E.l.f. Cosmetics released a new ad, and its customers don’t seem happy. The affordable beauty brand has tapped drag queen Heidi N Closet and stand-up comedian Matt Rife for its latest campaign, which launched on August 11. The ad, named “The Law Offices of e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes,” is basically the two playing personal injury attorneys who protect customers from overpriced beauty products.
However, the internet criticized the decision to cast Rife, citing a domestic violence joke he told in his 2023 Netflix special. During his set, he had told a story about a waitress he had seen with a black eye. He said: “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.’” In response to widespread backlash, instead of apologizing, he posted an Instagram story with a link to helmets for those with disabilities. “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology,” he wrote.
Under E.l.f. Cosmetics’ Instagram post featuring the spot, commenters expressed their disappointment with working with the comedian, with many pledging to boycott the brand or find alternatives. “Oooooh. Matt Rife? The guy who jokes about DV? In an ad targetted [sic] to women? That’s, um. A choice,” one person wrote. And below fashion industry watchdog Diet Prada’s post about the incident, Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause asked, “Was literally no one else available..?”
We reached out to E.l.f. Cosmetics for a comment.