realestate

Comedian Matt Rife swaps city life for quiet Rhode Island suburbs

Comedian Matt Rife's unconventional real estate purchase sparks local attention.

C
omedian Matt Rife is making a name for himself in the Rhode Island suburbs, having recently purchased 80 acres of property in the state. In an August appearance on the "Bad Friends" podcast, Rife revealed that he had been drawn to Rhode Island despite initially not considering it as a top contender for his real estate search. He cited sky-high costs in Los Angeles as one reason for leaving the city's notorious comedy scene.

    Rife mentioned three key factors in his decision: affordability, access to a thriving comedy scene, and convenient travel options. Providence's "Comedy Connection" club and Boston's nearby comedy scene were major draws. Rife joked that Providence was like Burbank Airport and Boston was like LAX for him.

    The young comedian expressed gratitude for his new property, saying he wakes up every day happy in his home despite being a self-proclaimed non-morning person. He purchased the property during a visit to Rhode Island before a show in Connecticut, using Zillow to browse listings and deciding it was worth the investment after seeing how affordable it was.

    Rife's comedy tour has been a huge success, earning him the number two spot on Billboard's list of top-grossing comedy tours for 2024. His 256 shows grossed around $57.5 million, selling over 733,000 tickets. The 10-person list had a combined total of $396.7 million in earnings, a 52% increase from the previous year.

Comedian Matt Rife moves to quiet Rhode Island suburbs from city life.