What time is Matt Rife: Lucid on Netflix? Release date, controversy & more

Matt Rife has another Netflix special coming up titled Lucid – A Crowd Work Special, and it’s hot on the heels of last year’s release. 

Comedy is a tricky business as it is, since what people find funny is subjective. But, recently, artists seem to find themselves courting controversy, whether that be Joe Rogan with his 2017-esque jokes in Burn the Boats or Ricky Gervais’ underwhelming Armageddon. 

The same can be said for Rife, who found himself at the center of a media storm with his 2023 Netflix special, Natural Selection. 

Nonetheless, teaming up with Netflix is a surefire way to boost your following. Now, Rife’s got another special in store and it’s just around the corner, so here’s everything you need to know about Lucid. 

Matt Rife: Lucid release date & time

Rife’s new stand-up special Lucid drops on Netflix on August 13. Although it’s not been confirmed by the streamer, we can expect it to drop on the usual time of 12am PT / 3am ET.

If this is the case, here’s when you can watch it around the world:

• 4am Brazil
• 8am UK
• 9am Central European Summer Time
• 12:30pm India Standard Time
• 5pm Australia
• 7pm New Zealand

What it’s all about

The clue is in the name. Matt Rife: Lucid – A Crowd Work Special is Netflix’s first-ever comedy special dedicated solely to crowd work. 

That means it’s a full hour of unpredictability, as Rife and his audience at The Comedy Zone in Charlotte riff off each other. 

As for what jokes are in store, that’s anyone’s guess right now. However, ahead of its release, Rife shared a trailer in which he took jabs at cancel culture and the backlash to Natural Selection. 

In the clip, Rob Riggle holds a meeting at Netflix HQ to discuss the comic’s upcoming special, poking fun at gender identities and misconceptions about Rife. 

Riggle states that his “audience is 50% men and 50% women, and are 100% people who love comedy and aren’t whiny little b*tches.”

Matt Rife controversy explained

The comedian faced backlash for his Netflix debut, Natural Selection, in 2023 due to a joke he made about domestic violence at the start of his set. 

During the bit, Rife spoke about a waitress with a black eye. “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,’” he joked. 

This received a lot of backlash, with comments branding it “disrespectful” and “misogynistic.” Nonprofit Women’s Aid even spoke out about it, writing on X/Twitter: “Domestic abuse is no joke. 

“Conversation about @mattrife shows many people do not understand the severity of domestic abuse, and the impact these ‘jokes’ have on women feeling able to reach out for support. The shocking truth is three women a fortnight are killed by their partner or ex.”

Rife responded to the criticism by issuing a mock apology on his Instagram Story. “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology,” he wrote, alongside a link that said: “Tap to solve the issue.” 

But tapping on it simply took users to a health website where they could buy special needs helmets, which only fueled further criticism at the time.

What’s happened since?

Rife has hit the headlines numerous times since Natural Selection, including getting into a spat with a six-year-old. 

In December last year, TikToker BunnyHedaya had her six-year-old son, who’s a space enthusiast, stitch one of Rife’s stand-up clips in which he says Jupiter has a ring. The boy said, “Actually, it’s Saturn that has the rings. It has more (visible rings) also. And you’re mean to girls.” 

In a follow-up clip, BunnyHedaya claimed she never tagged Rife in the stitch before sharing a seemingly deleted comment from the comedian in which he said, “Jupiter also has ring. Oh!… and Santa Clause isn’t real. Your mom buys you presents with the money she makes on OnlyFans. Good luck.”

She said in her response video, “Like Matt, I have a full female audience online. Although, I like mine. I don’t want the men, you can keep them please. This all started when his comedy special, the things he said that weren’t even funny, were posted on TikTok.”

Prior to this, Rife got into a spat with plastic surgeon and TikToker ManyFacesOfChicago after they posted a video joking about “creating the greatest jawline ever seen just for my patient to get canceled right after.”

Although the surgeon didn’t name any names, many followers assumed he meant Rife. The comedian himself commented on the post, “Lying about medical history is illegal, just FYI,” only to delete it shortly after. 

Instagram/@manyfacesofchicago

Despite these controversies, Rife has been touring the world with his stand-up sets, and has doubled down on his take on comedy. 

In a December show in Florida, he told the audience, “I did want to make sure I mentioned at the top of the show though, if anybody here has come to a comedy show at a comedy club with even the possibility of being offended by a joke, we have arranged a safe space for you.

“(It’s) Located right outside that exit door… go and see yourself out. No one’s gonna stop you.”

For more fresh content, check out the new TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as the movies to add to your watchlist. You can also read about whether Kill Tony is moving to Netflix.