UPDATED, 2:12 p.m.: After making the last-minute move to postpone two Indiana shows due to what he called “a last minute medical emergency,” comedian Matt Rife has elected to take a two-week hiatus from touring due to health issues, Deadline has learned.
According to a message sent out by the Chicago Theater and the Ryman Auditorium, venues where Rife had scheduled upcoming dates, “On the way to a recent show in Indiana, Matt 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.”
As a result, Rife’s shows scheduled for these venues will be rescheduled, as the Indiana dates were. Those unable to attend the new dates will be offered a refund.
Incredibly busy of late, Rife is on the road for his “ProbleMATTic World Tour,” one of the largest in over 20 years, which sold over 600,000 tickets in under 48 hours. He’d been scheduled to continue touring the U.S. throughout August before setting off for Europe. Read more about the events of Wednesday evening below.
PREVIOUSLY, 8:19 a.m.: Comedian Matt Rife postponed a pair of Indiana shows on Wednesday night, citing “a last minute medical emergency.”
Originally scheduled for February, these performers were to take place at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington, IN. Rife took to his Instagram stories to apologize to fans for the situation.
“I’m so f***ing sorry, but due to a last minute medical emergency i have to reschedule our shows tonight (again),” wrote the comic. “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.”
Reps for the comedian couldn’t be reached for comment by press time, but we’ll update the story in the event that more context surrounding the emergency emerges.
In another post on Instagram, a spokesperson for the Indiana University Auditorium confirmed that tickets will be funded “in full” within 30 days.
Set to tour the U.S. throughout August before setting off to Europe, Rife is in the midst of a huge career moment, as he continues to make his way through his “ProbleMATTic World Tour,” one of the largest in over 20 years, which sold over 600,000 tickets in under 48 hours. Exploding to fame in recent years on social media, Rife recently became the youngest comedian to headline (and sell out) the iconic Hollywood Bowl, after selling out four shows at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Additionally, his debut Netflix special Matt Rife: Natural Selection came in as the most viewed of all specials on the streamer in the second half of last year, as revealed in the latest data dump from Netflix.
From a small town near Columbus Ohio, Rife started performing at the age of 15 and moved to Los Angeles two years later in pursuit of a career in Hollywood. Self-financing his first one-hour special, Only Fans, and releasing it through YouTube in 2021, he again bet on himself two years later as he took the same approach with his follow-up, Matthew Steven Rife, before making his way to Netflix.
Currently developing a workplace sitcom for Netflix, Rife has also inked a deal with the streamer for two more specials, one of which will be its first-ever full-length crowd work special, as we were first to report.
Matt Rife/Instagram
