Comedian Matt Rife responds to criticism over joke about domestic violence

Matt Rife has responded to backlash over a joke about domestic violence from his new special Natural Selection.

Rife, 28, posted on his Instagram story, “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology.” The link on the post directed to a website selling helmets for people with special needs.

A joke from Natural Selection, which premiered on Netflix last week, was widely criticized for making light of domestic violence. The bit in question revolved around a woman with a black eye who took his order in a Baltimore restaurant.

“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?’” Rife said during the special. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye,” suggesting that the woman’s inability to cook led to her abuse.

"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.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Jada Pinkett Smith reacts to Chris Rock mocking her and Will Smith in post-slap comedy special
• Abbott Elementary's Janelle James calls Dave Chappelle's recent comedy specials 'boring'
• Louis C.K. doc producer says stars who once spoke out against harassment 'declined' film: 'Quite dark'