The Controversial Matt Rife

Matt Rife is a stand-up comedian best known as one of the youngest cast members on Wild ‘N Out and making history as the youngest comedian featured on BET’s ComicView. Additionally, he is recognized for producing self-produced comedy specials.

Natural Selection has come under scrutiny for featuring misogynist and ableist humor, prompting questions regarding Netflix’s influence on comedy and culture.

He is a standup comedian

Rife first gained fame on TikTok through viral clips of his crowd work, where he interacted with audience members through extended improv exchanges. These segments quickly attracted an impressive following, including many straight women claiming they would swap husbands with Rife! His success caused it to be difficult taking him seriously as an entertainer.

Before TikTok, Rife struggled to gain a foothold as a standup comedian, shifting between MTV variety shows and guest roles on sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine. But thanks to social media buzz generated by his controversial remarks and large female fan base, Netflix eventually offered Rife his debut special: Natural Selection in 2023.

This special features an offensive extended riff about children with intellectual disabilities and an outright homophobic joke about masturbating in the shower; but, despite receiving mostly negative reviews, Rife remains among Netflix’s Top Ten of comedy specials despite receiving mostly poor ratings from reviewers. This raises an important question: If Netflix really is responsible for his success as a comedian?

He is an actor

He quickly gained recognition through guest spots on MTV shows and small roles in sitcoms. Additionally, he created his own YouTube channel and paranormal investigation show and even appeared in a B-movie slasher film.

Rife’s offensive humor has led to widespread cultural conversation about whether comedy should ever include offensive jokes that target vulnerable groups of people. He remains popular but remains firm in his views that these jokes should offend. Regardless, Rife has not apologized and defends his right to offend as part of comedy.

Comedian Kevin Hart was scheduled to perform at Chicago’s Dolby Theatre this week and Tennessee’s Ryman Auditorium in June; however, these dates have been postponed in an email sent out to ticket holders. Refunds will also be offered.

He is a TikTok star

Matt Rife has quickly made waves as a standup comic since becoming famous through a viral TikTok video series. His debut Netflix special Natural Selection was critically well-received; however, its opening joke about domestic violence may cause offense among some audiences and has since caused contention within its ranks.

Natural Selection has caused much contention with his controversial material and other criticisms directed towards him, including being accused of exploiting female audiences and being non-funny. He has responded to these accusations with both defensiveness and naivete.

As well as his standup specials, he has appeared on various comedy shows like Tana Mongeau’s podcast Cancelled and Stiff Socks. Additionally, he is currently creating a workplace comedy series for Netflix as well as performing two concerts scheduled at Chicago Theatre from Thursday through Sunday and Tennessee’s Ryman Auditorium respectively.

He is a controversial comedian

Matt Rife is an up-and-coming comedian whose talent has quickly propelled him from small venues to selling out large ones, earning him household recognition and garnering rave reviews on Netflix for his first special. But this success hasn’t come without its share of criticism; Matt’s progressive acts have caused much discussion from across political lines.

On November 15, Natural Selection by TikTok comedian Kevin Rife debuted in the top 10 and has stayed there for two weeks, but many have taken issue with his jokes, including ones with misogynist and ableist content. Rife admits later on in the special that his purpose for telling such jokes was simply “seeing if people found him entertaining”.

Before TikTok, Matt Rife struggled to establish himself as a comedy act. His audience consisted largely of female fans and his main source of humor was crowd interaction; an increasingly common trend within comedy. Unfortunately, many women found his special offensive and have voiced their displeasure on social media.