Matt Rife Net Worth: Controversy and Crowd Work Banks the Comedian $30 Million

Matt Rife started his career in comedy competing on shows like Wild N’ Out and Bring the Funny. Fast forward to today and he is a wealthy American comedian, TikTok star, and actor. As of 2024, Matt Rife’s net worth is estimated at $30 million.

Rife is best known for his self-produced comedy specials, as well as his consistent TikTok posting which has helped him amass over 19 million followers and grow his fortune to what it is today.

Rife clearly has no intention of slowing down. Today, he’s a hugely popular comedian with 30+ shows lined up across North America for 2025 for his Stay Golden Tour. This tour will include the biggest venues of his career – his headline show at Madison Square Garden.

If this isn’t impressive enough, Matt Rife’s previous ProbleMATTIC World Tour was a major success, selling over 600,000 tickets in less than 48 hours. Keep reading to learn more about Rife and his journey to success.

Matt Rife’s Net Worth Breakdown:

The specifics of Rife’s earnings from his comedy shows, tours, specials, and his Netflix deal remain largely undisclosed. However, he’s openly discussed his financial struggles during the early stages of his career – and even mentioned some numbers that tell us how much he was earning back in the day.

In one interview, his net worth for 2024 was mentioned pretty clearly, and Rife didn’t dispute the figure.

Below is a detailed breakdown of his key assets and income sources:

Matt Rife Net Worth: Early Life and Education

Matt Rife was born on September 10, 1995, in North Lewisburg, Ohio. He spent his childhood there, as well as in Mount Vernon and New Albany. He has four siblings: one older half-sister and three older stepsisters.

When Matt was only a baby, his father died by suicide. He has a strong relationship with his mother, April Rife, as well as his maternal grandfather.

“My dad passed away when I was about one and a half and I ended up getting a stepdad later on, but he and I never really had a connection. So my grandpa really was my father figure. I spent every single weekend with him from the moment I was born. My mom and I lived with him for the first five years since I was born,” he shared in a Numero Magazine interview.

For the majority of his childhood, Matt and his mother lived in Ohio with April’s father, Steven Rife. When Matt was five years old, April got married again. Matt’s stepfather had three daughters from a previous relationship. The couple welcomed their first child together, Taylor.

Rife’s mother worked in an Amazon warehouse while his stepdad worked as a car mechanic. “We didn’t really have a lot growing up anyways,” Rife once shared.

Matt Rife found his passion for comedy at just 13 years old. With the encouragement and help of his grandfather, he started performing professionally at 15 years old. They would watch comedies together, helping Rife find the foundation for his shows.

When Rife was starting out as a teenager, he performed in comedy clubs during open-mic nights. Since there was a requirement to sell at least five tickets to perform as a comedian, his grandpa bought five tickets for his grandson to follow his passion.

“In his eye, I could do no wrong,” Rife shared on the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast. You can listen to the full episode here:

In November 2022, Rife’s grandfather passed away. He shared the sad news in an Instagram post, writing:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Matt Rife (@mattrife)

One of Rife’s comedy specials, Matthew Steven Rife, is dedicated to his grandfather. During his Numero interview, he explained:

His name was Steven and my middle name is Steven. I was named after him, so it felt like the appropriate title for a special.

When he earned his fame and wealth, Rife bought his mother a house with one of his first big paychecks.

As for his education, Rife attended Watkins Memorial High, where he played gridiron football. As a high school football athlete, he wanted to continue playing in college. However, while this didn’t turn into his professional career, he still actively discusses sports and was even hosted for an OTA training session at The Pittsburgh Steelers’ facility in 2023.

Personal Life

Matt Rife is not married. He briefly dated English actress Kate Beckinsale in 2017 and 2018. In 2023, he started dating Lucy Hale but he broke it off soon after. That same year, he started dating English actress Jessica Lord, with whom he broke up in March 2024.

More recently, when asked about his romantic life, Rife told GQ: “I kind of hate dating. I know I am just in my mid-to-late 20s, but still, I do want a wife and a family and a prominent home life that makes me feel comfortable, and safe, and is my peace. But when I’m touring six days a week, 52 weeks out of the year, it’s incredibly hard to maintain a relationship.”

Matt Rife Net Worth: The Impressive Career of the Famous Stand-Up Comic

Matt Rife and Taylor Swift are the only two artists who broke the Ticketmaster website following their respective tour announcements. Now that he’s announced his new tour in an NSFW video, we’re about to see whether that will happen again. In the video, Rife shared the highlights of his meteoric rise to fame, sharing that he has made nearly 700 shows in only two years.

