TikTok star Matt Rife gets candid about downsides of being 'physically attractive' as a comedian on 'Today' with Craig Melvin
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: TikTok sensation Matt Rife recently got candid about how being “physically attractive” didn’t help him as a comedian as he sat down with Craig Melvin on ‘Today’.
The 28-year-old comedian has carved out a significant presence on the internet, managing to garner nearly 18 million followers with his engaging interactions with audiences, propelling himself into the mainstream of comedy.
During his interview on NBC’s ‘Today’, he further elaborated on the reasons behind his perspective.
The stand-up comic also talked about his overwhelming success, his comedy writing process, and his upcoming Netflix special, ‘Matt Rife: Natural Selection’.
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Matt Rife shares downside of being ‘physically attractive’ on ‘Today’
One TikTok video featuring Rife, in particular, gained widespread attention this summer. Posted on Men's Health magazine's account, the video featured Matt Rife discussing how working out and being deemed "physically attractive" didn't necessarily contribute to his success as a comedian.
While talking to ‘Today’ host Craig Melvin, Rife shared, “I would say it’s harder because of the fact that this conversation is even happening,” as reported by Today.
He continued, “But the fact that I said it and I’m doing Men’s Health magazine, which seemed like the perfect context to talk about the shape you’re in, I would say it definitely doesn’t help.”
“Because people don’t like you. People assume your life is easier when you have all these good things going for you. There’s nothing funny about somebody living an easy life, or so you would assume. So that’s why I would say it’s a little bit harder. You have to win people over more often,” Rife added.
Matt Rife talks about his Netflix special
Having dedicated over a decade to the comedy scene, Matt Rife's journey has taken him from open mics in his hometown near Columbus, Ohio, to a more independent path, including self-producing and crowdfunding his initial comedy specials.
His upcoming special, titled ‘Matt Rife: Natural Selection,’ marks a departure from his previous productions.
Scheduled to premiere on November 15 on Netflix, Rife describes a shift from managing every detail of his earlier specials – from setting up chairs to handling check-ins and Covid waivers – to a focus solely on refining and delivering his comedic material.
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He said, “I was involved in everything. This one, I got to just focus on my set most of the time, which was such a relief. So much easier.”
Rife reveals that the persona he takes on is an exaggerated version of himself in the Netflix special.
Rife said, “I mean, I play into all the stereotypes people assume. Like, I’ll play into like the funny naive f**kboy kind of thing.”
He further divulged on his special adding it’s not all a facade, “But there is a lot of comedy and naivety to me, and I think I am a bit like that in real life. Like I’m just kind of dumb and gullible.
And I think an exaggerated version of that gets resonated with a lot of people. That way, if there’s not something (they) find in common, they can at least laugh at me, and I’m happy with that as well,” he explained.
Matt Rife says there’s ‘no method’ to his success
Embracing TikTok in early 2022, Matt Rife has seen a remarkable surge in popularity, accumulating a following of over 17.9 million followers on the platform.
He attributes this success to three specific videos, with the first one being his ‘Lazy Hero’ bit.
In this video, Rife humorously mocks a member of the audience for ending a relationship with an emergency room worker.
These viral moments have played a crucial role in expanding his reach and solidifying his presence in the TikTok community.
In this regard, he said, “All social media success, as far as, like, the content you put on there that catches fire and goes viral, is random. I had no strategy whatsoever.”
He recalled, “I was just posting a little bit of material in the beginning, and that led to posting some crowd work, and one just accidentally sparked,” adding, “I mean, to this day, there’s no method.”
Despite deriving much of his success from social media, Rife expressed a clear aversion to it.
He concluded adding, “My goal is to be successful enough that I can delete every app off my phone and have somebody else run it for the fans who want to stay up to date on things. I hate it.”
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