Matt Rife Catches Heat for Domestic Violence Joke, Then Implies Critics Need Special Needs Helmets

Stand-up comic Matt Rife drew some criticism for a joke about domestic violence this month, and his response may have made things even worse. Rife released a new special called Natural Selection on Nov. 15 on Netflix, with “outrage bait” style jokes than ever. He kept that trend going when he suggested that his critics should wear helmets in day-to-day life.

Rife made plenty of edgy jokes in his new special, but the one that has commenters angry is about his encounter with a waitress who had a black eye. He said: “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.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.’” Rife acknowledged how offensive the joke was, saying he only made it to test if the audience was “fun.”

“Figured we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be pretty smooth sailing,” he quipped. Unsurprisingly, Rife caught a lot of flak for that joke on social media where commenters said that the joke was over the line. Some even called it a “betrayal” of his audience, estimating that the majority of his 18.2 million followers are women. Some said that after hearing this opening joke, they couldn’t even finish the special.

Rife’s response outraged even more people, however. The comedian posted a photo of himself on stage on his Instagram Story, writing: “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told- here’s a link to my official apology.” The hyperlink was labeled “Tap to solve your issue,” but it led to a website that sells specialty helmets made for people with disabilities.

Many commenters thought that this joke was even more offensive, and a sign that Rife is consciously trying to rebrand himself in some ways. They predicted that in the long run, he’ll be less successful because of these kinds of jokes.

Rife is 28 years old and has worked in entertainment since he was a teenager, with TV roles including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fresh Off the Boat and Wild ‘n Out. However, he is best known for his TikTok content and his stand-up specials – three of which came out this year. As outrage at the comedian builds on social media, his special remains in Netflix’s Top 10 lists.