Matt Rife was forced to cancel several shows he was supposed to perform at Indiana University due to unforeseen medical issues.
“INDIANA: I’m so f–king sorry, but due to a last minute medical emergency I have to reschedule our shows tonight (again),” Rife, 28, wrote in a statement via X on Wednesday, May 29. “I’ve been doing 40+ shows a month for a year and [a] half and never had to do something like this, I’m so sorry, I hope you understand and I love you so much.”
Rife went on to share that the venue is offering full refunds to anyone who bought tickets.
The comedian is still set to continue on his tour, performing tonight (Thursday, May 30) at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago followed by multiple cities in Tennessee.
Rife’s tour comes nearly six months after his Netflix comedy special Natural Selection received backlash for including several inappropriate jokes.
One joke in particular that bothered people dealt with domestic violence. Early on in the special, Rife recounted a trip to Baltimore during which he and a friend dined at a restaurant where their waitress had a black eye. While wondering why she wouldn’t work in the kitchen so patrons wouldn’t see the injury, Rife quipped: “But I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
After his story, Rife claimed that he was “just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not” during his special.
“I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing,” Rife added.
Several people took to social media after watching Rife’s special to criticize the comedian.
“I’d rather hear nails on a chalkboard than hear Matt Rife trying to appeal to men,” one user wrote via X, while another shared, “Every joke I’ve seen making fun of Matt Rife is 1000x funnier than anything he’s ever said.”
Following all of the criticism, Rife has continued to stay unbothered — and even issued a fake apology.
“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology,” he wrote via Instagram in November 2023, linking out to an online store for Special Needs Helmets, a callback to a Natural Selection joke where he discussed a former classmate with special needs for nearly four minutes.
Prior to his Netflix special, Rife discussed his thoughts on the comedy world, saying he thinks there should be no rules about being sensitive in the business.
“I don’t really adhere to this whole sensitivity rumor in the comedy world that you can’t say anything anymore,” he told Variety in a November 2023 interview. “You can say whatever you want. Now, you have to prepare for repercussions. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to how do you sleep at night.”
