Why are people mad at E.l.f. Beauty? The Matt Rife controversy, explained

In a new ad campaign for E.l.f. Beauty, Matt Rife stars alongside drag performer Heidi N. Closet as fictional personal injury lawyers “E.l.f.ino & Schmarnes.” The brand may have been hoping the comedic duo would bring laughs, but instead, the ad has been stirring up controversy.

Customers took to social media to decry the casting of Rife, a stand-up comic who previously came under fire for making jokes that blamed victims of domestic violence in his 2023 Netflix special Natural Selection, and at the expense of trans people in his 2024 Hollywood Bowl show.

“I know a thing or two about red flags,” Rife declares in the new ad, going on to say that customers deserve better than overpriced makeup.

Playing on the cost-saving focus of the ad, one commenter on Instagram (who gained over 20,000 likes) questioned whether E.l.f. lacked the budget for a comedian who doesn’t joke about abuse. Dozens of other commenters urged the brand to remove the video, with some taking it as the brand’s condonation of Rife’s previous statements against domestic violence victims.

In a statement posted to E.l.f.’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, the brand acknowledged the controversy surrounding the ad, but stopped short of directly apologizing or removing the video.

“You know us. We’re always listening and we’ve heard you,” the brand wrote. “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. While E.l.f.ino & Schmarnes closes today, we’ll continue to make the case against overpriced beauty.”

The statement did little to mollify those upset by the ad, who noted in later social media comments that the ad is still available to watch and that the statement did not address the concerns underlying Rife’s casting.

“This is a non-apology. Literally. It’s all intentional outrage marketing. I’m sick of it,” one user wrote on Reddit.

Outrage marketing—which involves sparking negative reactions to garner attention and engagement with a brand—seems to be on the rise, whether intentional or not. Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad and Gavin Casalegno’s Dunkin’ Donuts ad both spurred similarly negative reactions recently.

E.l.f. Beauty did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the goal of the ad campaign and whether customers’ claims that the brand is engaging in “outrage marketing” have any validity.