After a controversial Netflix special, during which he made a joke about domestic violence, social media users certainly aren’t mincing their words over comedian Matt Rife. But of all the anecdotes and stories now coming out about Rife, it’s TikToker Emily Giangreco (@emily.giangreco) who has the most surprising story about the public figure.
“For context, I did not like Matt Rife,” she began. “I never liked Matt Rife. I completely understand that his demographic was women, and I think a lot of them got caught up in his looks, […] but he’s always told inappropriate jokes.” Emily then went on to say she crossed paths with Matt previously when he was doing a comedy show in Pittsburgh.
“He showed up, and nobody knew who he was,” she continued. “There were people that knew who he was, but [as for] the people that he was there to meet, most of them were like, ‘Who is this guy?’” But according to Emily, what really made her “mad” was the way Rife treated fans who specifically showed up to see him and take a photo. “There were people that were genuine fans of his,” she recalled. “One of the people was a 60-year-old man, and he [was] like, the sweetest person on the planet.”
@emily.giangreco My #MattRife ♬ original sound – Emily Giangreco
But the fan was left disappointed after Matt “refused” to take photos with them, Emily claimed. “Matt Rife apparently thinks he’s too good for that,” she said. “He said that he refuses to take photos, because he heard that somebody said he’s not even that funny. [..] But can you imagine meeting a 60-year-old man that is so excited to see you, have them fawning over you and you denying them a photo because some other person said something? That’s the type of person that Matt Rife is.”
But the thing Emily disliked the most was Rife’s “ego.” addressing Rife directly, she added, “I didn’t like you before, but now I really don’t like you. I don’t respect you. I just think you’re a horrible human being, and you clearly need to go to therapy.”
The top comment on Emily’s video refers to Rife as “Andrew Tate 2.0.” Tate is a controversial online personalty who has admitted to being sexist and misogynist and is currently facing charges in Romania of human trafficking and rape.
“The overwhelming majority (including me) have only ever seen small TikTok clips, not his actual standup. Now we see the truth,” another commenter said.
In response to the backlash he received after his Netflix special, Rife issued a fake apology that linked out to a website selling special needs helmets that “protect individuals who struggle with frequent seizures, head banging, or protection from traumatic brain injury.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Emily for comment via email and Rife via representative for comment.
