Anti-woke comedy wins as Matt Rife, Tom Segura, and Shane Gillis specials dominate Netflix viewership



The biggest comedy specials on Netflix are predominantly from the most politically incorrect comedians, according to recent numbers released by the platform.

Comedians Matt Rife, Tom Segura, and Shane Gillis had the biggest streaming numbers for stand-up comedy specials on Netflix in the latter half of 2023, capitalizing on what most feel like is a return to uncensored comedy.

Rife has been particularly successful after "Matt Rife: Natural Selection" dominated streaming with a total of 13.5 millions hours watched on Netflix. Variety reported the special garnered over 10 million views in its first few weeks. It also reached the Netflix top 10 in 42 countries.

This parlayed into two more comedy specials on the platform for Rife, and according to Deadline, he is in the development stage for a sitcom with Netflix.

Rife had previously faced cancelation attempts for making a joke about a Baltimore waitress with a black eye. After the media's attempt to re-educate him, Rife posted an image from his stand-up special on his social media page with the caption, "If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told — here's a link to my official apology."

The link read, "Tap to solve your issue." Anyone who clicked was sent to a website selling "special needs helmets."

'It seems to me that there's always been policing of comedy, of there being ... guardrails.'

Second on Netflix's stand-up viewership was Segura's "Sledgehammer," which was watched for 12.2 million hours.

Not only has Segura had a slew of successful specials and two top-50 comedy podcasts, he has also managed to take unique ideas on the road. Along with athletes and fellow comedians, Segura recently hosted a "Punt, Pass, and Kick" event that blurred the lines between comedy and live entertainment.

The comic successfully capitalized on Super Bowl week in Las Vegas by holding the football-themed event. He also did promotions with MGM, hosted a blackjack tournament, and performed a stand-up show.

While Segura is rarely seen as offensive, he certainly does not play by the rules. His circle of friends that include Bert Kreischer, Joe Rogan, and more, also do not appeal to woke audiences

The same cannot be said for the third-highest ranking special on Netflix, Gillis' "Beautiful Dogs."

The words "retarded," "gay," and impressions of Donald Trump all make it into Gillis' typical shows, and that included his appearance as the host of "Saturday Night Live" in February 2024.

Gillis explained that he chose to hide some of his choice words from his rehearsal but added that "the right people" knew what he was going to say. The earth-shattering appearance landed him a new special on Netflix, along with the platform picking up his show "Tires," which debuted in May 2024.

Rounding out the top-viewed comedy specials was a surprising entry called "Where Was I" from former Comedy Central host Trevor Noah. It had 6.3 million hours watched.

Not so surprising, however, was Ricky Gervais' "Armageddon" and Dave Chappelle's "The Dreamer."

The numbers for those two were actually shocking given Gervais' special came out Christmas Day 2023 and Chappelle's a few days later on New Year's Eve. The specials garnered 8.4 million and 2.1 million hours watched, respectively, before 2023 ended.

Gervais, who has always been against political correctness, recently said he felt like the left wing has positioned themselves as the arbiter of comedy.

"It seems to me that there's always been policing of comedy, of there being ... guardrails," he told Fox News. "I think the difference is that it used to feel like it was the Right that was policing it. It feels like it’s the Left that’s doing it now, and it’s allowed the Right to become the arbiters of free speech. Which does feel like quite a significant shift."

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Canceled comedian Matt Rife books 2 Netflix specials after media fails to re-educate him over offensive jokes

Canceled comedian Matt Rife books 2 Netflix specials after media fails to re-educate him over offensive jokes



Stand-up comedian and viral TikTok star Matt Rife has signed a Netflix deal for two specials, including a first-of-its-kind crowd-work special for the platform.

Rife has enjoyed incredible success through social media, particularly on his TikTok account that boasts over 18 million followers. This led to a November 2023 Netflix special called "Natural Selection," which Variety reported garnered over 10 million views in its first few weeks. The special reach the Netflix top 10 in 42 countries.