How did Rife’s comedy career reach this level? It hasn’t been easy, seeing as how his grandfather was his only supporter in the beginning, but he made it happen. Let’s see what led to Rife’s rise in the comedy world.

Career Beginnings and TV Appearances

Matt Rife started his comedy career in high school talent shows. He initially took on small gigs around town, gradually building his popularity with the audience.

The aspiring comedian soon became the youngest person ever to be cast on a BET series. In 2017, he appeared on MTV’s The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, a reality game show.

He subsequently brought hilarity to MTV on their Wild ‘N Out sketch comedy and improv game show series, which boosted his recognition further. He only earned $1,000 on Wild ‘N Out.

That same year, Matt Rife had his hosting debut when he hosted the short-lived reboot of Total Request Live, famously known as TRL.

In 2018, Rife took the part of a paranormal investigator on the YouTube channel Overnight and was featured on the TV series Bring the Funny. On the show, he advanced to the Semi-Final Showcase but was eliminated in week 8.

Rife Releases His First Viral Video

In 2023, The New York Times shared that Rife had been a struggling comedian in 2022, but he’s changed a lot since.

Having spent 11 years in comedy clubs, Rife was still not in the spotlight in 2022. He was reportedly earning as little as $150 a night and selling around 70 tickets per show. This made him a minor star in the comedy world, although not good enough to earn an invitation to the Just for Laughs festival, an annual showcase in Montreal. Even though he didn’t receive an invite, he decided to go anyway.

During this trip, Rife underwent an incredible transformation from what The New York Times reported to be a “middling road comic” to a major star.

“Last July, I was in Montreal for a festival I was not invited to. I had to fly myself out, put myself up for no pay. I was sitting there at dinner with my friend and my manager. I’m about to post this video of crowd work. I was watching it and, I was like, This is so stupid. Why am I even doing this?” he spoke of the event.

He decided to post the two-and-a-half-minute video on his TikTok account, which barely had any followers at the time. In the video, he’s onstage in Phoenix, Arizona, talking to a female audience member who had broken up with her boyfriend because “he didn’t do anything”. When Rife discovered that he was an emergency room worker, he said: “Oh, I’m sorry – you broke up with a hero?” The clip “The Lazy Hero” became an almost-instant success.

@standup_vtshow

Not all heros are overachievers. comedy #standup #standupcomedy #funny #crowdwork #improv #breakup #relationship #americanairlines

♬ original sound – Stand Up Comedy – Stand Up Comedy

Today, Rife is notable for posting his crowd work and comedy shows on social media, many of which have gone viral. As of November 2024, Rife has 19.1 million followers on TikTok and 8.8 million followers on Instagram.

In December 2022, Matt Rife signed with Creative Artists Agency. The details of the deal haven’t been publicly disclosed.

Matt Rife’s Comedy Specials

To propel his career to new heights, Rife has self-produced several comedy specials, including:

• Only Fans (2021): Rife released Only Fans on YouTube with the help of crowdfunding. He already had a following on his social media, so his GoFundMe campaign helped him raise close to $30,000, more than he was hoping for. In this comedy special, he shared that he suffered from clinical depression and had an anxiety disorder.

• Matt Rife: Matthew Steven Rife (2023): This show is Rife’s second self-produced hour special, which he built with the help of fans and friends.
• Walking Red Flag (2023): Walking Red Flag is a sharp, biting take on modern relationships, personal quirks, and red flags.

In August 2023, Rife performed at Dave Chapelle’s 50th birthday show at Madison Square Garden. He’s often said that Chappelle has been a fantastic mentor for him and that his advice has helped him succeed in the world of comedy.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Matt Rife (@mattrife)

Netflix Specials and Deal

In 2023, Matt Rife was the star of Natural Selection, a Netflix special executive produced by Rife and Christina Sham along with the company Irony Point. The Netflix special Natural Selection garnered over 10.3 million views in the first two weeks since its release. Followed by its success, Netflix signed him up for two more, as well as one gym/workplace sitcom that he’ll write and star in.

Even though the special was successful, it was quite controversial and led to a lot of backlash after it aired. During the special, Rife made a joke about domestic violence. In response to social media critics, Rife shared an Instagram post saying: “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told here’s a link to my official apology”. The link sends users to a website that sells helmets for people with special needs.

Most recently, Rife released the first of his announced Netflix special projects, Lucid. This is Netflix’s first-ever crowd work special, and it dropped in August 2024. Roughly five minutes into it, Rife shared:

This is just me and you guys. I don’t know what you’re going to say. I don’t what I’m going to say. And I just want you guys to be aware, you are equally as at fault for how this goes as I am.

Earnings from Comedy

Matt Rife reportedly earns $6 million a year from his YouTube videos and comedy shows. In 2024, Forbes shared that the comedian earned “tens of millions” from rolling out the 30 live shows he performs monthly.

