• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
People jumped to Zendaya's defence after Matt Rife grabbed her face and 'hit on her'

Home> Entertainment> Celebrity

Published 17:04 21 Nov 2023 GMT

People jumped to Zendaya's defence after Matt Rife grabbed her face and 'hit on her'

Video of an uncomfortable interaction between the comedian and Zendaya has resurfaced in wake of the controversy regarding his Netflix show.

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

Matt Rife is wading through fresh backlash after video of an uncomfortable interaction between him and Zendaya resurfaced.

The comedian, 28, is already at the centre of controversy due to his 'sexist' jokes in his debut Netflix special Natural Selection, and now fans have dug up some other evidence of his misguided attempts at humour.

He should be well aware by now that things live forever on the internet - including footage of his cringe-worthy flirting attempt with the stunning Zendaya during an episode of Wild 'N Out in 2015.

Advert

Take a look here:

Rife became a leading cast member on the MTV hit show, presented by Nick Cannon, in Season 7 and seemed keen to leave an impression on viewers to prove his worth.

It is the only explanation for his over tactile approach when he came into contact with Zendaya while taking his turn during the 'Talking Spit' game on the episode she guest starred on.

Advert

The aim of the game is to make the celebrity - in this case, Zendaya - laugh so hard that they spit the water out of their mouth before their competitor.

The actress was competing against Cannon, and had so far managed to keep her composure, so still had the liquid inside her cheeks.

Rife then trotted over to take his turn at making them both laugh and knelt behind the Wild 'N Out presenters chair before delivering his first distasteful joke to Zendaya.

Rife awkwardly grabbed Zendaya's face while shooting his shot on the MTV show.
YouTube/WildNOut

He said: "Look, you're mixed, I want to be Black. Let's make a lifestyle movie!"

Advert

His attempt at making the Spider-Man star laugh didn't go down well and she kept the water firmly in her mouth - which only made him more desperate to win.

Rife awkwardly followed up by striding right over to Zendaya, grabbing her face and saying: "Spit that water out so I can get your number, please."

She was visibly unimpressed by him invading her personal space as well as his strange bid for a date during the game, but kept her cool and simply wagged her finger disappointedly.

Rife's co-stars on the comedy show were equally outraged, as they immediately told him to back up away from her and chastised him for his behaviour.

One said: "Oh it was over, I'm like Matt - nuh uh. You not about to do that. That girl got a job on Disney Channel."

Advert

The actress, 27, was visibly stunned by Rife grabbing her.
YouTube/WildNOut

Despite the joke not going down well, Rife said of his actions:

"What's most frustrating about that moment is that everyone was like, 'Ahh, she shot you down.' Like I was really spitting game. As if that's how I would really approach her. I got game."

Social media users have branded him a 'creep' after watching the resurfaced clip of the Wild 'N Out episode.

One said: "That was so cringe. Wth."

Advert

Another said: "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."

A third added: "Known Matt Rife was trash since he touched Zendaya's face on Wild 'N Out without her consent."

And a fourth chimed in: "Totally forgot Matt Rife was the one who made the weird comments to Zendaya. It's all starting to make sense now."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WildNOut

Topics: Zendaya, US News, Celebrity, TV and Film, MTV, Social Media

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

X

@livburke_

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    People are only just noticing the ‘questionable’ Don’t Stop Me Now Queen lyrics years later

    To be fair, it is a cracking song

    Entertainment
  • 9 hours ago

    Martin Scorsese stopped working with Warner Bros after they tried to make decision over film with huge IMDb score

    The two camps did not see eye-to-eye over the Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon classic

    Entertainment
  • 9 hours ago

    Dating coach says one text message from a partner could actually be a very worrying sign

    Another one to add to the list, guys

    Entertainment
  • 10 hours ago

    Noel Gallagher spent years moving brother Liam's furniture around to convince him there was a ghost

    The Oasis frontman appears to be rather concerned by the paranormal

    Entertainment
  • Emma Watson was left ‘violated’ after what photographers did to her on her 18th birthday
  • Zendaya reveals how her parents felt watching her three-way scene in blockbuster film
  • Zendaya gave honest answer when asked about having to film intimate three-way scene in recent movie
  • YouTuber banned from popular streaming site after crashing £150k McLaren while using phone on highway