Canceled comedian Matt Rife books 2 Netflix specials after media fails to re-educate him over offensive jokes

Stand-up comedian and viral TikTok star Matt Rife has signed a Netflix deal for two specials, including a first-of-its-kind crowd-work special for the platform.

Rife has enjoyed incredible success through social media, particularly on his TikTok account that boasts over 18 million followers. This led to a November 2023 Netflix special called "Natural Selection," which Variety reported garnered over 10 million views in its first few weeks. The special reach the Netflix top 10 in 42 countries.

Netflix rewarded Rife with two specials, one of which will be the platform's first foray into crowd work, where the comedian interacts with audience members for the entirety of the show. Set to air in 2024, the first special will be filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and directed by fellow comic Erik Griffin.

Rife's special was not without controversy, however, with media outlets showcasing offense over a joke about a waitress with a black eye.

In response to the alleged outrage, Rife posted a response on his social media that was met with even more gasps.

In what Huffington Post called a "stale" apology, Rife posted an image from his stand-up special on his social media page with the caption "if you've ever been offended by a joke I've told- here's a link to my official apology."

The link read "tap to solve your issue."

Critics likely became more offended when they saw that the link sent them to a website selling "special needs helmets."

Outlets have consistently tried to find ways to tear Rife down since the comedian's career began reaching its tipping point.

Rolling Stone called his comedy "sanitized shock value," saying the comedian wanted audiences to think he was edgier than he actually is.

Viewers have also tried assigning racism to the comedian for past posts on X (then Twitter), where he made comments such as that if he had a superpower, "it'd be to jump high and run fast..... I'd be called 'Black Guy,'" he wrote.

Outlet The Things asked if Rife was "problematic" and if he had actually changed since his posts as a youth. This was coupled with complaints that he referred to gay people on Snapchat as "the only ones he will let cut his hair."

Just two weeks before the announcement of Rife's pair of specials dropped, Distractify declared that his career had "collapsed."

The cancellation attempts still haven't pumped their brakes. With Rife set to perform at Indiana University, some students took the chance to offer re-education to Rife, as many outlets have.

"If he’s willing to learn, then he should absolutely be welcome," said a representative of the school's Neurodiversity Coalition. "But if he’s not willing to learn from what he said, then he has no business being on a campus like Indiana University. We need to put our best foot forward and that starts by vetting who we invite onto our campus," the rep, Abe Shapiro, told the Indiana Daily Student.

As for his crowd-work special, the style has grown in popularity since comedian Andrew Schulz was one of the first — if not the first — to do it successfully in 2019. His special sits at nearly 7 million views on YouTube.

Rife's previous tour, the ProbleMATTic World Tour, sold out shows at the Dolby Theater four times, Radio City Music Hall six times, and the Mohegan Sun Arena five times.

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