Comedian, TikTok star, Ohio native Matt Rife bringing tour to Akron Civic Theatre Saturday

Matt Rife has emerged as one of the hottest comedians in the country, amassing more than 14 million followers on TikTok.

Now the Ohio native is coming to Akron.

Rife will perform two shows at the Akron Civic Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 14 as part of his first world tour, "ProbleMATTic."

Things to do in Akron this weekend: Matt Rife at the Civic, Boo at the Zoo and more

Names of Matt Rife's comedy specials

Rife has had two TV comedy specials, "Matt Rife: Only Fans" in 2021 and "Matt Rife: Matthew Steven Rife" in 2023.

Where in Ohio is Matt Rife from?

Rife, 27, was born in Columbus and grew up in North Lewisburg. He also lived in New Albany and Mount Vernon in Ohio. He moved to Los Angeles when he was 17.

Has comedian Matt Rife been in any TV shows?

Rife came up just short of the finale in 2019 on "Bring the Funny" on NBC. He's also appeared on "Brooklyn Nin-Nine" and "Fresh Off the Boat."

What happened between Matt Rife and actor Shemar Moore?

During a comedy set that was uploaded to Rife's YouTube account in May 2023, Rife began doing crowd work with a pregnant woman and her partner — who identified himself as a deputy sheriff. During the exchange, television actor Shemar Moore shouted out from the back of the room (be warned, the video's language and content is NSFW), prompting Rife to fire back with yet more improv crowd work.

Rife did not know at the time he was interacting with Moore, who eventually went up to the stage, prompting Rife to ask the crowd, "Do y'all watch 'Criminal Minds'?"

Moore then grabbed the mic, introduced himself to the crowd and told a NSFW anecdote about something his partner said to him about Rife. Moore stayed on the stage for a few minutes with Rife, culminating in a hug and back-and-forth words of affirmation.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Matt Rife tickets Akron Ohio: TikTok star brings tour to Civic Theatre