Netflix expands its collaboration with Matt Rife, the stand-up comic and social media sensation, following the blockbuster success of his debut Netflix special “Natural Selection.”
A Lucrative Deal
Rife has inked a significant two-special deal with Netflix, along with a development agreement for a gym/workplace comedy series that he will write and star in.
Rife’s first special under this deal will be Netflix’s inaugural full-length crowd work special, slated for release later this year. The special will be filmed at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte, NC, and directed by Rife’s close friend Erik Griffin.
Irony Point will produce the special, with Rife serving as an executive producer alongside his manager Christina Shams. Funnily enough at the ending of his last special, ‘Natural Selection’ he did call out everyone who said he was only good at crowd work saying,
I’m just doing what I think is funny, and all I can hope to come from that is that it makes other people smile, and it makes them happy. That’s all I ever want to come from any of this. So who cares if absolutely nobody believes in you, man. Fuck these people. For 12 years, nobody believed in me, man. And if I let that affect how I respected my own thoughts and ideas, I wouldn’t be doing a Netflix Special at Constitution Hall in my favorite city in the entire country, man… But what do I know? I only do crowd work, right?
Though his current tour, ProbleMATTic is super successful with multiple sold out shows in different cities, and even earned him a spot on the Mohegan Sun Walk of Fame, it seems that Rife is setting aside the traditional stand-up route and going back to his roots to the comedic style that propelled him to stardom through Tiktok.
With over 33 million followers and 2 billion views across social media platforms, Rife stands as one of the most viewed stand-up comics globally.
His “ProbleMATTic World Tour” with Live Nation saw record-breaking ticket sales, including four sold-out shows at the Dolby Theater, six shows at Radio City Music Hall, and five sold-out shows at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena.
Sitcom in the Works
Though there hasn’t been any information on what the new sitcom would be, one thing for sure is that the setting would take place in a gym. It seems that Netflix is following the trend of successful workplace comedies like, Abbot Elementary, Parks and Rec, The Office, Superstore, and more.
@matt_rife Motivational speech 100/10 😂😅😮💨💪🏼 #comedy #standup #standupcomedy #funny #improv #mattrife #crowdwork #workout ♬ original sound – Matt Rife
Expressing his passion for acting, Rife sees his success in stand-up as a gateway to opportunities in film and television. He aims to leverage his newfound freedom and visibility to pursue his acting career further.
I love acting just as much, if not more than standup. I just haven’t been doing it as long and I haven’t been able to get my foot in the door as well as I have been with stand-up. But now that I have the freedom in success via stand-up, it opens up avenues in other areas that I am passionate about, like film and television, that I’m hoping I can make that transition over to, because it can only feed itself.
Hollywood Bowl Headliner
Returning to Los Angeles for the Netflix Is a Joke Festival on May 8th, Rife will headline The Hollywood Bowl, marking his first-ever appearance at the prestigious venue.
While known for his stand-up, Rife has also made waves in acting, with notable roles on series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and appearances on Wild ‘n Out.
Rife’s career skyrocketed after gaining immense popularity on TikTok, where his content resonated with millions. The announcement of his world tour resulted in Ticketmaster crashing due to overwhelming demand, selling over 600,000 tickets in just 48 hours.
We love ALL things comedy so we’re always down for another sitcom to watch at home! And, if staying at home isn’t enough for you then head on over to one of the best comedy clubs in London, Big Belly Comedy Club! We’ve got hilarious comedy shows lined-up for you
