UTA has signed comedian Matt Rife for representation in all areas, with an eye toward expanding his opportunities in film and TV and beyond.
Currently on his “ProbleMATTic World Tour” — one of the largest comedy tours in over 20 years, which sold over 600,000 tickets in under 48 hours — Rife has recently exploded to become one of the biggest comedians in the world through his top-performing Netflix special and remarkable engagement on social media, where he has amassed over 18 million followers, and more than two billion views globally.
Recently selling out four shows at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Rife is set to return to Los Angeles on May 8, when he’ll become the youngest comic ever to headline the Hollywood Bowl.
From a small town near Columbus Ohio, Rife started performing at the age of 15 and moved to Los Angeles two years later in pursuit of a career in Hollywood. Self-releasing his first one-hour special, Only Fans, and releasing it through YouTube in 2021, he again bet on himself two years later as he took the same approach with his follow-up, Matthew Steven Rife.
After putting out the YouTube crowd work special Walking Red Flag, which has amassed over 10 million views on the platform, Rife unveiled his first Netflix special Natural Selection, which garnered over 10.3 million views in its first two weeks, earning a Top 10 ranking in 42 countries including #1 in the U.S., Canada, and South Africa last fall.
It was in 2015 that Rife made his television debut as the youngest cast member in the history of MTV’s Wild ‘N Out. He then moved on to other MTV properties, hosting a reboot of TRL and appearing on The Challenge. Other screen credits include Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat, BET’s North of the 10, and NBC’s comedy competition show Bring the Funny.
Currently developing a workplace sitcom for Netflix, Rife has also inked a deal with the streamer for two more specials, one of which will be its first-ever full-length crowd work special, as we were first to report.
Rife continues to be represented by Avesta Entertainment, Felker Toczek Suddleson, and Rogers & Cowan PMK.
