What did Matt Rife say? Comedian defends Sydney Sweeney over American Eagle backlash following his Elf ad controversy

Comedian Matt Rife grabbed the internet's attention when he took to X to defend Sydney Sweeney for her controversial Dr. Squatch bathwater bliss and American Eagle jeans ads.

This comment comes after Matt Rife himself received backlash for his e.l.f. Ad. On August 22, 2025, Rife wrote on X:

“I keep seeing people mad at Sydney Sweeney for noooothing. She’s learning that the internet is full of absolute garbage losers who will twist anything you say into a c***y misinterpretation. People are awful.”

After her Dr. Squatch soap advertisement suggested the product included her used bathwater, Sweeney came under fire. In an interview with WSJ. Magazine, she said:

“I think it’s important to have a finger on the pulse of what people are saying, because everything is a conversation with the audience. It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting. They all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater.”

The actress's American Eagle denim commercial also brought criticism. The tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes” was criticized for allegedly promoting eugenics. Though American Eagle has stressed that it was solely related to the denim, the company has come under fire for the ad.

Though Sydney has not provided any statements regarding this, American Eagle has released a statement through a post. The post read:

“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

A source close to Sweeney revealed to US Weekly that Sweeney thinks the controversy has been exaggerated, and she is concentrating on her filming, the source said:

“Sydney thinks this whole thing has been blown out of proportion. She’s focusing her energy on work, including being back on set with her Euphoria family.”

Trent Sweeney, Sydney's brother, also made a joke, seemingly defending her on social media. As he uploaded his promotion certificate on his Instagram stories, he wrote:

“It’s them good jeans.” seemingly referencing her American Eagle ad's tagline.

Matt Rife's e.l.f. controversy

Matt Rife recently starred in an ad with drag queen Heidi N. Closet in a parody advertisement for e.l.f. Cosmetics in early August. Due to Rife's history of making controversial jokes, including one about domestic abuse in his 2023 Netflix special Natural Selection, the advertisement attracted a lot of criticism, and it was pulled immediately.

The brand released a statement on August 13, 2025, saying:

“You know us, we’re always listening and we’ve heard you. 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.”

Matt Rife has not publicly addressed the ad controversy.

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