- The stand-up comedian Matt Rife's first Netflix special, "Natural Selection," has caused controversy.
- The 28-year-old star gained viral fame via TikTok and Instagram.
The viral comedian Matt Rife's first Netflix special, "Natural Selection," has been at the center of controversy since it was released on November 15.
The comedian started the hourlong special with a joke about domestic violence against women.
Here's what you need to know about Rife — and the controversy over "Natural Selection."
Who is Matt Rife?
Before "Natural Selection," Rife released three other specials on YouTube: "Matt Rife: Only Fans" was released in December 2021, while "Matthew Steven Rife" dropped in April, and "Walking Red Flag" arrived in June.
The 28-year-old comedian is best known for clips from his stand-up gigs that have gone viral on TikTok and Instagram over the last few years.
The videos mainly consist of "crowd work," in which Rife speaks to audience members and jokes about whatever comes up in the conversation.
In a video for Famous Birthdays in 2018, Rife said he started performing stand-up comedy when he was 15 after participating in a high-school talent show.
As of 2023, Rife has 18.2 million followers on TikTok and 6.4 million followers on Instagram.
In an interview with Variety earlier this month, Rife said that early on in his career, he mainly attracted a female demographic on TikTok, but his shows today attract both men and women.
"One of the biggest misconceptions of things I get ridiculed online for is people are like, 'Oh, he only has a female fan base,'" he said. "In the beginning, yes, because I did blow up on TikTok, which is very female-dominant. So, I get that perspective."
"I would argue this special is way more for guys. I wanted to make this special for everybody. I pride myself on making my comedy for everybody. It's not for a specific demographic," Rife added.
Why did Matt Rife's Netflix special cause controversy?
Rife has come under over a joke about domestic violence against women early on in "Natural Selection," with fans pointing out that it was women who helped make him famous.
In the special, Rife told an anecdote about being at a restaurant with a friend and noticing the woman serving them had a black eye.
Rife went on to say he wondered why her managers didn't relegate her to working in the kitchen instead of interfacing with customers before joking: "Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn't have that black eye."
The joke was heavily criticized online, with fans accusing him of turning his back on the fans who made him popular in the first place.
"The way women catapulted matt rife into popularity and the second he gets a comedy special on netflix he immediately betrays them with a joke about domestic violence," posted one person on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
the way women catapulted matt rife into popularity and the second he gets a comedy special on netflix he immediately betrays them with a joke about domestic violence
— kay (@akhasarya) November 20, 2023
crazy innit
Not Matt Rife building his platform on catering to his female audience and then opening his Netflix special with a domestic violence joke pic.twitter.com/JnDppVdY2N
— Chef Don (@The_Silicon_Don) November 20, 2023
The girls and gays were Matt Rife's biggest demographic and he used his Netflix special to pander to toxic masculinity. It feels like a betrayal. pic.twitter.com/sGFoqLYGvg
— Nikki NuVogue (@NikkiNuVogue) November 20, 2023
"The girls and gays were Matt Rife's biggest demographic and he used his Netflix special to pander to toxic masculinity. It feels like a betrayal," said another post on X.
On Monday, Rife responded to the complaints on his Instagram story with what turned out to be a disingenuous apology — leading to further backlash.
"If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told- here's a link to my official apology," he wrote in his story.
The link included in the story, however, directed followers to a website that sells special-needs helmets, resulting in Rife also being accused of ableism.
On X, one person wrote: "So… between his boring misogyny and the run-of-the-mill ableism, is it safe for me to say that I've never understood the appeal of Matt Rife's comedy?"
So… between his boring misogyny and the run-of-the-mill ableism, is it safe for me to say that I’ve never understood the appeal of Matt Rife’s comedy?
— Noah Delgado (@DelGoada) November 21, 2023
Others said they were glad they didn't buy tickets for his ongoing Problemattic comedy tour.
So cool of Matt Rife to show his ableism now. I’m so glad I didn’t get tickets. pic.twitter.com/HKaN3tzhyq
— Amber (Taylor’s Version) (@amberpunkrose) November 20, 2023
A representative for Rife did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.