Matt Rife Sparks Mixed Reactions After Cancelling His Shows

Comedian Matt Rife recently announced the cancellation of his comedy shows due to a “medical emergency.”

The 28-year-old also apologized to his fans and noted that he had rescheduled the shows. However, some of his fans are displeased by the cancellation, lamenting how much they spent on plane tickets and hotel reservations.

According to a report, Matt Rife “nearly fainted” while heading to one of the venues where his show was supposed to be held.

Rife took to his X account on Wednesday to announce the unfortunate news of his canceled show at Indiana University.

He wrote, “INDIANA: I’m so f–king sorry, but due to a last minute medical emergency i have to reschedule our shows tonight (again). I’ve been doing 40+ shows a month for a year and half and never had to do something like this, I’m so so sorry, i hope you understand and i love you so much.”

Rife added in a separate tweet, “Refunds are being issued, working on it now. Sorry again.”

According to Page Six, an email sent out to ticket buyers specified that the comedian had to cancel his shows after he experienced “extreme exhaustion symptoms and nearly fainted heading to the venue.”

“Matt is currently under advisement from his medical team to take immediate time off from touring for two weeks,” the email read.

It added, “Unfortunately, due to immediate health concerns, Matt’s shows at the Chicago Theater / Ryman Auditorium are being rescheduled. … Future dates will not be affected, and his shows will continue, starting in Memphis on 6/12.”

The Chicago Theater shows have been rescheduled for December 26, 27, 29, and 30. However, the dates for Ryman Auditorium shows have yet to be revealed.

A source also told the news outlet that Rife is on the mend after his health scare. They said, “He’s currently resting and will make a good recovery.”

The comedian’s fans are not too pleased by the sudden cancellation, with several noting the expenses they incurred in hopes of seeing his performance.

One person wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “I don’t mind #MattRife needs a break. Take care of yourself-but less than 2 hours notice before the show is ridiculous. He knew yesterday. We dropped $600 on plane tickets and $1100 on hotel to fly to Chicago. If we knew yesterday we could have cancelled and saved a sh-t ton.”

Another person decried Rife’s announcement, stating, “My wife and I were on the way to Chicago (1 hour and 39 minute) for the @mattrife show Sorted out babysitters and blocked off the day. It was for my wife’s birthday For it to be canceled an hour and a half before the show. Unbelievable. Google his reasoning too LOL.”

Despite the anger of some fans, others were very sympathetic to the comedian as they wished him a speedy recovery.

In a message before the cancellation of his shows, Rife briefly talked about not getting enough sleep due to his hectic tour schedule.

He noted at the time that he had only slept for “14 hours” in one week while joking about being a “literal corpse.”

Rife said, “Sometimes i feel 98 years old and then i remember i sleep maybe 14 hours a week if I’m lucky so I am quite literally a corpse.”

Fans at the time were sympathetic, as many encouraged them to take a break so he could get some proper rest and not overwork himself.

In November last year, Rife came under heavy scrutiny after making a joke that was deemed “sexist” by many.

The comedian, who gained fame via TikTok, had joked about meeting a hostess with a black eye during one of his travels.

Narrating the story, Rife said, “It was pretty obvious what happened. But we couldn’t get over, like, this is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?”

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

The comedian went on to further roast the said woman, saying, “She should have had her protection crystal.”

After the joke, Rife was faced with backlash, but he remained unapologetic throughout.