Matt Rife has often spoken about his love for his maternal grandfather Steve, so when he died in November 2022, Rife was devastated. In a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram to his late grandfather, the young comedian wrote, "If I've ever made you laugh — it's because of him. Growing up without a dad, he was my father figure. He taught me every single thing I know and gave his entire life for me. ... Thank you so much for being my best friend, my teacher, my father, my grandfather, my inspiration, my soul, my everything." Rife took the news of his grandfather's death so hard that he nearly scrapped his special, "Matthew Steven Rife," but eventually managed to complete filming the project.
Steve had been there for Rife throughout his rise to fame and had even been responsible for the sense of humor the comic developed early on in his life, according to an interview with Numéro in March 2023. He explained that every weekend, he and his grandfather would watch movies together, saying, "A lot of them were comedies, like Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jim Carrey. That was who I grew up on, that's what he was a fan of and that was kind of our connection. Watching those films and being around him all the time, helped me develop the sense of humor I have now."
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