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Matt Rife’s “Misogynistic” Netflix Special Sparks Huge Controversy
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Matt Rife’s “Misogynistic” Netflix Special Sparks Huge Controversy

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Comedian Matt Rife has been hit with a surge of backlash as a result of his new Netflix special, Natural Selection, which many viewers have described as upholding sexist bias and misogynistic depictions. 

In the stand-up show, which was released on the streaming platform last week, Matt is seen opening with a segment about Washington DC, the place where the special was filmed, and the differences between “ratchet” Baltimore and “beautiful” Maryland. 

He says: “I’ve only been to Baltimore one time, and the hostess who seats you had a black eye.”

Matt Rife received backlash following the release of his new Netflix special featuring questionable jokes that some have described as being sexist

Image credits: mattrife

“A full black eye. It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened. 

“But we couldn’t get over, like, this is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?

Image credits: mattrife

“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.'”

 Whilst some audience members gasped in shock, the 28-year-old comedian continued: “Testing the water, seeing if y’all are going to be fun or not. 

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“I figured we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be pretty smooth sailing.

“Of course, I felt bad for her. 

“She should have had her protection crystals, you know what I mean?” 

Natural Selection, which was released last week, opens with a joke about domestic violence

Image credits: mattrife

Matt goes on to engage in a lengthy segment focused on “crystal girls” and women who attribute their “poor decision-making skills” to astrology.

Where astrology was once a male-dominated field, today’s astrological community has become incredibly diversified, but particularly appreciated by women. 

“Metaphysics, astrology, and tarot have recently boomed because historically speaking, this was a space where witchy women could have access to their own independence that was never defined by, or connected to, a man… Astrology has a direct correlation with sexism,” Desiree Roby Antila, a professional astrologer, explained, as per Stylecaster

Image credits: Netflix

With clips of the show quickly emerging on social media, Matt faced a wave of criticism.

Drew Afualo, famous for her feminist activism on TikTok, responded in a video: “In case anyone’s curious, no I’m not f*cking surprised.”

“I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye,” Matt joked

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Image credits: Netflix

“You’re telling me a man who goes on other people’s podcasts and openly objectifies and criticizes women’s bodies is misogynistic? Yeah, no sh*t.”

Image credits: Netflix

The 28-year-old influencer went on to liken Matt’s “jokes” to scrolling through a “white uncle’s racist Facebook page” and challenged his supposed on-purpose attempt to alienate his female fans.

She continued: “If you want to appeal to exclusively misogynistic men, you are mediocre and couldn’t afford veneers. 

“Or maybe you’re not that f*cking funny. At least not to me personally. But what would I know? 

“I’m just an astrology-obsessed, crystal-loving, f*cking dumb *ss b*tch on the internet.”

“She should have had her protection crystals, you know what I mean?” the comedian quipped in the Netflix special

Image credits: Netflix

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In February, Matt made an appearance on the Stiff Socks Podcast where he ridiculed women with “giant clit[s],” saying it was like “god left a tag on you,” as reported by Buzzfeed.

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In an interview with the New York Times, in the face of all the backlash and controversy, the comedian said: “You’re mad at somebody that’s just trying to make you laugh?” 

You can watch the trailer for Natural Selection below:

“That’s such an insane concept to me.”

Image credits: mattrife

In a separate interview with Variety, ahead of the release of Natural Selection, the comedian said: “One of the biggest misconceptions of things I get ridiculed online for is people are like, ‘Oh, he only has a female fan base.’ 

“In the beginning, yes, because I did blow up on TikTok which is very female-dominant.”

Matt went on to admit that during his live shows, the audience’s gender was split equally, as he explained: “It’s couples coming out. It’s groups of dudes who are coming. 

“And that’s one thing that I wanted to tackle in this special was showing people that, like, despite what you think about me online, I don’t pander my career to women. 

“I would argue this special is way more for guys.”

The link on the comedian’s “apology” posted on Instagram stories leads to an online medical store for special needs helmets

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Image credits: mattrife

Upon being questioned about a fear of offending certain people, the comedian answered: “I don’t really adhere to this whole sensitivity rumor in the comedy world that you can’t say anything anymore. That’s bullsh*t. 

“You can say whatever you want. Now, you have to prepare for repercussions. 

“But at the end of the day, it all comes down to how do you sleep at night?”

The Ohio native has amassed an impressive 18.2 million followers on TikTok, rising to fame as he produced his own YouTube specials — “Only Fans,” “Matthew Steven Rife,” and “Walking Red Flag” between 2019 and 2023.

Matt went on to make his television debut on MTV’s “Wild ’n Out” and has had guest appearances on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Fresh off the Boat.” 

Viewers weren’t particularly impressed with Matt’s Netflix special

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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I’m a journalist who works for Bored Panda’s News Team. The team, which has been launched on the website fairly recently, produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”.

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Andréa Oldereide

Andréa Oldereide

Writer, BoredPanda staff

I’m a journalist who works for Bored Panda’s News Team. The team, which has been launched on the website fairly recently, produces stories focused on pop culture. Whenever I get the opportunity and the time, I investigate and produce my own exclusive stories, where I get to explore a wider range of topics. Some examples include: “Doberman Tobias the viral medical service dog” and “The lawyer who brought rare uterine cancer that affects 9/11 victims to light”.

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

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Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

Read less »

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

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sofacushionfort avatar
sofacushionfort
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m a big fan of dark humor, but here’s the thing: gallows humor only works if you’re on the gallows, not operating it. DV is on the extreme, but on the same spectrum as women comics playing the “I’m so pretty but talk so dirty” or “Women are supposed to be receptacles of pure romantic love, so here’s a joke about farting and coming at the same time.” Wears thin if it’s just reliant on shock value. Shock value is a contradiction in terms.

eggsplosion420 avatar
BrownTabby
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This. If he wants to make DV jokes, he’s free to make jokes about how pathetic the abusers are or something. But these people never want to make those kind of jokes. 🤔

Load More Replies...
wallicktn avatar
Tracy Wallick
Community Member
10 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Everyone's so sensitive these days!" -people who miss being openly sexist, racist, etc.

Load More Comments
sofacushionfort avatar
sofacushionfort
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I’m a big fan of dark humor, but here’s the thing: gallows humor only works if you’re on the gallows, not operating it. DV is on the extreme, but on the same spectrum as women comics playing the “I’m so pretty but talk so dirty” or “Women are supposed to be receptacles of pure romantic love, so here’s a joke about farting and coming at the same time.” Wears thin if it’s just reliant on shock value. Shock value is a contradiction in terms.

eggsplosion420 avatar
BrownTabby
Community Member
10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This. If he wants to make DV jokes, he’s free to make jokes about how pathetic the abusers are or something. But these people never want to make those kind of jokes. 🤔

Load More Replies...
wallicktn avatar
Tracy Wallick
Community Member
10 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Everyone's so sensitive these days!" -people who miss being openly sexist, racist, etc.

Load More Comments
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