Matt Rife used to love watching "That 70s Show" — now two of its stars are promoting
his comedy special! So how did it happen? Rife's transformation from small town kid
to TikTok sensation is almost unbelievable.
Matt Rife grew up in North Lewisburg, Ohio,
and has described his childhood as pretty happy. He told Columbus Underground:
"Everybody played outside, and [we lived in] an incredibly safe neighborhood. It
was a very carefree — irresponsible — but carefree place to grow up."
However, his early life was marked by tragedy. During a "Bertcast" interview, Rife told host
Bert Kreischer that he was just a year old when his dad died by suicide. His mom remarried
a man with three daughters from a previous relationship, and the couple had another daughter.
Rife told Hola Aloha Magazine that he and his stepfather were never close. However,
his grandfather, who was a World War II veteran and wickedly funny himself,
loved spending time with his grandson. Rife stayed at his grandfather's place on the weekends,
and during these visits, he got an early comedy education, as one of their favorite
activities to do together was watching funny movies. Rife recalled to Hola Aloha Magazine:
"He would have five or six new DVDs that he went to the store and picked out. And a lot
of them were comedies [...] Watching those films and being around him all the time,
helped me develop the sense of humor I have now."
Matt Rife was a seventh grader when he had his first experience doing comedy for
a live audience — and it came about rather accidentally. He recalled to 1883 Magazine:
"My friend Amanda, who sat next to me, asked for no reason, 'What do you wanna do when
you grow up?' I said, 'I think I want to be a comedian.' Instantly, without missing a beat,
my teacher comes in and is like, 'Hey, we're having a school talent show.'"
On "The Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Podcast," Rife admitted to using some jokes he'd found
on the internet when he decided to do a stand-up routine for the talent show,
but the experience made him even more eager to pursue his dream.
At age 15, Rife discovered open mic nights. Despite being underage, he contacted the Funny
Bone comedy club in Columbus to see if he could perform. To his surprise,
the owner was fine with it as long as a parent accompanied him. Before long,
he was doing stand-up there weekly. He said on "The Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Podcast":
"From there, I did my first-ever guest spot for D.L. Hughley."
Then, after getting into a funny Twitter exchange with Hughley, Rife caught the attention of Atlanta
comedy club owner Garrett Abdo. Abdo invited Rife to perform at his club, even though the
young comedian was still in high school.
Before Matt Rife headed to Atlanta to start
working at Garrett Abdo's club, he reached out to Ralphie May on Twitter to see if the comedian
would let him do a guest spot. On "Bertcast," Rife said that May initially agreed. But when
Rife started peppering him with questions, May thought he was still too green and backed out.
"And he was like, 'Hey man,
I think it's a bit too much. Maybe we try this again another time down the road.'"
Thankfully, Rife had his Atlanta gig to keep him busy. After Rife started performing at the club,
owner Garrett Abdo started managing him. Abdo told The New York Times,
"I Mr. Miyagi'd him."
"Wax on. Wax off."
Part of this "Karate Kid"-inspired comedy education was Abdo making
a lot of noise so Rife could become accustomed to rowdy comedy club crowds.
A year after Rife first reached out to May, the seasoned comedian gave him another shot. But when
Rife told May he was considering leaving Ohio for Los Angeles, May advised against it. Rife did it,
anyway, and May later invited him to tour with him. Rife said on "Bertcast,"
"Made just enough money to get my teeth done."
Rife then went on to describe his smile as "Ohio teeth" before he
got veneers from a Beverly Hills dentist.
On "The Chocolate Sundaes Comedy Podcast," Matt
Rife revealed that he graduated high school early so that he could move to Los Angeles at age 17.
While crashing on a pal's couch, he got some help from Ralphie May. Rife recalled on "Bertcast":
"He used to take me to restaurants for lunch and he'd make me order six meals. He was like,
'Eat one now, the rest you can take home with you.'"
It took just six months for Rife to get his big break when at 19, he became the youngest cast
member of the MTV sketch comedy show "Wild 'N Out." In a 2015 "This is 50" interview,
Rife revealed he was eating at Domino's in Atlanta when he learned that he'd got the gig, quipping,
"My life was at rock bottom."
Rife appeared on "Wild 'N Out" from 2015 to 2017, which led to other opportunities with MTV. In
2017, he competed on "The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars" and even co-hosted the "TRL" revival.
Matt Rife is no fan of the act of trying to cancel people when
they're trying to be funny. He said on the podcast "Cancelled with Tana Mongeau:
"People do deserve to face consequences for a lot of really s---ty actions,
but that all gets completely pushed to the wayside because somebody gets offended over a joke."
But in 2016, Rife himself was the subject of controversy when comedian
Brandon Wardell unearthed some of his tweets from 2011 and 2012. In the tweets, Rife used
homophobic slurs multiple times, as well as a racial slur. According to Complex,
the discovery of the old tweets made Rife's name Trend on Twitter for hours.
