called Natural Selection respectively in 2023 and November.
Mizejewski’s new special is comprised of jokes that mock domestic violence and other vulnerable populations. While humorous at times, these gags often cross into being offensive and even immoral. According to Mizejewski – who holds a degree in strategic communication from four-year university – comedians must always consider how their audience perceives them before performing comedy acts.
IU Auditorium’s performance by Rife had originally been scheduled for May 29, but has been moved back to July 27 with no refund policy being in place for tickets purchased prior to cancellation. Rife is an immensely popular sketch comedy performer who has appeared on various MTV series as well as sitcoms such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Fresh Off the Boat; his YouTube channel boasts nearly one million subscribers; plus, he has been touring internationally.
He is a YouTube star
Matt Rife is a YouTube personality who first rose to fame through clips from his stand-up gigs that went viral on TikTok and Instagram, before also making appearances on MTV’s Wild ‘N Out seasons 7-9 as a regular cast member. Rife currently embarks on his ProbleMATTic World Tour, with dates in Louisville and Knoxville planned soon; additionally he will perform at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium from June 6-9th as part of this run of shows.
Rife made several jokes that were perceived by many in his audience to be misogynistic, including making light-hearted reference to domestic violence victims during his Netflix special Natural Selection. After receiving backlash from female fans on social media, Rife issued a mock apology in order to appease them.
Rife hails from Ohio and was introduced to comedy through his family of comedians as early as age 15. At 15, Rife began performing stand-up alongside iconic comics like Dane Cook, Ralphie May, Finesse Mitchell Mike Epps Deray Davis and Erik Griffin on stage.