dpComedian Matt Rife has ruffled some feathers in the paranormal investigation community after making an insensitive remark to a ghost hunter with autism.
The confrontation began when Rife and his collaborator, Elton Castee, promoted about an upcoming event at the Haunted Warren Museum, in Salem, Mass. on Instagram. The pair purchased the site last year, which is best known for hosting the infamous Annabelle doll and hundreds of other cursed artifacts.
According to TMZ, Chris Mac, a self-described paranormal investigator, responded to the post by giving an online sermon on the Salem Witch Trials. It’s uncleared why Rife was so bothered by this remark, but he responded to Mac by calling him a “lifeless douchebag” and told him to “please remove yourself from this earth.”
Mac later disclosed his autism diagnosis on Facebook and called for Rife to seek help. “I don’t want ever ever want [to] see Matt bully a person with autism again do I make myself clear not ok to say with a person with autism I have autism,” Mac wrote, according to the outlet.
A source close to Rife told TMZ that the comedian faces constant bullying in his comment sections. The source said Rife often responds to trolls who then delete their original comments, leaving his replies without context. That said, there is no evidence that Rife knew Mac had autism when he made the remarks.
Still, the incident has added to existing tensions between Rife and the paranormal community. Investigators have previously criticized Rife and Castee for charging admission fees up to $166 at the museum, arguing the pair prioritizes profit over the passion typically associated with paranormal investigation.
