Two more specials and a possible sitcom

Controversial comic Matt Rife has signed a new deal with Netflix to release two stand-up specials and develop a new sitcom.

The 28-year-old’s last special with the steamer was criticised last year for opening with a joke about domestic violence. Then he directed those who were offended to a website selling special needs helmets.

His next show will feature just crowd work, and will be recorded in North Carolina in May and will be Netflix's first full-length special to feature only interactions with the audience.

The size of his deal with the streaming giant has not been revealed, but it is likely to be sizeable given that his  previous special, Natural Selection, attracted 10 million views in the first few weeks of its release.

Rife is also working on a new gym-based workplace comedy series for Nexflix that he will write and star in.

The comedian told Deadline, ‘I love acting just as much, if not more than stand-up. I just haven’t been doing it as long and I haven’t been able to get my foot in the door as well as I have been with stand-up but now that I have the freedom in success via stand-up, it opens up avenues in other areas that I am passionate about, like film and television, that I’m hoping I can make that transition over to, because it can only feed itself,’

In Natural Selection, Rife talked about a waitress who had a black eye, and wonders if she should be working in the kitchen, not dealing with customers. Rife then joked: ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.’

Rife is currently on a world tour which sold 600,000 tickets within 48 hours of going on sale. It includes a run of UK dates in September.

Published: 3 Apr 2024