2024 Rewind: Is Comedian Matt Rife Too Cute to Be Canceled? Continues Controversial Jokes

This piece is part of EDGE's 2024 Rewind series. We're reaching into our archives and sharing some of our favorite stories from the past year.

Cutie turned controversial comedian Matt Rife just played a sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl, and it seems he hasn't learned anything from the blowback from his 2023 Netflix special.

During his set, which was part of the Netflix Is a Joke festival, Variety reported that Rife laid into the criticism he received over a joke about domestic violence and doubled down with jokes tinged with ageism, transphobia and drugs.

"I don't really adhere to this whole sensitivity rumor in the comedy world that you can't say anything anymore," said Rife. "That's bullshit."

Which begs the question, does Rife think he's too cute to be canceled?

"What am I gonna do? Get canceled? ... That's not a real punishment. Prison's a punishment," said Rife. During his set, the comedian also talked about "OK" and "not OK" jokes, including and nodded to his domestic violence joke controversy by saying: "Guys, I'm kidding. Domestic violence is not funny, ever, ever, on any comedy special ever."

Then he addressed a joke about helmets for special needs people, saying, "I got in so much trouble for making a joke about special needs helmets, and then I come to L.A. and perform in the biggest helmet," Rife said, referring to the Hollywood Bowl's round structure.

In an interview with Variety, Rife said he liked "dark humor."

"I don't believe there's anything you can't talk about if you do it correctly, in the right way, at the right time," said Rife. "At the end of the day, I think you need to just go out there. You have to be yourself and not worry about offending a certain amount of people."

Rife reportedly has two more specials in the works with Netflix, including a first-ever full-length crowd work comedy special.