- New York comedian Dina Hashem has claimed Matt Rife tried to cancel her ‘over a Venmo joke’ in a viral tweet
- It comes as the star is being slammed over a comment he made about domestic violence in his new Netflix special
- The comedian responded with a joke about people with special needs which has prompted even more backlash
Hashem has been doing stand-up since 2010 and is known for her dry, dark observations about life and her Arab-American upbringing.
Dina Hashem claims Matt Rife tried to cancel her
“Idc about Matt Rife discourse but let it be known this is the same man who tried to have me canceled over a Venmo joke in 2019,” the 29-year-old wrote on Twitter.
She then added a screenshot of an article from NBC News with the headline: “Comedian Matt Rife responds to Netflix special backlash with link to ‘special needs helmets’.”
The New York comedian came under fire in 2019 over a joke she made about rapper XXX Tentacion, who was murdered a year prior, and the money transfer app Venmo.
During an appearance on Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, she said:
“Is anyone still mourning XXX Tentacion? He’s a rapper, who was murdered, he’s dead now. He was shot, he was on his way to buy a car with $50,000 in cash and somebody shot him and took the money. Which is very tragic, but I also think it would make a very good Venmo commercial.”
People were furious that Hashem made a joke about XXX Tentacion’s death, but the punchline was actually about Venmo not the deceased rapper.
The musician was murdered aged just 20, after being shot near a motorcycle dealership in Deerfield Beach, Florida in June 2018.
Hashem apologises on Instagram
Following the backlash, Hashem made a public apology on Instagram, saying: “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone’s feelings, that’s never what I want.”
“I’m a comic and use jokes to try and make dark topics less painful but I realize not everyone feels that way, and I don’t want anyone to feel badly. It was taken down and won’t air on TV.”
Rife’s apology was far less sincere. He is being slammed for a joke he made during his latest special, Natural Selection, which premiered on Netflix on November 15.
The gag is about the comedian going to a restaurant with a friend and being greeted by a hostess with a black eye. He said: “I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.”
Rife responded on Instagram Stories with another controversial joke, saying: “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 28-year-old continued before linking to a site that sells helmets for people with special needs.
