Beauty brand E.L.F. Cosmetics apologizes for Matt Rife controversy
'You know us, we're always listening and we've heard you,' the cosmetics brand wrote in a statement posted to their Instagram Tuesday.
'This campaign aimed to humorously spotlight beauty injustice. We understand we missed the mark with people we care about in our e.l.f. community,' the message continued.
'While e.l.f.ino & schmarnes closes today, we'll continue to make the case against overpriced beauty.'
The ad, which was posted to the beauty brand's Instagram page Monday, was a parody of the commercials from New York-based law firm Cellino & Barnes.
This time, the ad depicted 'The Law Offices of e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes,' starring Rife and drag queen Heidi N Closet.
'E.l.f.ino and Schmarnes have gone to e.l.f. court for millions of clients, helping them to access beauty products they deserve at prices that won't injure their livelihoods,' Rife can be heard saying in the advertisement, in which he and Heidi were both dressed up in suits.
Rife also joked that he knew a 'thing or two about red flags,' as they made the case for buying from E.l.f. Cosmetics.
However, the reaction to the ad likely wasn't what the brand expected, as Rife's appearance outraged fans, and the company was inundated with thousands of comments on social media.
The reaction stemmed from a 2023 incident, when Rife came under fire after he made a domestic violence joke in his Netflix special.
During the special, he told the story about meeting a waitress who had a black eye.
Rife 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."'
He faced serious backlash for the joke, but did not apologize.
Instead, he responded with a link to buy 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 at the time.
As a result, his appearance in the new e.l.f. ad did not go over well with viewers and fans of the brand.
'You didn't have the budget for a comedian who doesn't joke about abuse?' one user wrote in the Instagram comments section of the ad.
Another agreed, 'Oooooh. Matt Rife? The guy who jokes about DV? In an ad targeted to women? That's, um. A choice.'
'How can we be a girl's girl brand if we hire Matt Rife for an ad,' someone else typed.
One user shared, 'As a survivor of domestic violence, I'm appalled that you would choose Matt Rife for this campaign. Especially the fact that your demographic is heavily invested in women. And the fact that you haven't removed this, looks even worse. I don't know if I could stay a consumer of yours...'
The Daily Mail has contacted Rife and E.l.f Cosmetics for comment.
Tthis isn't the first time that E.l.f. Cosmetics has made headlines in recent months.
In May, Hailey Bieber's Rhode beauty line was acquired by E.l.f. in a massive $1 billion deal.
Bieber launched her much-anticipated brand in June 2022, releasing only three products at the time - Peptide Glazing Fluid, Barrier Restore Cream, and Peptide Lip Treatment.
Since then, the brand has grown exponentially, expanding into different tinted lip products, blush and even viral phone cases that double as lip gloss carriers.
'E.l.f. Beauty found a like-minded disruptor in rhode,' said e.l.f. Chairman and CEO Tarang Amin, per Business Wire.
'Rhode further diversifies our portfolio with a fast-growing brand that makes the best of prestige accessible,' his statement continued.
'We are excited by Rhode's ability to break beauty barriers, fully aligning with e.l.f. Beauty's vision to create a different kind of company. Rhode is a beautiful brand that we believe is ready for rocketship growth.'
Hailey will still serve as founder of the brand and Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation, according to Business Wire.
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