Matt Rife e.l.f. ad campaign sparks social media backlash over past jokes

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Comedian Matt Rife’s new ad campaign for cosmetics brand e.l.f. is the latest celebrity-starring commercial that has caused social media users to melt down.

The make-up brand published their ad online on Tuesday, featuring Rife and drag queen "Heidi N Closet" portraying lawyers in a spoof legal commercial promoting inexpensive e.l.f cosmetic products. 

A slew of comments on the post took issue with Rife being in the ad, with many pointing to a domestic violence joke he told in 2023 as the reason he should’ve never been chosen for the ad campaign.

"You didn’t have the budget for a comedian who doesn’t joke about abuse?" one user asked on the Instagram post.

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Comedian Matt Rife's new cosmetics ad got backlash from social media users who brought up his old jokes in order to invalidate the new commercial. ((Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images))

Make-up influencer account "kristians_makeup" wrote, "ELF IMMA HOLD UR HAND WHEN I SAY THIS…just cuz u got a drag QUEEN in the mix DOES NOT MEAN ITS A GREEN LIGHT FOR MATT RIFEEEGEE??!?" The comment received over 8,600 likes in less than a day.

Another said, "I thought you guys were cruelty free?!"

These and similar comments reflected a renewed backlash against the comedian for joking about a woman who had a black eye during his 2023 special, "Natural Selection." In the set, Rife told the story of eating at a Baltimore restaurant with a friend when they noticed their female server had a black eye. They questioned why the restaurant owners wouldn't have the employee work in the kitchen to avoid customers asking questions.

"Yeah, but I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn't have a black eye," Rife joked.

In response to the backlash he received from the joke, Rife doubled down, putting out a statement that directed social media users to a link offering an "apology" if they had ever been offended by a joke he told. The link brought users to a website where they could purchase special-needs helmets.

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Heat for Rife's ad came days after actress Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle ad received backlash for referencing the actress' genetics. (American Eagle Instagram)

On e.l.f.’s TikTok page, bitterness towards Rife’s domestic abuse joke was on full display, with more users demanding the makeup brand drop him from the campaign.

"Nikkietutorials," a cosmetics influencer with almost 9 million followers commented, "aaaaaaandddd you lost me... Matt Rife out of ALL people? 😟 so disappointed."

Maddy Lucy Dan, a TikTok user with 1.4 million followers, rehashed the Rife controversy in the comments section, writing, "In Matt Rife’s Netflix stand-up special Natural Selection he opened with a domestic violence joke, implying a woman wouldn’t have a black eye if she could cook."

Another user added, "So y’all saw American Eagle and said… hold up, I can do that." 

The comment referenced actress Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle jeans ad campaign that took heat online in recent days for its tagline, "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Social media users and legacy media outlets alleged the tagline had a link to the "eugenics" movement.

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