Based on an interview with Jon Youshaei, Matt Rife was earning $40,000 to $50,000 a year before the Netflix special. In the conversation, Jon also mentioned that Rife is worth $25 million to $30 million (as of August 2024). Here’s the full chat for you to listen to:

This number includes his earnings not only from YouTube and comedy shows but his specials and tours, as well. He’s performed a total of 115 shows in his PROBLEMATTIC World Tour, which crashed Ticketmaster servers in 2023. Now that he’s announced his latest tour for 2025, his net worth will probably increase by a significant amount.

His tours have brought him impressive earnings, most likely in the range of millions. For instance, his Cedar Rapids sold-out show in July 2023 earned him $194,734. His Kansas City show in October earned him $371,699.

Not to mention, we don’t know the details of his Netflix deal or how much he has earned from his two specials on the platform.

TV Appearances, Assets, and Upcoming Projects for Matt Rife

In addition to his masterful comedy, Matt Rife has dabbled in acting. He’s also announced a memoir that should be published by the end of this year and has a lot invested in real estate.

Acting Career

Even though he’s masterful at comedy, Matt Rife has often shared that he dreams of expanding his career into acting.

“If we’re looking at comedians transitioning to actors, you have the big three: Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, and Adam Sandler,” – he shared during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “Those are the ones who did it best, and I don’t know that anybody will ever do it at that level again. But that’s my dream: comedians who took their fanbase into the theaters with their comedic talents, and then they were able to transition that over to different genres, especially dramas.”

He went on to say that his idol is Ryan Reynolds and he’d love to work with him.

Even though his dream hasn’t come true – yet – Matt Rife has been increasingly active in acting circles. So far, he’s had roles in the following films:

• Room 236 (2015), his film debut
• Sophomore Year (2017) as Jake Riker
• Stalked by My Doctor: A Sleepwalker’s Nightmare (2019)
• Black Pumpkin (2018), B-movie slasher film
• The Debt (2018), a short film (as Matt)
• American Typecast (2019), a short film
• The Elevator (2021) as Michael Juniper
• Just Swipe (2021) as Colin
• North of the 10 (2022) as Matt Downes
• The Curse of Wolf Mountain (2022) as James
• Trapped Inn (2024), which he starred in and executive-produced
• The Private Eye (2024)
• Don’t Suck (2024)

He’s also appeared in TV series, including:

• Average Joe (2014) in three episodes
• Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much Everything (2015)
• WTH: Welcome to Howler (2016) in seven episodes as Jesse
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2019) TV series as Brandon Bliss
• Fresh Off the Boat (2020), a sitcom series as Logan
• Burb Patrol (2021) in 10 episodes as Alex
• That ’90s Show (2024) in the episode Friends in Low Places

Upcoming Memoir

When he signed his new deal with Netflix, Matt Rife shared that he planned to publish a memoir titled Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me in partnership with Gallery Books. The book is scheduled to be published in December 2024.

Real Estate

In August, it was reported that Rife bought a property in Rhode Island three months prior. The exact purchase price hasn’t been disclosed. He also owns a $3 million apartment in Miami and a $5 million house in Los Angeles.

What Can We Learn from Matt Rife’s Story?

Rife’s rise to fame offers several lessons to inspire people to pursue a career in entrepreneurship and entertainment. His journey has been anything but instant. He’s consistently performed at small gigs, struggling to make ends meet and cover all of his expenses, all to gain recognition. He earned modest pay, but his dedication and perseverance eventually led to a breakthrough.

This shows the importance of staying committed to your craft, even when success seems too far in the future.

Rife’s use of social media platforms like TikTok has also played a huge role in propelling his career forward. By posting his crowd work and engaging with his audience, he’s built a large following. Aspiring comedians and content creators can learn from Rife’s ability to connect with audiences, especially on platforms that prioritize short-form content.

Rife wasn’t afraid to change his approach when things weren’t working, even at a time when it seemed like he was working for nothing. After years of struggling on the comedy scene, he took a risk by posting a crowd work video on TikTok. Being adaptable and open to new opportunities is key to staying relevant in the entertainment world.

Self-producing comedy specials was another bold move for Rife. Crowdfunding his first special demonstrated his entrepreneurial spirit, as well as his willingness to take financial risks to further his career.

By taking charge of his own content, Rife has bypassed traditional media. He’s shown us that self-promotion can be extremely powerful in today’s digital age.

Finally, Rife’s ability to handle the backlash from his comedy is impressive. He’s taken a unique approach to controversy and judgment. Instead of shying away, he acknowledges it with humor, a move that showcases his ability to turn criticism into comedic content.