Why are people mad at Matt Rife? Netflix special domestic violence joke backlash explained 

Comedian Matt Rife made his way into the spotlight after several netizens slammed him for making a domestic violence joke in Netflix’s special Natural Selection. The show aired on November 16, when Matt Rife started with the controversial joke about him being in a restaurant in Baltimore with a friend when he spotted a female server with a black eye.

Matt Rife said he and his friend kept wondering why the female server was not made to work in the kitchen so that the customers at the restaurant would not see the black eye. He then joked and said:

“Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”

He continued with the joke and said how he was just “testing the water.”

“I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing,” he said.

However, the joke garnered a lot of backlash from the masses, who stated that the comedian should not have joked about the sensitive issue. Later, on November 20, the comedian took to his Instagram and posted:

“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology.”

He then added a link with the text “Tap to solve the issue.” The link led the people to a website with helmets, suggesting they purchase them. The comedian's mocking apology made netizens even more enraged by his actions and garnered more negative comments.

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“I thought jokes were supposed to be funny”: Social media users lash out at Matt Rife for domestic violence joke in the Netflix special

Matt Rife’s joke about the female server’s eye being black has spread like wildfire on social media and has outraged a lot of netizens, as many found his joke offensive and demeaning. Here is how the masses reacted as @TheOfficerTatum posted the clip on X (formerly Twitter):

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

Netizens slam Rife for joking about domestic violence in the Netflix Special on November 16, 2023. (Image via @TheOfficerTatum/X)

While Matt Rife has already made a mock apology by making fun of the people offended by the joke, netizens now seem more upset with the comedian. At the moment, neither Rife nor the makers of the Netflix special have responded to the backlash after the comedian’s Instagram post.