Nima Yamini did not take well to TMZ’s news that Matt Rife had seen the incendiary viral clip and was looking to take legal action. “You contacted me when I was with my wife @TMZ (Brandon) then without even taking my side of the story post this gossip to push drama and clicks,” he tweeted on March 7. The following day, Yamini posted another video to X, but this one was not intended as satire. In the clip, he cleared the air about his relationship with the internet star. “Don’t know Matt Rife. I never met him. But my silly joke should definitely not discredit him or his hard work,” Yamini said in the vid.
Once the report from TMZ broke, several fans took Yamini’s side, and believed that Rife had overreacted. “A comedian suing a comedian for making a joke, this kid is really ruining his own career at this point lol,” a Redditor wrote on March 7. “Dude, you’re a comedian. Win in the court of public opinion,” another Reddit user commented.
In the past, Rife has admitted that he is prone to losing his temper over social media drama. “It’s something I need to work on; I’m so immature. I have such a hard time not replying back,” he told Vogue in November 2023. The comedian went on to add, “I can’t slap the s*** out of you, but I can at least check you sometimes.” Despite the occasional spat, social media has been huge for Rife’s career.