Matt Rife has doubled down on an offensive joke from his Netflix special that saw the TikTok comedian come under fire.
The stand-up comedian found viral fame on the social media platform, leading in part to him receiving a Netflix comedy special last year.
The show received a great deal of criticism though after he joked that he should ‘start the show with domestic violence’ so that the rest of his show goes ‘smooth sailing’.
He went on to tell a story about being in a restaurant and being served by a waitress who has a black eye.
He said: “But we couldn’t get over, like, this is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?
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"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'. Of course I felt bad for her. She should have had her protection crystals, you know what I mean?"
The joke created alarm online, with fans disgusted over how he joked so flippantly about domestic violence.
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Now, the comedian has responded to the backlash in his newest sold-out show at the Hollywood Bowl.
During his set on Wednesday, he joked about numerous topics, ranging from drugs to insomnia, however he went on to make jokes about transgender people.
Following this, he said: “What am I gonna do? Get canceled? Cool, I’ll do another Bowl show, awesome.”
Clearly unbothered by the reaction to his previous jokes, he went on to say: “You know that’s not a real punishment… nothing happens. Prisons a punishment.”
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Later in the show, whilst engaging in crowd work, he talked to a man who he discovered had been to prison for assault.
He then asked the man’s date: "Ma’am are you okay?" Before saying: “Guys, I’m kidding. Domestic violence is not funny, ever, ever, on any comedy special ever.”
As the comedian continues to quip and joke about the situation – it is clear he is doubling down on the situation.
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This is unsurprising based on Rife’s gross response to the initial controversy.
In a post on Instagram, the comedian posted a picture to himself saying: “If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told - here's a link to my official apology."
The link - labelled ‘Tap to solve your issue' - leads to a Medical Shop page for 'Special Needs Helmets'. Classy.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247
Topics: Netflix, Social Media, Viral, Matt Rife
Michael Slavin