E.l.f. Cosmetics heard the backlash surrounding their campaign with Matt Rife and responded.
“You know us, we’re always listening and we’ve heard you,” the brand posed via Instagram on Wednesday, August 13. “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 statement continued, “While e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes closes today, we’ll continue to make the case against overpriced beauty. 
.”
Social media users shared their thoughts in the comments section. “I’m failing to understand how this was approved in the first place 
,” one wrote, while a second added, “Donate every dollar off that campaign to domestic violence prevention or keep your hollow words.” A third commented, “I’m sorry but this is a non apology? What exactly is e.l.f going to do other than say you missed the mark? Now would be a good time to donate to & highlight organizations that support dv survivors.”
In the beauty brand’s campaign, Rife, 29, filmed a video with drag queen Heidi N Closet, where they made a faux legal ad where they promoted affordable beauty products.
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People were upset to see Rife in the campaign after he made jokes about domestic violence in a 2023 Netflix special.
Rife initially made a mock apology to his viewers in November 2023, posting via his Instagram Story, “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.” When followers clicked the link, they were taken to a site that sells helmets for individuals with special needs.
In May 2024, he again addressed his comments while doing a stand up act at the Hollywood Bowl. “Guys, I’m kidding. Domestic violence is not funny, ever, ever, on any comedy special ever,” he said.
“Oooooh. Matt Rife? The guy who jokes about DV? In an ad targeted to women? That’s, um. A choice,” one social media user commented on the video, which launched on Monday, August 11. A second questioned, “How can we be a girl’s girl brand if we hire Matt Rife for an ad?” while another commented, “You just lost a lot of customers.”
E.l.f. Beauty’s global chief marketing officer, Kory Marchisotto, told The Business of Beauty that they chose to work with Rife because of his 80 percent female audience, with 75 percent being under the age of 24, which they believed was the “sweet spot”
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“Obviously we’re very surprised,” Marchisotto said of the backlash. “There is a big gap between our intention and how this missed the mark for some people … We always aim to deliver positivity, and this one didn’t. So we find ourselves in a position where, quite honestly, that doesn’t feel good for us.”
Us Weekly reached out to reps for Rife and e.l.f. cosmetics, but did not immediately hear back.