Rife wasn't exactly apologetic when he addressed the controversy in 2017. Instead of expressing
remorse over his actions, he complained about Wardell's behavior, telling Very Good Light,
"I was offended that this person was in the same
industry and community as I am and lives locally around me."
He also defended himself against the accusations that he was racist, arguing that he had a roommate
who was Black and had worked with Black people. As for being homophobic, Rife told the outlet,
"At 15 I maybe was. I lived in a small town of
4,000 people. Now, living in L.A., some of my best friends are gay."
In a January 2017 interview with Naluda Magazine, Matt Rife confessed to having a crush on actress
Kate Beckinsale and expressed his desire to marry her someday. Five months later,
ET published a photo of Rife passionately kissing Beckinsale. The outlet also shared
details from a source who claimed that the pair were officially a couple. The insider told ET:
"Everyone in Kate's circle loves Matt and are so supportive of this
relationship. He really is the sweetest guy and makes her so
happy! Her entire family thinks he is the nicest and most lovely person."
Beckinsale's family includes her daughter, Lily Sheen,
who is just three years younger than Rife. Another source told People that
Beckinsale didn't care about her and Rife's 22-year age difference, saying,
"She refers to him as an old soul."
But soon after they were spotted together, Rife cracked an age-related
joke in a since-deleted Instagram post. He wrote in the caption:
"Age is just a number. Find someone you love,
and take their breath away ... even if that means putting a kink in their oxygen tank cord."
By August 2017, Us Weekly was reporting that the couple had called it quits, citing an insider who
said that Beckinsale was preoccupied with her career. However, she and Rife were photographed
attending one of comedian Dave Chappelle's Los Angeles comedy shows in September 2018.
Matt Rife found a means to introduce himself to a new audience in 2019 when he appeared
on NBC's comedy competition "Bring the Funny." The show also presented him with
a challenge. He had to substantially edit his material for the time allotted and dial
down the raunchiness to make it palatable for a primetime audience. Rife told Columbus Monthly:
"That, at least to me, makes some of my material less funny. So I'm
really competitive with the B version of my materials."
He also deployed another tactic that had nothing to do with his comedic skills. The panel of
judges consisted of comedian Jeff Foxworthy, "Saturday Night Live" star Kenan Thompson,
and model Chrissy Teigen. While Rife told Civilian magazine that Foxworthy was the
judge he was most concerned about leaving a good impression on, he chose to flirt with Teigen.
While talking to Tiegen on the show, Rife joked that he wouldn't call her after spending the
night because he'd be too engrossed with planning their wedding the next day. He
also filmed a sketch with Teigen in which she shut him down. Teigen joked in the sketch:
"Matt, this has to stop."
"The talking, the concentrating on me, the flirting. It's too much."
It also didn't take Rife all the way to the top, as he didn't make the finals.
In a since-deleted tweet, he revealed that he learned the sad news on his birthday.
The year 2019 was big for Matt Rife's comedy career. In addition to appearing on "Bring the
Funny," he got to tour with one of his comedy idols, Dane Cook. Rife told Civilian Magazine:
"Within 9 years, the same person who I saw performing,
as well as tens of thousands of people, is now a very good friend of mine."
Rife was also about to pivot towards acting at the time, so he was happy he could talk to
Cook about it and get some advice. After all, Cook has had some success doing this, with his
acting credits including "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Good Luck Chuck." Rife told Crookes Magazine:
"I prefer and am more focused on acting. It's my primary passion and talent and I love it
so much. I'm really working towards building a solid future and career based in that world."
"I want to, want to get more into acting. I want to potentially direct some day,
get into producing and development."
Rife was starting to pop up more on television in 2019, guest-starring on "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and
appearing in the Lifetime movie "Stalked by My Doctor: A Sleepwalker's Nightmare." On the "No
Chaser" podcast, he said he was thrilled to work with prolific actor Eric Roberts on the movie.
However, Rife also got some negative press that year when TMZ asked him about
ex Kate Beckinsale's new relationship with Pete Davidson. He described his
own relationship with Beckinsale as "complicated" and advised Davidson,
"Run. ... Enjoy it while you can."
In 2020, Matt Rife started sporadically sharing videos on TikTok, something that
was once against his principles. He had previously told 1883 Magazine:
"I have a strong dislike for social media. I think it's horrible and it's
one of the worst things to happen to humanity. [...] I always said
I'd never have a TikTok because I thought it [was] so stupid."
But he eventually began viewing it as a useful promotional tool,
explaining to Elite Daily that his crowd work allows him to share unique content
with his fans on social media without giving away his written material.
However, it took two years for Rife to go viral. He told The New York Times that the
video that made him a TikTok star was one he described as "The Lazy Hero." In it,
he roasted an audience member who complained about her ex. In the clip,
the woman tells Rife that her ex "worked in the ER," causing Rife to quip:
"So, you broke up with a hero?"
