Comedian Rosie Jones has opened up about her experience dealing with ableist abuse online following her appearance on The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in December. Jones, who has cerebral palsy and was a panellist on the year-end quiz, discussed how the episode affected her personally in a recent interview with The Guardian. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t upset me, but luckily, I am surrounded by such a strong network of brilliant friends, family, and colleagues who support me,” she said. Jones has previously spoken out about ableist abuse, posting on social media about the difference between personal preference and downright ableism.
Jones reposted a statement that she had shared in the wake of another torrent of ableist abuse she received after a performance on The Royal Variety Show. “Comedy is subjective and it’s ok if I’m not your cup of tea. But please remember the difference between personal preference and downright ableism.” She added, “Different telly show, same old ableism. Thanks for the support, but I’m gonna lie low for a bit and sink into the perineum of Christmas and New Year.” Jones also hosted a documentary last year about the online abuse disabled people face on social media.
Its title, Rosie Jones: Am I A R*****?, was the subject of controversy and led to multiple contributors to the documentary withdrawing their consent from the project after going “backwards and forwards” with the network over the title. Jones said in a statement defending the title choice: “I get it, a lot of people will find this word very shocking and upsetting. But in my opinion, society doesn’t take this word and other ableist forms of language as seriously as any other form of abuse from any other minorities.”
Jones, who is set to host the new comedy panel show Out of Order on Comedy Central beginning on February 26th, shared that she has learned that a thick skin is necessary in her career. Despite the abuse she has received, she focuses on the positives and has a strong support network to turn to
Read the full article on NME here: Read More