Comedian Matt Rife responds to criticism Over Domestic Violence Joke in Netflix

Comedian Matt Rife has ignited controversy with his Netflix special “Natural Selection,” which launched Nov. 15 on the streaming service. The special kicks off with a joke about domestic violence. In what appeared to be an apology posted to his Instagram story, Rife directed anyone offended by his jokes to a link that led them to a website for special needs helmets.

At the beginning of Rife’s “Natural Selection,” he tells a story about being in a “ratchet” Baltimore restaurant with a friend and noticing their female server has a black eye. They wonder why the restaurant wouldn’t have the server work solely in the kitchen so that customers wouldn’t see her black eye. Rife jokes, “Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”

“Natural Selection,” which premiered Wednesday on Netflix, touches on topics like social media trolls, spirituality and having kids. He opened the special with a joke about a restaurant server who took his order in Baltimore. He described how she had a black eye.

“And my boy who I was with was like: ‘Yeah, I feel bad for her, man. I feel like they should put her in the kitchen or something where nobody has to see her face, ya know?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye,’” Rife said. 

Matt Rife has posted his stand-up comedy routines on TikTok since 2020 and quickly gained a large following, with more than 18 million followers currently. His sets typically focus on sex, dating, and relationships, and have generally received positive responses from fans,

In response to the joke from Natural Selection, fans and online creators, a large majority of whom are women, have called Rife out for “punching down,” or making fun of a marginalized community and victims at their expense rather than “punching up,” or joking about those who hold more power. “It’s just not funny, and it’s wild that his team let this through knowing that his audience is primarily female,” @the.self.defense.girl on TikTok said in a video.

"I figure we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be pretty smooth sailing after that," Rife said later in the special.

Rife went viral on TikTok last year, and sold around 600,000 tickets to his ProbleMATTic World Tour in just 48 hours. He has tour dates booked in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Australia through October of 2024.

Rife previously appeared on shows like Wild 'n Out, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Fresh Off the Boat. He released two other specials this year, titled Matthew Steven Rife and Walking Red Flag.

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Sarah H

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