The comedian tried to “shoot his shot” with the actress during an episode of Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out.
People have declared comedian and actor Matt Rife, 28, a “creep” after a clip from a 2015 episode of Wild ‘N Out of him trying to butter up Dune star Zendaya, 27, resurfaced.
In the video, the comedian was trying to make her laugh in order to spit out the water she was holding in her mouth.
This game called “Talking Spit” is one of the many hilarious challenges that guest on Wild ‘N Out play to score a point. The guests on the show range from actors, comedians, models, and musicians who are split into two teams to win the most posts by the end of the episode.
Rife told Zendaya, “Look, you’re mixed, I want to be Black, let’s make a lifestyle movie.”
Zendaya, who was sitting next to the show’s host, Nick Cannon, 43, didn’t seem at all fazed by Rife’s antics. That’s when the “Don’t Suck” star approached Zendaya and caressed her face with his hand.
“Spit that water out so I can get your number, please,” he said in an urgent voice.
Zendaya, who was 18 at the time, was still unmoved by Rife’s advances. She retreated from his grasp and shook her finger, a clear indicator that she was not having it.
Other guest on the show were quick to jump to her defense, urging the hungry-eyed comedian to back off.
“Keep your hands off her, Matt,” yelled one of the contestants.
“She’s too young,” warned another.
Another guest added, “You not about to do that. That girl got a job on Disney Channel.”
In response, Rife’s team argued that he was only one year older than Zendaya, so it was “OK” for him to flirt with the “Euphoria” star.
Both celebrities have not addressed the episode since it was filmed approximately 8 years ago. However, fans are outraged for Zendaya. Several social media accounts continue to share and call out Rife for the “cringe’ and “hard to watch” interaction.
One user wrote, “Honestly he failed at being funny in this clip so he went to touch her face in a sad desperate attempt at getting a reaction out of her. It was extremely cringe and hard to watch.”
Another fan replied, “Known Matt Rife was trash since he touched Zendaya’s face on Wild ‘N Out without her consent.”
Adding Fuel To The Fire
The reemergence of the video couldn’t have happened at a worse moment. It coincides with Rife, the TikTok sensation, facing criticism for a controversial joke about domestic violence in his recently released Netflix special, which started streaming on November 15th.
The joke was about a Baltimore restaurant where “the hostess who seats you had a black eye.”
Rife referred to the restaurant as “ratchet” before he went on to say, “A full black eye. It wasn’t like, ‘What happened?’ It was pretty obvious what happened,” he said, alluding to domestic abuse.
“But we couldn’t get over, like, this is the face of the company? This is who you have greeting people?” Rife continued.
“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.’”
After viewers complained on social media about his “disrespectful” and “offensive” segment, Rife clapped back with a post on his Instagram Story on Monday.
“If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told – here’s a link to my official apology.” The comedian then captioned a photo of himself onstage during the special, titled “Natural Selection.”
The link was labeled, “Tap to solve your issue.” However, it deceivingly directed his fans to purchase special needs helmets from Medicaleshop.
Not every joke is going to land, but it seems unfair that fans are using the resurfaced video to add more fuel to the fire that Matt Rife started.
Either way, Zendaya still hasn’t spoken about the incident and neither has Rife. Perhaps fans should consider the feelings of those actually involved and not let their emotions do the talking.