Netflix rewarded Rife with two specials, one of which will be the platform's first foray into crowd work, where the comedian interacts with audience members for the entirety of the show. Set to air in 2024, the first special will be filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and directed by fellow comic Erik Griffin.

Rife's special was not without controversy, however, with media outlets showcasing offense over a joke about a waitress with a black eye.

In response to the alleged outrage, Rife posted a response on his social media that was met with even more gasps.

In what Huffington Post called a "stale" apology, Rife posted an image from his stand-up special on his social media page with the caption "if you've ever been offended by a joke I've told- here's a link to my official apology."

The link read "tap to solve your issue."

Critics likely became more offended when they saw that the link sent them to a website selling "special needs helmets."

Comedian Matt Rife is facing backlash after posting a fake apology link on Instagram. \n\nIntended for those offended by jokes in his Netflix special, he actually linked to a website selling special needs helmets.
— (@)

Outlets have consistently tried to find ways to tear Rife down since the comedian's career began reaching its tipping point.

Rolling Stone called his comedy "sanitized shock value," saying the comedian wanted audiences to think he was edgier than he actually is.

Viewers have also tried assigning racism to the comedian for past posts on X (then Twitter), where he made comments such as that if he had a superpower, "it'd be to jump high and run fast..... I'd be called 'Black Guy,'" he wrote.

Outlet The Things asked if Rife was "problematic" and if he had actually changed since his posts as a youth. This was coupled with complaints that he referred to gay people on Snapchat as "the only ones he will let cut his hair."

Just two weeks before the announcement of Rife's pair of specials dropped, Distractify declared that his career had "collapsed."

The cancellation attempts still haven't pumped their brakes. With Rife set to perform at Indiana University, some students took the chance to offer re-education to Rife, as many outlets have.

"If he’s willing to learn, then he should absolutely be welcome," said a representative of the school's Neurodiversity Coalition. "But if he’s not willing to learn from what he said, then he has no business being on a campus like Indiana University. We need to put our best foot forward and that starts by vetting who we invite onto our campus," the rep, Abe Shapiro, told the Indiana Daily Student.

Matt Rife\u2019s crowd work is the best I\u2019ve ever seen \ud83d\ude2d\n\nHe needs to drop that second Netflix special.
— (@)

As for his crowd-work special, the style has grown in popularity since comedian Andrew Schulz was one of the first — if not the first — to do it successfully in 2019. His special sits at nearly 7 million views on YouTube.

Rife's previous tour, the ProbleMATTic World Tour, sold out shows at the Dolby Theater four times, Radio City Music Hall six times, and the Mohegan Sun Arena five times.

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Comedian Matt Rife in HOT water after release of 'Natural Selection' on Netflix



Comedian Matt Rife just released his first-ever Netflix special, and not everyone is happy about it.

The comedian couldn’t even get through his opening joke before calls for his cancellation started circulating. The opening joke was a gag about domestic violence.

“I just wanted to see if y’all were fun,” he told the audience afterward.

Rife later “apologized” via his Instagram story, writing, “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology.”

However, the link just directed followers to a special needs helmet shopping page.

“I didn’t find that joke either especially funny or offensive,” Lauren Chen says about his domestic violence bit, but notes that the reason his audience is so angry is likely due to his large female following.

Chen thought Rife’s apology was “pretty good” and doesn’t think the blowback is really deserved.

“Matt Rife is a comedian that doesn’t actually mean that he doesn’t like women, that he doesn’t like the elderly, that he doesn’t like people with down syndrome,” Chen explains to those who might have a harder time understanding.

“There’s a difference between joking about something versus actually believing that thing, and oftentimes, what makes a joke about a topic funny is the fact that the statement is so outrageous and unthinkable,” she adds.

While Chen doesn’t believe Rife should be “canceled,” she also doesn’t think his special — though it “definitely had moments” — is that good.

“After my husband and I watched the Matt Rife special, we also went to watch the Shane Gillis special,” Chen says, adding, “and in my opinion that one is just way funnier, way better all around.”


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