Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Cinemablend
'F--k The Haters:' Matt Rife Gets Real About People Who Dislike Him And What It's Actually Like To Be Heckled At Shows
By Nick Venable,
1 day ago
Comedian Matt Rife went from being a “I’ve seen that guy” TV personality to streaming stand-up royalty in recent years, thanks in part to his massive TikTok popularity and his reputation as a politically incorrect comic. (Not to mention for being Kate Beckinsale’s smack-talking younger paramour for a bit.) His latest streaming release, Matt Rife: Lucid - A Crowd Work Special , is already wildly popular for fans with Netflix subscriptions , but he’s aware of those who are most critical of his past efforts, and has at least two words to say to them.
Speaking with THR about his biggest critics and that most controversial of audiences members, the heckler, Rife didn’t exactly hold back in sharing thoughts about others’ negativity. As he put it:
For clarity, it’s not as if stand-up comedy audiences suddenly started spewing vitriol apropos of nothing, as Matt Rife caught flak after his 2023 special Natural Selection for jokes about domestic violence and other controversial topics. He drew more of a backlash after responding to the initial criticisms with a fake apology that made light of those with disabilities. So it’s not as if he’s been blindsided by those wishing for more politically correct jokes.
But as it goes with the vast majority of stand-up comics, Rife has found an audience that thrives on his off-the-cuff and often dark humor, as it’s one that doesn’t take everything he says at face value. And he’d obviously much rather cater to that crowd than attempt to win over those whom he thinks would hate on him even if he was responsible for all of Netflix’s funniest stand up comedy specials .
That said, even those who willingly shell out money to attend his live shows can be less than ideal, and heckling has always been an unpredictable hassle for those taking the stage. Which is how a special like Lucid even came about, with Rife sharing the spotlight with those in the audience as a way to ward off random comments hollered out at inopportune times. But even though he's still a young talent without decades of experience under his belt, he's as quick as can be when it comes to flipping a random outburst into a laugh.
Below, he explains his thought process for handling hecklers:
While heckling can be one of the most annoying elements of any live performance, someone yelling is obviously a lot less dangerous than anyone trying to run up on the stage for any reason. And the practice of banning cell phone use at comedy shows has hopefully thrwarted many would-be interrupters from acting out, without any way to publicize their disruptive behavior online.
For those who haven't yet watched, Matt Rife: Lucid - A Crowd Work Special is available to stream along with Natural Selection , and fans can look forward to even more big stand-up shows hitting the rest of Netflix's 2024 schedule .
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0