The controversy over comedian Matt Rife's Netflix stand-up special, explained

• Stand-up comedian Matt Rife's first Netflix special "Natural Selection" has caused controversy.
• The 28-year-old star gained viral fame via TikTok and Instagram.
• Viewers have called out a joke about domestic violence in his new stand-up special.

Viral comedian Matt Rife's first Netflix special, "Natural Selection," has been at the center of controversy since it was released on November 15.

The comedian starts the hour-long special with a joke about domestic violence against women.

Here is what you need to know about Rife — and the controversy over "Natural Selection."

Who is Matt Rife?

Before "Natural Selection," Rife released three other specials on YouTube: "Matt Rife: Only Fans" was released in December 2021, while "Matthew Steven Rife" dropped in April, and "Walking Red Flag" arrived in June.

The 28-year-old comedian is best known for clips from his stand-up gigs going viral on TikTok and Instagram over the last few years.

The videos mainly consist of "crowd work," in which Rife speaks to audience members and jokes about whatever comes up in the conversation.

In a video for Famous Birthdays in 2018, Rife said that he started performing stand-up comedy when he was 15 after participating in a high school talent show.

As of 2023, Rife has 18.2 million followers on TikTok, and 6.4 million followers on Instagram.

In an interview with Variety earlier this month, Rife said that early on in his career, he mainly attracted a female demographic on TikTok, but his shows today attract both men and women.

"One of the biggest misconceptions of things I get ridiculed online for is people are like, 'Oh, he only has a female fan base,'" he said. "In the beginning yes, because I did blow up on TikTok which is very female-dominant. So, I get that perspective."

"I would argue this special is way more for guys. I wanted to make this special for everybody. I pride myself on making my comedy for everybody. It's not for a specific demographic," Rife added.

Why did Matt Rife's Netflix special cause controversy?

Rife has come under over a joke about domestic violence against women early on in "Natural Selection," with fans pointing out that it was women who helped make him famous.

In the special, Rife tells an anecdote about being at a restaurant with a friend, and noticing that the woman serving them had a black eye.

Rife goes on to say he wondered why her managers didn't relegate her to working in the kitchen, instead of interfacing with customers, before joking: "Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn't have that black eye."

The joke was heavily criticized online, with fans accusing him of turning his back on the fans who made him popular in the first place.

"the way women catapulted matt rife into popularity and the second he gets a comedy special on netflix he immediately betrays them with a joke about domestic violence," posted one person on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"The girls and gays were Matt Rife's biggest demographic and he used his Netflix special to pander to toxic masculinity. It feels like a betrayal," said another post on X.

On Monday, Rife responded to the complaints on his Instagram story with what turned out to be a disingenuous apology — leading to further backlash.

"If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told- here's a link to my official apology," he wrote in his story.

The link included in the story, however, directed followers to a website that sells special needs helmets, resulting in Rife also being accused of ableism.

On X, one person wrote: "So… between his boring misogyny and the run-of-the-mill ableism, is it safe for me to say that I've never understood the appeal of Matt Rife's comedy?"

Others said that they're glad they didn't buy tickets for his ongoing ProbleMATTic comedy tour.

A representative for Rife did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.