Matt Rife has reportedly gained more than 200,000 followers on Instagram despite igniting uproar with his Netflix comedy special.
The 28-year-old comedian - who rose to fame on TikTok - angered many people online after his comedy show, Natural Selection, was released on the streaming service last week.
Rife opened the show with an offensive "joke" about domestic violence, telling the audience: "I've only been to Baltimore one time, and the hostess who seats you had a black eye - 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? 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,'" he added.
Watch the moment below:Some of the crowd called him out for it at the time, to which he responded: "[I'm] testing the water, seeing if y'all are going to be fun or not. I figured we start the show with domestic violence, the rest of the show should be pretty smooth sailing," adding, "Of course, I felt bad for her. She should have had her protection crystals, you know what I mean?"
The opening left many viewers angry, with one user on X (formerly known as Twitter) penning: "We made it 2 minutes into the matt rife special before saying 'wow, imagine being that offensive AND that unfunny'. pick a struggle."
And, it only got worse when the former Wild N' Out contestant posted an apology to his Instagram Story which was a picture of himself on stage with the caption: "If you've ever been offended by a joke I've told - here's a link to my official apology."
Under that, there was a link that he'd titled: "Tap to solve your issue," which took people to a website where people could buy helmets designed for people with special needs.
Rife did not remove the post from his Instagram story, even after being heavily criticized by followers.
One user wrote: "I never understood why comedians can’t be funny without attacking things like disabilities or appearances or women in general. like I was really hoping this guy wouldn’t fall into that mold cuz he seemed to be actually funny but men always disappoint what else is new."
Another chimed in: "Comedy that punches down is never funny. It lacks creativity and comes from a place of deep cruelty."
A third commented: "I'm literally so upset with that special because I got [tickets] to his show next year and now I don't want to go."
It seems that the taunting "apology" post and attention from the Netflix special has paid off as the stand-up comic apparently gained more than 200,000 followers on Instagram.
In the wake of the backlash over the special, fans have circulated footage of Rife and Zendaya on MTV's Wild 'N Out on social media - and it has left many people creeped out.
In the clip, Rife had been challenged to make the Euphoria star laugh and spit out the water she was holding in her mouth in order for his team to win a point.
Rife says to Zendaya: "Look, you’re mixed, I want to be Black, let’s make a lifestyle movie," as he knelt beside host Nick Cannon's chair. As the Spiderman actress remained unfazed by his words, Rife approached Zendaya, cupped her face in his hands, and said: "Spit that water out so I can get your number, please."
Zendaya, who was 18 at the time, was visibly unimpressed with his attempts and wagged her finger to reject his advances. Her teammates also jumped to her defense and told him to walk away.
"Keep your hands off her, Matt," one person on stage yelled, while another chimed in, "She’s too young." However, the comedians on Rife's team contended that he was only one year older than the now 27-year-old, implying that it was fine for him to flirt with her.
Reacting to the moment now, one commenter wrote: "Yall just realizing Matt Rife isn't funny? Do yall not remember when he was on Wild n Out and completely creeped out Zendaya?? mans a whole ick."
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