Matt Rife‘s interplay with actor Zendaya in 2015 is drawing renewed criticism.
A resurfaced clip of comic Matt Rife attempting to choose up a then-18-year-old Zendaya is making the rounds on social media.
The clip comes from a 2015 episode of MTV’s “Wild ’N Out” by which a gaggle of comedians take turns attempting to make the previous Disney star chortle exhausting sufficient to spit out water she’s holding in her mouth.
The clip that’s gained attention online contains Rife’s flip, by which he decides to hit on the actor, who later starred in “Spider-Man” and “Euphoria,” reasonably than provide you with a joke.
“Look, you’re blended, I wanna be Black, let’s make a way of life film,” Rife says to Zendaya within the clip.
When Zendaya did not chortle, Rife determined to get far more aggressive. He walked towards Zendaya, grabbed her by the chin and shouted:
“Spit that water out so I can get your quantity, please!”
Zendaya appeared shocked and repulsed by Rife touching her face. With the water nonetheless in her mouth and unable to talk, she raised her arm, pointed her index finger at Rife and wagged it in a “no” gesture.
Rife’s fellow comedians launched into Zendaya’s protection.
“Preserve your palms off her, man!” one yelled at Rife.
“Don’t be touching her like that!” one other comic snapped.
In a retrospective video posted a few years after the episode, one the comedians mirrored on the state of affairs by elaborating on how exhausting Rife “bombed” on the time.
“That was undoubtedly a bomb, not solely a bomb for the viewers, however all people on the solid was like: ‘Woah, chill man.’”
The unearthed clip comes within the wake of Rife’s ableist and unoriginal reaction to backlash he acquired for opening his new Netflix particular, “Pure Choice,” with a home abuse joke. It additionally appears to substantiate Rife’s critics who say essentially the most offensive factor concerning the comic’s dated humorousness is that he expects right now’s audiences to search out it recent.
“Yall simply realizing Matt Rife isn’t humorous?” an X user posted on the previous Twitter platform. “Do yall not keep in mind when he was on Wild n Out and fully creeped out Zendaya?? mans a complete ick.”
“Was by no means humorous simply conventionally enticing,” another userposted alongside the clip of Rife hitting on Zendaya. “So y’all was out right here, haha-ing at his bits that different comedians have executed higher, & his lame makes an attempt at being edgy.”’
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