Matt Rife is under fire for making a joke about domestic violence and then offering a fake “apology” mocking people with special needs.
The stand-up comedian, who rose to fame after garnering a huge following on TikTok, opened his new Netflix special, “Natural Selection,” with a joke about an abused woman.
After viewers took to social media to label the bit “disrespectful” and “offensive,” Rife hit back with a sarcastic post on his Instagram Story Monday.
“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told – here’s a link to my official apology,” he captioned a photo of himself onstage.
The social media sensation, 28, labeled the link, “Tap to solve your issue.” However, it deceivingly directed his fans to purchase special needs helmets from Medicaleshop.
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Backlash to the post was swift, with several users taking to Twitter and Instagram to slam Rife for his “ableist” response.
“Matt Rife making a sexist/DV ‘joke’…then sending people to a website to special needs helmets as his ‘apology’. There’s a difference between an edgy joke and just being disrespectful and distasteful,” one person wrote.
“f–k you @mattrife people with disabilities aren’t your punchline after making a misogynistic dv joke. be funny without being a gross human or you’re just not funny???” another chimed in.
“Not Matt Rife building his platform on catering to his female audience and then opening his Netflix special with a domestic violence joke,” a third wrote.
The joke in question in Rife’s latest special, which began streaming on Nov. 15, was about a “ratchet” Baltimore restaurant where “the hostess who seats you had a black eye.”
“A full black eye. It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened,” he said, alluding to domestic abuse.
“But we couldn’t get over, like, this is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?” the comic went on.
“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.’”
Page Six has reached out to reps for Rife for comment.
Aside from comedy, the “Wild ‘N Out” alum has become known for romancing a slew of famous women, including Kate Beckinsale and Lucy Hale.
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