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Matt Rife Says Crowd Work Is Why ‘the Comedy Community Does Not Like Me at All’

In 2024, comedian crowd work on social media is a double-edged sword. Sure, those videos can cut through the clutter and get a comedian noticed. But audience interaction clips also can invite obnoxious fans to try to become part of the show. Matt Rife built an audience posting videos like the one below, but in some ways, his TikTok drops have hurt his reputation as much as helped him. Can Rife write actual jokes or is he only capable of riffing on unsuspecting audience members?

Julio Torres Wrote The Sensitive ‘SNL’ Sketch That Became One Of Stephen Colbert’s All-Time Favorites

It’s hard to imagine the perpetually paternal Stephen Colbert as an actual human child – but, if he ever was one, kid Colbert would have loved the melancholic serenity of a mass-produced, plastic wishing well.

When it comes to grown-up, slightly gloomy and plenty whimsical sensitive former children, Julio Torres is their idiosyncratic comedy king. The accomplished screenwriter and showrunner’s specific brand of comedy caters to those who can find the most minute eccentricities charming and humorous. And, with his upcoming feature film debut, Problemista, Torres will add another thoughtfully niche work to his oeuvre as he plays a curious, aspiring toymaker toiling in the U.S. immigration system while suffering under a chaotic mistress played by Tilda Swinton. This, of course, is not Torres’ first time mining comedy out of fictional toys – when he was a writer on Saturday Night Live, Torres delivered one of the most unique and touching parody commercials in the show’s recent years with the 2016 sketch “Wells for Boys.”

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