Rife's Netflix special "Lucid - A Crowd Work Special" premiered on August 13, focusing on Rife engaging with a Charlotte audience on the topic of dreams and showcasing his skillful crowd work abilities.
Rife, a 28-year-old comedian, gained prominence in the stand-up comedy scene and built a vast audience through viral clips on TikTok and Instagram.
His ProbleMATTic Tour crashed Ticketmaster's servers and solidified his popularity.
Rife engages with the audience, creating a lively and unpredictable atmosphere, and handles spontaneous dialogue with ease.
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Matt Rife attends the premiere of 'Deadpool and Wolverine' in New York City
(Photo: REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs)
He reflects on how his rising fame has taken a toll on his mental health, including increased anxiety and depression, also highlighting the need to deflect negativity and criticism that come with public attention.
Some viewers believe the audience members were vetted and prepared stories for the crowd work.
A joke about domestic violence landed heavily, and Rife responded with a fake "apology" mocking people with disabilities. He also faced backlash for allegedly telling a 6-year TikToker about his mother's OnlyFans profits.
"Lucid" received mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and was overshadowed by the Netflix rom-com "The Other Woman."
Rife has plans for future projects, including another special and a sitcom pitch.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: We Got This Covered, ComingSoon, Sportskeeda, UNILAD, Dexerto, Trill!, Tribune, Fugitives, AOL, Notiulti