Comedian Matt Rife, best known for his TikTok clips and his engaging crowd work, is coming to the Hershey GIANT Center on November 28th to bring his “Stay Golden” tour to fans around the country. His performances on social media have gone viral across all platforms, and many fans are excited to see his high-energy sets live this year. However, his presence has also brought a different conversation due to previous controversy.
While Rife had occasionally offended a partial audience with his use of ‘dark humor’ over the years, serious backlash followed the release of his Netflix special “Natural Selection” in November 2023. The special received mixed reviews after what he described as an attempt to appeal to a male audience despite his rise to fame being attributed to female supporters due to his conventional attractiveness. In an interview with Variety, Rife states, “One thing that I wanted to tackle in this special was showing people that, like, despite what you think about me online, I don’t pander my career to women.”
Rife opened the special with a joke about domestic violence, as he tells a story about visiting a “ratchet” restaurant with a friend in Baltimore and noticing a female server with a black eye. Both him and his friend had wondered why management wouldn’t keep her in the kitchen to avoid customers seeing her injury. “Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye,” he quipped. “I figure if we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.” Fans and critics alike argued that the use of domestic violence as a punchline crosses boundaries that comedy shouldn’t, emphasizing that the humor targets vulnerable individuals; it contributes to a culture that normalizes or ignores abuse.
In addition to the domestic violence joke, Rife faces criticism for many other controversial comments passed off as ‘humor’. He allegedly argued with a six-year-old online and told them that their mother bought gifts for them from profits through an adult content platform, and on a podcast, he made explicit and degrading remarks about women’s reproductive anatomy. These instances have contributed to a growing debate about the limits of comedy, as well as the responsibility of performers toward their audiences.
Despite the backlash, many fans still remain eager to see Rife live in Hershey, drawn to his stage presence and improvisational crowd work. As the GIANT Center prepares to welcome him on November 28th, Rife’s “Stay Golden” tour promises to spark conversation, as much as it promises entertainment.
For a look at the humor that made him famous, check out the trailer from his crowd-work special “Lucid” below:
