Comedian Matt Rife calls Whoopi Goldberg 'lazy' for listening to his audiobook

Matt Rife is known for his risqué humor, and Whoopi Goldberg is the latest subject of his jokes after calling the comedy legend "lazy."

The comedian and social media star, whose star has risen rapidly over the past year, made a pit stop on Tuesday's episode of "The View" to promote his new book, "Your Mom's Gonna Love Me." But Rife had a silence-inducing response after the EGOT winner said she listened to the book's audio version.

"The book is wonderful," Goldberg said before asking Rife if he recorded the audiobook version.

"You did the audiobook? A little lazy, but I respect it," Rife responded, which left Goldberg briefly speechless.

See the dates: Matt Rife announces 2025 comedy tour, 'bigger and better shows'

The comment received laughs from the studio audience and Goldberg's "View" co-host Sunny Hostin, as well as Tuesday's guest co-hosts, podcast personality and former "Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay and "View" alum Abby Huntsman.

And Goldberg wasn't silent for long, later reiterating her praise of Rife during the segment. "Your work is wonderful and it's great to watch because, you know, people do feel like they can come up and say anything to you or spit at you or take a swing," she said.

The media tour to promote his book comes amid a slight comeback for the up-and-coming comedy act.

Last year, a controversial joke in his debut Netflix special "Natural Selection" sparked controversial reactions and mixed reviews from fans.

In the standup special, Rife opened up with a joke about domestic violence to test if the crowd would be "fun or not."

Days later he courted controversy after he posted a fake apology for the domestic violence joke on his Instagram story. "If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told, here's a link to my official apology," he wrote alongside a link that led to a website selling "special needs helmets."

On "The View," Hostin told Rife, "You kind of say it all," noting later that absent "View" co-host and comedian Joy Behar often says that "comedians are under attack now." Rife pointed out that his close friend and comic Nate Bargatze doesn't "come under the same fire" for his jokes which are less raunchy.

"That's where you'd have to, I guess, just decide how much you want to be yourself and how much you want to pander to a community that might not even care about you in the first place."

"Whoopi says that quite a bit," Hostin said. "Really? (We're the) same person," Rife joked. Goldberg agreed, telling Rife and the panel that "comics are always under fire."

Matt Rife denies plastic surgery 'conspiracies' in new book, per reports

Revelations from Rife's new book are already making headlines as he heads out on a major press tour on shows such as "The View" and "Today." In "Your Mom's Gonna Love Me," Rife responds to rumors surrounding his appearance.

The "Wild 'N Out" alum claimed that his “bizarrely stunted journey through puberty” fueled "a million-and-one internet conspiracies" about possible plastic surgery procedures, per Page Six and People.

Rife said he went from looking like "a 13-year-old" to looking "like an actual grown-ish man" in a short period.

Rife is set to embark on his mammoth The Stay Golden Tour next year which includes a large slate of North American shows that kick off on March 8 in Dallas and conclude in Boston on Dec. 31, 2025, with 30 stops scheduled between those dates. A "special taping" is slated for his September shows in Austin, Texas.

This story has been updated with new information.

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, KiMi Robinson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Whoopi Goldberg speechless as Matt Rife dubs her 'lazy' in 'View' joke