Actor and comedian Matt Rife will perform two shows at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Feb. 14 in the IU Auditorium as a stop in the “Matt Rife: ProbleMATTic Tour,” his largest tour to date.
Rife grew up in a small town outside of Columbus, OH, and began comedy performances at 15 years old. The now 28-year-old comedian built his career by opening for renowned comedians like the late Ralphie May and appearing on numerous TV shows. Rife spent four seasons as the youngest cast member on MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out,” the reboot of “Total Request Live” and “The Challenge.” He has solo-produced two specials and has made appearances on shows such as “Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and “Bring the Funny,” an NBC comedy competition.
The 115-date world tour was announced on June 5, 2023, just five months before the release of his Netflix comedy special “Matt Rife: Natural Selection” on Nov. 15, which was the subject of several controversies. In the one-part special, Rife made derogatory jokes about the city of Baltimore and about domestic violence against women. After several days of online discourse, Rife took to his Instagram to issue a mock apology on Nov. 20 which included ableist commentary. Rife has also been known to make misogynistic comments and allegedly ignited an argument with a six-year-old online.
Both show times on Feb. 14 have been sold out. The show is an 18 and over event. Tickets will be available 72 hours prior to the show for those who purchased.
