Controversial US Comedian Matt Rife Extends 2024 Australian Stand-Up Tour

Controversial US comedian Matt Rife has announced he’s extending his sold-out 2024 ProbleMATTic Australian tour.

Rife's initial tour dates in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne experienced a swift sell-out, prompting the addition of the new Sydney date. The extra performance is scheduled for Friday, 18th January, at Sydney’s State Theatre, with tickets available for purchase now.

The comic has been on the rise of late, gaining popularity through his viral content and a massive following of over 18 million on TikTok, amassing more than 2 billion views globally.

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His recent Netflix stand-up special, Natural Selection, further propelled his fame — however, Rife was met with major backlash over a “joke” he made about eating at a“ratchet” Baltimore restaurant where the waitress had a black eye.

“And my boy, who I was with, was like, ‘Yeah, I feel bad for her, man. I feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where nobody has to see her face’,” Rife joked in the Netflix special.

“And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye’.”

Rife then tells the crowd he was “just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not.”

“I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.”

Understandably, the joke did not go down well on social media, with many calling out Rife for joking about domestic violence.

In response to the backlash, Rife took to Instagram, offering what he referred to as an “apology.” He posted a story with a link that led followers to a website selling helmets for people with disabilities.

“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology,” he wrote on a story that included a link that said: “Tap to solve the issue.”

Check out the tour dates below.

• Thursday, 11th January – Perth Concert Hall, Perth (Both shows sold out)

• Saturday, 13th January – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane (Both shows sold out)

• Friday, 18th January – State Theatre, Sydney (New Show)

• Friday, 19th January – State Theatre, Sydney (Both shows sold out)

• Saturday, 20th January – Hamer Hall, Melbourne (Both shows sold out)

Tickets for the new Sydney show are available via Live Nation.