Comedian Matt Rife on Not Being Hot and Wearing Socks With Flip-Flops
I always thought the phrase "hot comedian" was an oxymoron. Matt Rife believes that's correct. The rest of the world—meaning his millions of fans and, uh, me—might actively disagree. But after chatting with the 27-year-old performer before the New York stop on his international tour, I realized that, jawline notwithstanding, Rife is much more than meets the eye. "I couldn't be more different from my stage persona," Rife tells me. "I'm an incredibly introverted person, which is crazy because my job is literally talking in front of people."
Still, when the lights go up, things shift. "There's a confidence and comfortability that comes with that power onstage, but I think that's part of the job," he explains. "I don't think that's ego. Because to me, my shows feel like one big hangout and I'm just hosting the party."
So, what does the host of the party wear? "For a big theater show like tonight, I want to wear something that pumps me up because I am a small target on a big stage in front of a couple thousand people," he says. "So I need to stand out a little bit more. But in everyday life, I really do just wear blue jeans, a white or black T-shirt, and some nice sneakers that kind of tie the outfit together."
And we kept talking. About his biggest insecurities, the struggles of dating, cold plunges, and a whole lot more. If you don’t know who Rife is, you’re about to find out. And if you already know him, well, that makes sense. He’s on his big tour, he’s got a second, hour-long special, and this is just the beginning for him.
On Style
Surprisingly enough, I don’t put as much thought into what I wear now as I did when I was younger. Now I dress pretty simple—I love a good '80s or '90s basic tank or T-shirt, maybe an open button up, some retro-fitted jeans and sneakers. Up until two years ago, you couldn't pay me to wear low top sneakers because everything was about big, bulky high tops, like Jordans and everything. But now with baggy jeans coming back, I find myself wearing a lot more like low top Dunks, smaller shoes like that. I hate flip flops. I hate loafers. And anybody who wears any shoe without a sock in it, I think should be publicly executed. Socks are a thing. I'm the guy who will wear socks with his flip flops 100 percent of the time. Your bare feet do not need to be out. It's disgusting.
On Not Being Hot
I don't think I'm hot at all. It's funny. I've had this conversation with girls that I've dated before because they'll ask the same kind of questions—oh that’s hilarious, what are your intentions here?—I truly think I'm a little bit better than average-looking, but I don't find myself conventionally attractive at all. I believe other people think that, but I think when I look at myself in comparison to other men that I would consider very attractive men conventionally, I'm like, “Nah, I don't look anything like these people." So I get that I'm maybe a lot of people's type, but I just don't see it personally.
On Who Is Hot
Maybe like Austin Butler or Ryan Reynolds. Oh my God, I have a type. I need to do some soul searching. Can we reschedule?
On Style, but the Comedic Kind
So much of my style has grown to become more story-based. I'm not a big joke writer—the typical premise, setup, punchline. That's not really my style. A lot of what I do are just life experiences, whether it be with my friends, relationships, just things that I've done firsthand, and then I build off of that, which is fun for me. I didn't really realize up until about two years ago that storytelling is more my style. For the first eight to ten years of your career, you really are trying to figure out what kind of comedy you want to write, and it came about with two really funny stories of mine that I started to tell on stage. They just flowed very naturally to me and I was like, “Oh, this might be my thing.”
On Crowd Work
I don't like to go with the obvious person, the one who’s yelling out and being obnoxious. I'm absolutely not going to play into that. I just pick anybody that sparks any interest in me in the front row. And I think you get some of the most interesting outcomes because it is so unpredictable.
On Insecurities
For my job, my biggest insecurity is security. In entertainment, absolutely no work is guaranteed other than the job you're doing today. You can get fired. You can lose fans. You can get canceled—feel free to put that in the most ridiculous font that you can find. So nothing is guaranteed. And then my biggest insecurity as a person? I guess it’s a similar thing: security at home. I kind of hate dating. I know I am just in my mid-to-late 20s, but still, I do want a wife and a family and a prominent home life that makes me feel comfortable, safe, and is my peace. But when I'm touring six days a week, 52 weeks out of the year, it's incredibly hard to maintain a relationship. I do meet women who are fantastic human beings that I'm like, “Wow, you're such a lovely person. You're beautiful. You're sweet, you're kind, you'd be an excellent mother and excellent wife, excellent girlfriend, you check all these boxes, but I might not be in a position right now to fulfill your needs as a responsible boyfriend.” So I wonder if I am missing out on wonderful people, you know? I think there's an insecurity of like, “What can life be like at home in the next five years?”
On Wellness
Something that saves my life a lot of time is just a fitness space, like a really good boxing gym. I will plug my boxing gym in Los Angeles that one of my very good friends owns. It's called Gloveworx in Santa Monica. That has been like such a lifesaver for me. I love me a good spa. I’m not a massage guy, but I do love a cold plunge and a sauna. As soon as I get a house, one of the first investments I'll make will be cold plunge. It's so good for your muscles. It's good for your mental health, good for your metabolism. I absolutely love it. I'm not a caffeine guy. I can't drink coffee or Redbull or anything like that. So what I do when I need to boost my energy and wake up in the morning is see if there's a spa nearby the hotels, book the cold plunge, and then I'll start my day with a boost of energy.
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