The clip quickly amassed tens of millions of views, and as of August 2023, Rife now has over
16 million followers. Unfortunately, there is one big downside to Rife's TikTok success. He
told Elite Daily that more of his audience members have started shouting at him in the middle of his
sets because they want their interactions with him to wind up on his popular TikTok account.
In 2021, Matt Rife tweeted that he had launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his first
comedy special. He explained to The New York Times that he decided to name the special "Only Fans"
because his admirers had made "Matt Rife Only Fans" a popular search term. Rife told CinemaBlend
that his goal was at least $10,000, but he received over $17,000 from his generous fans.
OnlyFans presumably could have pursued legal action against Rife,
and while chatting with Kaitlyn Bristowe on her "Off the Vine" podcast,
he revealed that he did receive a communication from the website.
"I thought for sure it was gonna be like a cease and desist."
But it was actually a lovely message praising the comedian and expressing
an interest in working with him. Rife agreed to create an OnlyFans account,
where he posted a few shirtless pics. During his "Only Fans" special,
Rife made a claim that has become a big part of the internet lore surrounding him, saying,
"Puberty hit me so disrespectfully late."
"I was so ugly for so long."
Numerous fans have since scrolled to the beginning of his Instagram account in 2012
and assured him that he was wrong about his appearance in the comments sections.
On Valentine's Day in 2023, Matt Rife released his second comedy special "Matthew Steven Rife"
on the Moment.co website. He told Hola Aloha Magazine that he was planning on flying his
grandfather to Austin for the taping of the special, where he would get to listen to Rife's
material about him. But sadly, his grandfather died before the show. Rife told the outlet:
"When he passed away, I was in such a low place that I almost
thought about not doing the special at all."
Instead, he decided to shift the focus of the material to be more
about his relationship with the grandparent who had meant
so much to him. Its title was also a tribute. He told Hola Aloha Magazine:
"His name was Steven and my middle name is Steven.
I was named after him, so it felt like the appropriate title for a special."
But for fans, one of the most memorable moments of the special was when Rife began removing his belt
with one hand. He did this after warning women in the audience that their male besties want to
be more than friends. As Rife removed his belt, the crowd started roaring with approval. After
the special aired, fans started spreading clips of the belt trick on the internet,
which surprised Rife. He said on the "Cancelled with Tana Mongeau" podcast:
"I didn't even know that was a seductive thing to do. [...] It doesn't look sexy to me."
Matt Rife's success opened up some incredible opportunities for him to work with people he
admires. For instance, he got to perform at one of Dave Chappelle's comedy shows
and hang out with him. Rife told The New York Times in July 2023,
"We just smoked and talked for, like, four hours, and he gave me 30 years' worth of advice."
Some of the advice he could have used at the time was anything pertaining to launching a global
tour. Rife was gearing up for his "ProbleMATTic World Tour," and he'd already received a little
help from some other famous faces. By then, Rife had signed with CAA, which also represents
Mila Kunis. This is how he learned that she's a member of his fan club. Rife said on "Access":
"I lost it. I was like, 'I can't believe she even knows who I am.'"
He also learned that Kunis' husband, Ashton Kutcher, likes his comedy. The couple even
agreed to appear in a promotional video for the tour. This was a huge deal for Rife,
who described the couple's series "That '70s Show" as his "comfort show."
In the promo, Kutcher plays a genie who refuses to grant Rife's wish for a date with Kunis. Kunis is
then briefly conjured up before Kutcher makes her vanish. Kutcher tells Rife in the video:
"And I'm pretty sure she's not into problematic f---boys."
But the comedian's fans are very into him, as Rife's tour sold 600,000
tickets worldwide in just 48 hours.
With great celebrity comes great interest in
your dating life. If a July 2023 Page Six story is to be believed, Matt Rife had a relationship
with Lucy Hale that no one caught wind of until after he and the "Pretty Little Liars"
star broke up. Afterward, he reportedly started dating "Find Me in Paris" star Jessica Lord.
Many of Rife's jokes are about dating and relationships, but it seems that he's decided
to start keeping his love life more private since he told TMZ that he would never date Kate
Beckinsale again. He has, however, told Esquire that he dislikes dating. Rife said to the outlet:
"I do want a wife and a family and a prominent home life that
makes me feel comfortable, safe, and is my peace."
However, he also added that his hectic schedule makes this dream difficult to achieve. Of course,
there's no shortage of fans who want to date Rife, with the comedian telling E!
News that he receives scores of DMs from young women. However, he also added:
"It's a mixture of like, girls shooting their shot and missing wide left."
His fans also freaked out after comedian Whitney Cummings got pregnant and jokingly tweeted
about Rife being the father of her child. In response to Cummings' tweet, Rife told E! News:
"My DMs have just been flooded with just like, 'Why not me!'"
As for what he looks for in a woman,
he probably disappointed more than a few fans when he said on the "Stiff Socks" podcast,
"Blonde and curvy, probably. I love fake t--s, for sure."