According to reports, Matt Rife is pausing a run of shows on his comedy tour in order to take some much-needed time off after almost passing out from tiredness. In a message, ticket holders for the forthcoming concert claim that Rife was almost unconscious on his way to play two gigs at the University of Indiana on Wednesday due to tremendous tiredness. Rife’s medical team urged him to take a vacation right now, and that’s precisely what he’s doing. He plans to resume the tour in Memphis on June 12.
Matt has canceled his scheduled performances in Nashville, Tennessee’s Ryman Auditorium and The Chicago Theatre. The Chicago gigs have been rescheduled for the end of December by him. For now, the Nashville event is canceled; a replacement date will be announced soon. Ticket buyers will receive a refund if they are unable to attend at a later date. Starting tonight at the Chicago Theatre, the comedian was supposed to play eight straight sold-out shows, shattering the theater record.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 10: Matt Rife speaks during the 2023 Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit at Cleveland Public Auditorium on October 10, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
According to reports, Matt Rife abruptly canceled his gigs yesterday, citing a medical issue, which infuriated many fans who had been anticipating seeing the big-time artist perform live. The message said, “On the way to a recent show in Indiana, Matt experienced extreme exhaustion symptoms and nearly fainted heading to the venue,” the email reads. “Matt is currently under advisement from his medical team to take immediate time off from touring for two weeks.” “Future dates will not be affected,” the note promised. The comic is scheduled to return to the road on June 12 in Memphis.
After maintaining a rigorous performance schedule of over forty shows a month for the past year and a half, Matt took to social media to express his regret over the sudden cancellation. He also shared that this is the first time he has experienced such a health issue. His words highlight the severity of the situation. In his message, he reassured his followers of his love and commitment. He then emphasized the importance of prioritizing his health in this instance. Overall, it seems like the comedian needed to take a long break due to his schedule.
Comedian Nima Yamini has gone viral for a story he recently shared about Matt Rife on social media. Yamini claims to have been in a meeting with “two Hollywood execs” along with Rife in which the Hollywood execs demanded oral sex in exchange for making the two men famous. Yamini claims that he left in disgust but that Rife was “already sucking both d-cks simultaneously before I even left the room.” The story quickly went viral, particularly finding traction amongst right-wing conspiracy theorists like Dom Lucre.
However, most of the internet called cap on the story. First, Yamini has an online reputation for satire and exaggerated comedy, meaning that the story is most likely fake. Furthermore, many people questioned why Yamini would name Rife but not the Hollywood execs. Additionally, the age gap between Yamini and Rife would likely make Rife a teenager in the story. This would imply that Yamini didn’t intervene when seeing a teenager being pressured into sex. Finally, the story almost perfectly fits the longstanding right-wing conspiracy theory about Hollywood being full of gay liberal sex fiends. Rife is yet to respond to the “allegations”.
Of course, Rife has found a new level of infamy over the last year or so. In December, a few weeks after Rife was embroiled in drama about a domestic violence joke, Rife began a bizarre feud with a six-year-old on TikTok. Rife told the child that Santa Claus doesn’t exist and that the child’s mother buys his presents with her “OnlyFans profits”. The interaction came after the child stitched a clip of Rife saying Jupiter has a ring in order to tell him that Saturn is the planet better known for its rings. Rife ranted at the child in the comments, making the statements that have now landed him back in hot water. Most people see the feud as Rife once again punching down for no apparent reason.
However, Rife has also become something of a meme. Following his initial scandal, a plastic surgeon on TikTok made a brief skit that didn’t mention Rife by name but alluded to his scandal. Rife chose to respond to the surgeon, commenting “Lying about medical history is illegal” in the comments. This led to a wave of mockery aimed at Rife as to many people, the comment was emblematic of not being able to take what he dished out. Furthermore, the surgeon took things a step further by issuing Rife an apology in the form of a special needs helmet.
