Why Matt Rife Doesn’t Regret His Controversial Joke

Comedian Matt Rife made it very clear that he has no regrets – nothing.

“It’s comedy. Sometimes you miss the mark. A lot of people think I did that,” Rife, 29, said Us Weekly exclusively promoting his memoirs, Your mother will love mewhich was published on Tuesday, December 3rd. “That’s why it’s not a failure.”

Rife referred to his November 2023 Netflix special, Natural selectionwho faced backlash after a joke about domestic violence kicked off the show. He discussed the comedy special — considered a huge success and left for Streamer’s second special — in his recently published memoir.

“To me, ‘The Joke’ was just that – a joke. I wasn’t trying to make any profound statement about the state of our society. I was trying to set the tone for the rest of the show with a personal spin on a classic joke,” he wrote in part, noting that “virtually overnight” he went from a TikTok sensation” canceled in principle”.

“Maybe it wasn’t to your taste. That’s fine. It happens. Not very often to me — but it happens,” Rife explained in her book. “But that doesn’t make me a supporter of domestic violence. I mean, Jesus — I grew up with an abusive stepfather. Verbal abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse – I experienced it all.”

He told Us that “the only negative thing” about the special, at least in his eyes, was people being upset.

“It’s inevitable with almost all comedians,” Rife shared. “We want to make people happy, but I have to be me.”

The Ohio native gained more than a million followers almost overnight after his crowdfunding videos went viral on TikTok, leading to a record-breaking world tour. But he quickly learned that what goes up must come down – at least a little.

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Matt Rife became popular after his standup comedy routines blew up on TikTok, but his family was always there to support his career — and now he’s making a comeback. The Netflix star had a particularly close bond with her late grandfather Steve Rife. “My grandfather was really my father figure. I spent every (…)

“The tremendous positivity I got at the beginning (of my career) can’t last forever,” Rife said. Us. “It respectfully taught me not to give in -. I know my intentions. I know where my heart is.”

Rife is still young (he doesn’t turn 30 until September 2025), but it still felt like the perfect time to release a memoir and show fans the “real” him.

“Not only did I feel the need to explain more about my life and everything it took to get (here), but I also feel like I’ve already lived (a lot),” she explained. “Much of your life, when you are in the public eye, is open to interpretation. It allowed me to tell my story on my own terms.”

Your Mom’s Gonna Love Me is out now.

You can get more information from the new issue Us Weekly, on racks now.