Matt Rife before and after: The plastic surgery rumors, explained

Standup comic Matt Rife is known for quite a few things — his interactive crowd work, his controversial moments, and the rumors that he went under the knife. 

Ever since he started gaining popularity on TikTok, the question has remained — did Matt Rife get plastic surgery? To many, his jaw is almost perfectly sculpted, and his cheekbones are just a little too high. Therefore, a ton of onlookers are convinced that the comedian has been under the knife a few times. On the flip side, some claim his looks are all natural and the claims are unwarranted. But what’s Matt Rife’s take on the matter? Has he admitted to getting work done? Or is he maintaining that his chiseled face is God-given?

What started the rumors?

Matt Rife has been subject to speculation about his physical features since he began blowing up online. After all, even though his comedy was a huge selling point, his face and abs also won him a ton of fans. Following the release of his Netflix stand-up special, Natural Selection, as well as the accompanying controversial moments, a lot more eyes were on the star. 

The rumors reached their peak a little over a week after the special’s release. Most notably, the popular plastic surgeon Dr. Benjamin Caughlin released a video on his TikTok account, @manyfacesofchicago. The video featured the doctor skipping down a hallway, with an accompanying text that read, “Me after creating the greatest jawline ever seen just for my patient to get canceled right after.” Audiences immediately believed he was referring to Rife, especially since he was, at the time, under fire for his tasteless “joke” which poked fun at victims of domestic violence.  

Has Matt Rife addressed the rumors?

Things escalated when Caughlin reposted the video to Instagram, catching the attention of Matt Rife himself, who was quick to respond. In a now-deleted comment, Rife responded, “Lying about medical history is illegal, just FYI.” While Rife probably intended for the comment to end the speculation, his response only served as some kind of confirmation that he was the person being referred to in the video. 

Besides his comment on Dr. Caughlin’s post, however, Rife has stated a few times times in interviews, and during his shows, that he has never had any work done to his face. He maintains that his good looks and sharp features are a result of late puberty, and the only cosmetic alterations he has done was getting veneers to straighten his teeth. Many people argue that we should take his word for it, but the drastic differences between his older pictures and recent ones admittedly make it difficult for some. Indeed, his jaw looks to be a completely different shape than it is today, and his cheekbones were not as high years ago. Nonetheless, it’s imperative to go by someone’s word, unless hard evidence is presented claiming otherwise.