Indeed, comedy has the power to not only entertain but lift people’s spirits. However, in several instances, comedy is widely known to spark controversy. Take the popular comedian Matt Rife for example. After a staggering rise to the top, he has constantly found himself garnering backlash every other day.
It all began following an insensitive joke that touched on the topic of domestic violence. This event occurred during his Netflix Special, Natural Selection. However, as laughter erupted in the hall, backlash brewed online. Since then, many other of his “jokes” have been scrutinized for never quite landing right. Here’s a handful of them.
During his Netflix Special Natural Selection, Matt Rife spoke about the frustration of having a noisy and restless child on a long flight. He joked that he once got so frustrated with a crying child… so frustrated that he almost pretended to be a sexual predator to get the child away from him and quiet. “I was this close to leaning over to the dad and being like ‘Can you get your sexy ass kid away from me?’” he said.
It should be reiterated that under no circumstance are jokes about being a pedophile funny. Therefore, Rife’s twisted comments quickly came under fire. Moreover, social media users have concluded that Matt Rife targets women and children in the hopes of building a predominantly male fan base. Needless to say, his words were inexcusable.
Believe it or not, Matt Rife blew up thanks to his once largely female fanbase. That’s why it has come as a shock that he seems to regularly make fun of women. In early 2023, he went on a tirade on the Stiff Socks podcast about women’s bodies. A particular segment caught the attention of many people. “Am I supposed to f**k you or thumb wrestle?” he asked. “I don’t love a giant cl*t. I don’t wanna look down and feel like God left a tag on you,” he said. His body shaming continued with the line, “I just don’t want your p*ssy to look like the gum from Sausage Party. You know what I mean?” Unsurprisingly, this caused a stir.
Matt Rife’s comedy special seemed to have propagated another “joke” that only he seems to be in on and no one else understands. In December 2023, TikTok creator Bunny Hedaya posted a video claiming that Matt had beef with her 6-year-old son. Hedaya had previously posted a video of her son reacting to Natural Selection where something caught the young boy’s attention. While talking about women who blame astrology for everything, Matt stated: “It has nothing to do with stars, man. Just because Jupiter has a ring and you don’t, doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to look up to it for this magical advice.”
Hedaya’s son then responded in her video: “Actually, it’s Saturn that has the rings. It has more visible rings also.” Matt Rife evidently couldn’t handle being corrected by a child. In a now-deleted Instagram comment, he wrote: “Jupiter also has a ring. OH!… and Santa Claus isn’t real. Your mom buys you presents with the money she makes on OnlyFans. Good luck.”
Following the major backlash he received for his Netflix comedy special, Matt Rife decided to post an apology. On November 20, 2023, Matt shared a picture of himself on his Instagram story alongside the caption: “If any of my jokes have ever offended you, check out my official apology at this link.” As a result, many of Matt’s social media followers and onlookers were glad that he had seemed to reconsider his choice of jokes and had posted an apology.
However, when users clicked on the link, it redirected them to a health website where they had the option to purchase specialized helmets designed for special needs. This was Matt doubling down on his joke and not apologizing at all. Instead, he offended a new set of minorities with this joke.
To kick off his controversial comedy special, Matt recounted an incident at Baltimore restaurant. There, they saw a female server sporting a black eye. Sharing the uncomfortable observation, Matt narrates: “It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened… My buddy, who was with me, commented, ‘Yeah, I feel bad for her, man. I feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where nobody has to see her face, you know?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.’”
In an attempt to gauge the audience’s receptiveness, he jested: “I’m just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not… I figure if we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.” So in summary, he stated that those who didn’t laugh at the joke were not fun. As is the fate of any poorly received, offensive, and unfunny joke, Matt has since faced significant, and well-warranted backlash.
Lisa Ann is a former adult film star who has remained extremely famous since her retirement. Overall, she is a name that carried a lot of weight back in the day, so she still has a fanbase. Moreover, she hosts podcasts and even has some skin in the game when it comes to sports gambling. Needless to say, she continues to do quite well for herself. However, she did find herself at the center of controversy the other day as she ended up getting arrested while attending a Matt Rife comedy show.
