Matt Rife responds after he’s criticized for joke about domestic violence in his Netflix special Natural Selection
Comedian Matt Rife responded Monday after receiving criticism on social media for a domestic violence joke he told in his recently released Netflix special Natural selection.
“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology,” Rife, 28, said in a post on Instagram Stories, with a link to a website that sells helmets for people with special needs.
To kick off his set in the special, which was filmed at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC, Rife told a joke that critics said was sexist and made light of domestic violence.
The Columbus, Ohio-born comedian talked a bit about the contrast between the nation’s capital and its largest nearby neighboring city, Baltimore.
“I’ve only been to Baltimore once, and the hostess sitting with you had a black eye — a complete black eye,” Rife, who rose to fame on the social media platform TikTok, said in the special. “It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty clear what happened.
The Latest: Comedian Matt Rife, 28, resigned on Monday after being criticized on social media for jokes he made in his recently released Netflix special Natural Selection
“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology,” Rife, 28, said in a post on Instagram Stories
The message linked to a website that sells helmets for people with special needs
“But we couldn’t get over it: This is the face of the company? Is this the one greeting your people?’
Rife’s story continued: ‘And my boy, who I was with, said, ‘Yeah, I feel sorry for her, man, I feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where no one has to see her face. ” And I thought, “Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
Amid opposition from the crowd, he acknowledged the strong subject matter he was covering in his material, then moved on to a different routine.
“Testing the waters, see if you guys will like it or not,” Rife said. “I thought we were going to start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should go pretty smoothly.
‘Of course I felt bad for her. She should have had her protection crystals, you know what I mean?
‘
Rife’s joke attracted a number of critics on Twitter, many of whom said they were pleased to see the TikTok sensation in hot water.
One user said: ‘Matt Rife opens his special with a ‘if a woman could cook she wouldn’t have a black eye’. Real? This is your god?’
Another said: ‘The way women have made Matt popular and as soon as he gets a comedy special on Netflix he immediately betrays them with a domestic abuse joke…crazy innit.’
To kick off his set in the special, which was filmed at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC, Rife told a joke that critics said was sexist and made light of domestic violence.
The Columbus, Ohio-born comedian talked a bit about the contrast between the nation’s capital and its largest nearby neighboring city, Baltimore
Rife’s joke attracted a number of critics on Twitter, many of whom said they were pleased to see the TikTok sensation in hot water
One user replied to Rife’s comment, saying: ‘BIG YIKES’
Another person said he was surprised by the joke Rife told after thinking it was an ‘exaggerated’ controversy
One user said: ‘Matt Rife: my special is for boys… starts straight off with a joke about domestic violence.’
One user posted a meme of Stephen Colbert eating popcorn wearing 3D glasses, with the caption: “I’m witnessing the demise of Matt Rife after saying from day 1 that he created the vibe of ‘president of the frat where women warn other women about’. ‘
Another person said he was surprised by the joke Rife told after thinking it was an “exaggerated” controversy.
“My tiktok fyp is a lot of people complaining about the Matt Rife domestic violence joke, and because of the way my fyp is, I kinda assumed it was an exaggeration,” the user said. “But when I finally saw the real ‘joke’… I have to apologize, you were all right.”
One user responded to Rife’s response, saying, “BIG YIKES.”
Rife spoke last week with Variety in a question-and-answer session in which he said he “doesn’t really buy into this whole sensitivity thing in the comedy world that you can’t say anything anymore,” and called the term “bulls***.”
He added: “You can say whatever you want. Now you must prepare for the consequences.
But in the end, it all comes down to how you sleep at night. You know what I mean? Other people’s perspectives of you are not your responsibility.”
Rife said last week that he “doesn’t really buy into this whole sensitivity thing in the comedy world that you can’t say anything anymore,” calling the term “bulls***.”
Rife said he goes on stage with the intention of “making people laugh” and is not afraid to delve into topics that could be considered “dark humor.”
Rife said he goes on stage with the intention of “making people laugh” and is not afraid to delve into topics that could be considered “dark humor.”
Rife said: “I don’t think there’s anything you can’t talk about if you do it correctly, in the right way and at the right time.
“You have to be yourself and not worry about offending a certain number of people. You might miss a joke that you’re afraid will offend someone, but could win you a million new fans.”