Comedian Matt Rife sparks controversy with joke in Netflix special. Is he performing in Florida?

Matt Rife’s new standup special is sparking some controversy online.

The popular comedian is currently in hot water after opening his Netflix comedy special "Natural Selection" with a joke aimed at domestic violence victims.

Who is Matt Rife?

Matt Rife is a 28-year-old comedian hailing from Ohio. He blew up on social media over the past year for his viral comedy clips shared to his 6.4 million followers on Instagram and 18.2 million followers on TikTok.

In 2019, he competed in NBC’s “Bring the Funny” comedy competition. The comedian has also appeared on multiple episodes of MTV's "Wild 'N Out" as well as "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," “Burb Patrol” and “Fresh Off the Boat.”

He's currently on his 'ProbleMATTic World Tour,' which hits over 100 locations throughout North America, Australia, and Europe. He came to Florida at the start of October in Pensacola, Orlando, Hollywood, St. Petersburg, and Jacksonville.

He’s released three comedy specials: "Only Fans," "Matthew Steven Rife," and most recently the Netflix Special "Natural Selection."

Who is Matt Rife? 7 facts to know about comedian.

What is the 'Natural Selection' Netflix special?

"Natural Selection" is Rife's latest project in the midst of his world tour, released on Wednesday, Nov. 15. The description on the streaming platform reads "From his problem with protection crystals to his beef with social media trolls, comedian Matt Rife holds nothing back in this rollicking stand-up special."

Currently, it holds the top spot on Netflix's most streamed movies. It was filmed at Washington, D.C.’s DAR Constitution Hall back in September.

In an interview with Variety, Rife also claimed this standup special was more "for guys." He said that while his fanbase was initially women due to his TikToks, it’s now a “50/50” split.

“And that’s one thing that I wanted to tackle in this special was showing people that despite what you think about me online, I don’t pander my career to women. I would argue this special is way more for guys,” he told Variety reporters.

“I wanted to make this special for everybody. I pride myself on making my comedy for everybody. It’s not for a specific demographic. I think if people would just give it the chance without going into it and being like, ‘Oh, only girls like him,’ or ‘People only like his face.’ If you give it an opportunity, I think you’d like it.”

What was the insensitive joke Matt Rife made during his Netflix special?

It happens within the first three minutes of the standup special. Appearing before the Washington crowd, he talks about how much he loves the area and the state of Maryland as well.

Except for Baltimore. Rife immediately goes into a bit about how "ratchet" the city is compared to the rest of the state, giving the audience an example.

“I’ve only been to Baltimore one time, I ate lunch there, and the hostess who like seats you at the restaurant had a black eye. A full black eye. And it wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened."

"And we couldn’t get over the fact that we’re like, ‘This is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?’ 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.’”

After the audience laughs and lets out a few groans, Rife admits that was "just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not. Just wanted to see. I figure we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be pretty smooth sailing after that.”

How did fans, social media users reach to the joke?

Both viewers and longtime fans took to X to express their anger and disappointment over the joke. One user wrote "if I need to put up with jokes about being punched in the face for not being a good enough servant, then I'm completely unbothered if you don't find me 'fun.'"

Tiktok, where the comedian gained most of his recent popularity, users also had quite a lot to say about the special and his joke.

Some users did come to his defense, saying it was "just a joke."

Has Matt Rife addressed the controversy from his Netflix special?

He apologized … just not really.

He took to Instagram on Nov. 20 to share his thoughts on the reaction to his joke, posting a mock apology on his story.

He included a link to his “official apology” for those "offended by a joke I told” that was labelled “Tap to solve your issue” on his Instagram Stories. Those who clicked the link were led to a website selling helmets for people with special needs.

What are the reviews of 'Natural Selection' on Netflix?

Viewers of the special weren't fans of not just the joke, but seemingly the entire set.

Natural Selection currently has an 17% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, seeing a 1.6 out of 5 rating. The personal reviews call out the standup for its jokes, writing and timing.

"This is perhaps the worst excuse for a comedy special I've ever seen. The "jokes" are so lazy, so overdone. Bad writing. Bad delivery. Zero laughs. There will be people commenting on the offensive/mean spirit of the material but even if you remove the offensiveness from the equation, the material is still garbage," one reviewer wrote.

There were a few reviews in support of Rife and the show, with one review adding:

"I think Matt did a good job and he will grow into himself as he does more big venues but he earned his spot and he is entertaining so I'm happy to see what is next. Also, I'm disappointed that so many people are holding him to a higher standard than other comics who tell some tasteless jokes."

Has Matt Rife gotten into controversy before?

While a recurring cast member of Wild N Out, Rife gained his first controversy when he tried to shoot his shot with actress Zendaya while she appeared on the show.

During a game to try to make the celebrity guest laugh and spit out water, Rife ended up grabbing her face and saying "Spit that water out, so I can get your number please."

Fellow cast members rushed to Zendaya's side to defend her, letting Rife know he crossed the line. The clip later went viral for the actress rejecting him on television. Rife addressed the incident in TikTok this year, saying it was just the show and the pair were good now.

Earlier this year, he also received backlash for his comments about women’s bodies during an episode of the Stiff Socks podcast.

In an interview with The New York Times following the podcast, Rife said commented on the situation, adding “You’re mad at somebody that’s just trying to make you laugh? That’s such an insane concept to me.”

Is he performing in Florida any time soon?

For those still wanting to see Rife or catch a glimpse of him, the comedian is performing a sold-out show in Naples at the Off the Hook Comedy Club on Dec. 14 through Dec. 17.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Comedian Matt Rife opens Netflix special with domestic violence joke