The show was at Radio City in New York, and Rife had made it so no one was allowed to film him. Security claims that Lisa Ann had her phone out which subsequently led to her getting escorted out and detained by the NYPD. The actress posted a video of the arrest on social media and proclaimed her innocence. Now, she is following that up with a photo of herself in the crowd at the event. In the post, she makes the claim that she was not the one holding the phone.
In this photo, I am seated facing the stage with my arm over my chair watching the show. The person on the phone was not me. pic.twitter.com/2GA85qYWyg
“In this photo, I am seated facing the stage with my arm over my chair watching the show. The person on the phone was not me,” she wrote. Furthermore, Lisa Ann issued a statement where she thanked fans for their support. She also expressed empathy for security workers and their role at events. However, she did note that the arrest left her “bruised both physically and emotionally.” It was clearly a traumatic moment for her, and we hope she is doing okay.
Let us know what you think of this situation, in the comments section down below. What are your thoughts on no phone policies at shows? Do they make sense in today’s day and age? Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming releases.
If you are unfamiliar, Lisa Ann is a former adult film star. Although she is mostly known for her work in the industry, she is now in the podcasting world. Moreover, she has become a huge sports gambling enthusiast and has made that part of her brand. Overall, she has done a pretty good job of separating herself from her previous line of work. However, there are always going to be people who remember her for those times. Either way, she is now in the news for a whole different reason.
Controversial comedian Matt Rife was performing at Radio City in New York. Overall, this is a massive show, and he decided to make cell phones banned at the show. Allegedly, Lisa Ann did not get the message on that. In the tweet below, you can see the actress being taken out of the venue in handcuffs. She seemed pretty upset by the situation as she continued to plead her innocence. Lisa Ann noted that she never took her phone out, despite security insisting that she did. The NYPD detained her, and she seems to be out of custody now.
To make matters a bit more interesting here, it would appear as though Lisa Ann and Matt Rife are friends. This certainly adds another layer to the story, although he probably had no hand in enforcing the rules he laid out. Whether or not she actually took her phone out is only something that those sitting around her at the venue can confirm. Either way, a conversation between Rife and Lisa Ann might need to be had. Otherwise, the friendship could be on the rocks.
Are you a fan of Matt Rife? Let us know your thoughts on the comedian, in the comments section below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the entertainment world. We will always be sure to keep you informed on all of your favorite personalities.
Matt Rife is facing a new wave of backlash after telling a six-year-old on TikTok that Santa Claus doesn’t exist and that the child’s mother buys his presents with her “OnlyFans profits”. The interaction came after the child stitched a clip of Rife saying Jupiter has a ring in order to tell him that Saturn is the planet better known for its rings. Rife ranted at the child in the comments, making the statements that have now landed him back in hot water. Most people see the feud as Rife once again punching down for no apparent reason.
Of course, this is just the latest controversy in the last few weeks for Rife. The comedian rose to infamy in late November after he made a joke about domestic violence in his Netflix special. When people complained about the joke, Rife referred them to a website that sold “special needs helmets”. Rife has built a following based on his good looks and Dane Cook-esque humor. However, many people have turned away from the comedian in recent weeks.
However, Rife has also become something of a meme. Following his initial scandal, a plastic surgeon on TikTok made a brief skit that didn’t mention Rife by name but alluded to his scandal. Rife chose to respond to the surgeon, commenting “Lying about medical history is illegal” in the comments. This led to a wave of mockery aimed at Rife as to many people, the comment was emblematic of not being able to take what he dished out. Furthermore, the surgeon took things a step further by issuing Rife an apology in the form of a special needs helmet.
Netflix has not commented on the Rife situation. However, that’s unsurprising given the company’s historic stance. Last week, the streaming platform announced that Dave Chappelle would be releasing a new special on New Year’s Eve. The decision comes two years after transphobic content in Chappelle’s last Netflix led to an employee walkout at the company.
