Matt Rife’s latest comedy special appeared on Netflix today with relatively little buzz. No controversial headlines, no social media backlash. It is a far cry from his debut which led to accusations of first sexism, and then ableism when he doubled down on the more problematic parts of his stand up.
Rife seemingly wants a do-over of his poorly received debut, returning to his roots as a “crowd work” comedian, a skill he popularized on TikTok before landing his first Netflix hour. The format has been shoehorned into what is being billed as Netflix’s “first crowd work special”—just under an hour of spontaneous jokes made at the expense of his audience. It provides Rife with a high-stakes chance to redeem himself with what he knows best, and what his audience loves: a good roast.
In the trailer, and in the special itself, Rife is quick to pass the blame saying “you are equally at fault for how this goes as I am, OK?” to his Charlotte audience. This isn’t entirely fair. Only one person in the room is a professional comedian with a Netflix special, and it seems like an easy excuse to blame a boring audience rather than himself.
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