The Dirt
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ByOyinkansola Isabella Fatoki
Funny, talented, with a strikingly gorgeous face — these are some of the attributes that might pop up when Matt Rife comes to mind. Though Rife got started in standup comedy as a teenager, it was not until he started sharing clips from his shows on TikTok that success came knocking on his door. "Social media has changed everything for me. I mean, just in the past 10 months, everything has shifted because of clips online," he admitted to E! News. Since his entry into the social media scene, Rife has garnered a large fanbase with over 24 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).
But while Rife is only just garnering mainstream success, he has been making headlines for far longer — thanks in part to his interesting dating history. In 2017, Rife, only 21 at the time, was confirmed to be dating actor Kate Beckinsale, with whom he shares a 22-year age gap. "She has been seeing Matt for the past few weeks,"a source told Peopleat the time."She really seems to like him. She refers to him as an old soul. There is obviously a physical attraction, too. The age difference doesn't matter to her. Matt is amazing to her."
Following his split from Beckinsale, Rife reportedly had a fling with "Pretty Little Liars" star Lucy Hale, per Page Six,before moving on to"The Next Step" star Jessica Lord, with whom he was first linked in 2023. Read on to find out the exact timeline of the couple's relationship.
Matt Rife and Jessica Lord knew each other for a while
In an October 2023 interview with the "2 Bears, 1 Cave" podcast, Matt Rife opened up about his relationship with Jessica Lord, revealing that they had known each other for about a year before their romance started. "It's an early relationship, about four or five months, but we've known each other for about a year and a half," he explained.
Though it's unclear when exactly the pair started dating, they first sparked relationship rumors in June 2023, when fans started spotting the comedian's comments on some of Lord's Instagram posts. During an appearance on "Good Morning America"two months later, Rife revealed he was in a relationship but held back on the lucky woman's name. In a separate interview with People in October 2023, Rife confirmed his romance with Lord, noting that they preferred to keep it out of the public's eye. "It's newer, but I mean, I do prefer to keep it on the more private side. Just because, I mean, people are literally insane," he told the outlet.
But while Rife and Lord want to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, it doesn't hold them back from enjoying each other's company in the public eye. In September 2023, when Rife celebrated his 28th birthday, he was spotted surrounded by a few of his loved ones –one of whom was Lord, as seen on her TikTok. But this was only the beginning of the next step for the couple, as they soon reached a major milestone.
Matt Rife and Jessica Lord made their red carpet debut in October 2023
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In November 2023, Matt Rife and Jessica Lord made their red carpet debut while attending the Forbes Top Creators List Launch in New York City. Not only did they pose for the cameras together, the couple sealed their debut with a kiss. Rife, who was one of the speakers at the event, sported denim pants and jacket worn over a white t-shirt. Finishing up the look, Rife opted for white sneakers, per NBC New York. Lord, on the other hand, settled for a black mini dress, black tights, and a black fur coat paired with black pumps. With their charming smiles, Rife and Lord couldn't have looked any cuter! Of course, it is barely a surprise that Lord was out to support her beau as the comedian.
Speaking to People in October 2023, Rife opened up about Lord's support, noting that while he doesn't run his jokes by her, she loves them nonetheless. "She's British, so she has like the best sense of humor," he explained. When she is not cackling at his jokes, though, Lord ensures that the famed comedian makes time for himself."She forces me to take personal time, obviously, and I love that. Whenever she's like, 'Can we have tomorrow for ourselves?' I'm like, 'Thank you. I would love to have that,'" he explained.
We might not know what the future holds for these two, but why worry about the future when they have now?
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