Matt Rife's Real Name: Matt Rife
Matt Rife → Matt Rife
Quick answer: The comedian is known professionally as Matt Rife. Netflix's Tudum site dates his birth to Sept. 10, 1995, in Columbus, Ohio. The Cincinnati Enquirer independently calls him an Ohio native from North Lewisburg, about an hour northwest of Columbus, and also says he has lived in New Albany and Mount Vernon. Both sources refer to a self-produced special titled Matthew Steven Rife, but neither states that form as a legal birth name (Netflix Tudum; The Cincinnati Enquirer).
Real name and early life
He is known professionally as Matt Rife. Because the longer form appears here as the title of a YouTube special rather than as a documented birth name, this page titles the public name. Tudum, writing when it called him 28, gives Sept. 10, 1995, in Columbus. The Enquirer, in an Aug. 15, 2024, article, does not give a date and says he is from North Lewisburg, Ohio, about an hour northwest of Columbus, and has also lived in New Albany and Mount Vernon. Tudum says he has been working as a comedian since he was 15 and was the youngest performer to join MTV's Wild 'N Out. The Enquirer independently records Wild 'N Out among his first television appearances.
Career highlights
Tudum says that during the COVID period he and fellow comedian Paul Elia turned their Comedy Store show Lowkey into socially distanced Lowkey Outside performances, that he went viral on TikTok, and that he self-produced the YouTube specials Only Fans and Matthew Steven Rife. It dates the Netflix special Matt Rife: Natural Selection to a taping on Sept. 22 and 23 at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., as part of the sold-out ProbleMATTic World Tour, and says tickets for that tour sold out in 48 hours. The Enquirer, writing in 2024 after the Netflix special Lucid, independently names the specials Only Fans and Matthew Steven Rife, the 2019 NBC series Bring the Funny, and a 2024 world tour, and lists acting credits including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat, Burb Patrol, Wolf Mountain, North of the 10, and Just Swipe. It also says he had more than 19 million TikTok followers at the time.
Name notes for searchers
Matt Rife is the professional name used by both sources. A self-produced special is titled Matthew Steven Rife. Searchers looking for Lucid, Natural Selection, or Only Fans are usually aiming at the same person.
FAQ
What is Matt Rife's real name?
He is known professionally as Matt Rife. Both sources also refer to a special titled Matthew Steven Rife, but they do not state that as a legal birth name.
When and where was he born?
Tudum gives September 10, 1995, in Columbus, Ohio. The Cincinnati Enquirer says he is from North Lewisburg, Ohio, and does not give a date.
What are his Netflix specials?
Tudum focuses on Natural Selection, taped in Washington, D.C., in 2023. The Enquirer highlights Lucid, released by 2024.
Did he work in television before the specials?
Yes. Both sources mention MTV's Wild 'N Out. The Enquirer also lists Bring the Funny in 2019 and later acting roles.