Matt Rife Ignites Backlash Over Domestic Violence Joke in Netflix Special and Mock ‘Apology’ That Links to Website for Special Needs Helmets
21.11.2023 - 17:55
/ variety.com
Zack Sharf Digital News Director 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.” Rife tells the crowd the joke was him “just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not.” He adds: “I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.” The joke generated controversy on social media in the days following the streaming debut of “Natural Selection,” so much so that Rife took to his Instagram story on Nov. 20 to issue a mock apology. “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 said: “Tap to solve the issue.” When tapped, the link brought followers to a health website where they could purchase special needs helmets.
Mocking viewers upset with his domestic violence joke by evoking special needs only added more fuel to the controversy. Variety has reached out to Rife’s representative for further comment. “Natural Selection” marks Rife’s first Netflix comedy special after becoming a viral
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