A controversy has been sparked by comedian Matt Rife’s Netflix special “Natural Selection” which premiered on Nov. 15. The special opens with a joke about domestic violence. Following the controversy, Rife posted what seemed to be an apology on his Instagram story and directed those offended by the jokes to a website for special needs helmets.
The joke that generated controversy was one where Rife tells a story about being in a Baltimore restaurant and noticing their female server had a black eye. He joked that the restaurant should have had the server work solely in the kitchen so that customers wouldn’t see her black eye. He then added, “Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
Rife then tells the crowd that the joke was him “just testing the waters, seeing if y’all are gonna be fun or not,” and added, “I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.”
The controversy led to Rife issuing a mock apology on his Instagram story, which only added more fuel to the controversy.
In the interview, Rife spoke about how he wanted “Natural Selection” to be appealing to both men and women. He mentioned that despite the misconception that his fan base is predominantly female, his comedy is for everyone, not targeting a specific demographic.
Rife’s “Natural Selection” is now available to stream on Netflix.