Inside Matt Rife’s controversies as comedian’s Netflix special under fire over Santa joke

Comedian Matt Rife has sparked controversy again after his special, Matt Rife: Unwrapped - A Christmas Crowd Work Special began streaming on Netflix. Parents have taken to social media to complain about the preview to Rife’s Christmas special, in which the comedian spoils the reality of Santa Claus for children.

According to TMZ, in the preview to his Netflix special, Rife says,

“That changes everything when you find out your parents are Santa Claus.”

The news outlet reported that matters were made worse as the preview was often the first thing that appeared on viewer’s screens as they opened Netflix, and could not control if their children could hear the remarks or not.

This is not the first time Matt Rife’s comedy routines have sparked controversy

Matt Rife, who has appeared on comedy shows such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Fresh Off the Boat, was heavily criticized in 2023 when his Netflix special, titled Matt Rife: Natural Selection, began streaming.

Rife was accused of making light of domestic violence as his routine began with a joke about a woman server at a restaurant, who had a black eye, as per CNN. The news outlet noted that Rife said during his routine,

“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, ya know?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.’”

Continuing the joke, Rife also added that he deliberately started his show with a controversial topic,

“I figure if we start the show with domestic violence the rest of the show should be smooth sailing.”

However, US Weekly noted that the jokes were not well received by many, including advocates for the prevention of domestic violence, who demanded a formal apology from the comedian.

Rife further faced backlash when he shared a link to an apology. According to CNN, Rife took to his Instagram stories to post a link, and wrote,

“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told, here’s a link to my official apology. Tap to solve the issue.”

The link led people to a website selling medical helmets for people with special needs, as per CNN.

He further attracted criticism after responding to a young six-year-old boy on social media. As per Fox News, a little boy reacted to Rife’s Natural Selection special, and in addition to disputing one of Rife’s comments on planets, wrote on TikTok,

“You're mean to girls.”

Rife decided to respond to the boy through Instagram, and in a message that he later deleted, as per Fox News, he replied,

“Your mom buys you presents with the money she makes on O***Fans. Good luck”

The child’s mother, a TikTok user named Bunny Hedaya, shared the interaction in a video, and was lent support by netizens who felt that Rife had gone too far in the way he responded to the child.

Later on, Rife addressed the Natural Selection domestic violence controversy during a conversation with US Weekly, and said that he remains unfazed in face of criticism. He added,

“It’s comedy. Sometimes you don’t hit the mark. Plenty of people think I did. Therefore, it’s not a failure…We’re in the business of making people happy, but I gotta be me.”

It remains to be seen if Netflix will take cognizance of parents’ complaints with regard to Rife’s Christmas special.