‘I will keep speaking up, in my wonderful voice, for what I believe in’
COMEDIAN HITS BACK AT TROLLS AFTER BBC SHOW APPEARANCE
BRIDLINGTON-BORN comedian Rosie Jones has responded to negative comments directed at her after appearing on BBC One’s Question Time on Thursday evening.
Internet trolls said that Rosie sounded like she’d been “on the bottle” and that she “needed subtitles”.
Rosie, who was educated at Headlands School in Bridlington, has spoken openly about life as a disabled person living with cerebral palsy, and has been known to build jokes around her voice during her stand-up routines.
The 31-year-old featured on the panel show alongside Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy, LBC’S Nick Ferrari and Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union.
The topics discussed on Thursday night’s show included the timing of the Sarah Everard inquiry, whether Prince Andrew should go to the States and face his accuser in court, and what has gone wrong with our country’s domestic food production.
But, it was the comments made by those online that stole the show, with a number of internet trolls directing a barrage of abuse at the Yorkshire comedian on Twitter.
Some of the comments included Rosie being told that she sounded like she was drunk, as well as other people suggesting that the programme needed subtitles for viewers to understand her.
In response to the abuse, after the show Rosie took to Twitter to speak to her 131,000 followers.
The tweet read: “The sad thing is that I’m not surprised at the ableist abuse I’ve received tonight regarding my appearance on Question Time.
“It’s indicative of the country we live in right now.
“I will keep on speaking up, in my wonderful voice, for what I believe in.”
Since her post on Twitter she has received more than 2,000 comments of support and more than 60,000 likes (and counting) on her post.
She has been flooded with comments of support by people who say the comments she received are “appalling”.
One said: “People literally pay money to hear Rosie Jones speak, it’s her job. If you can’t understand her, that feels like a you problem. Try actually listening instead of being an ableist ******** on the internet.”
Another responded: “I’ll remember last night’s BBCQT for a long time and not least for your wonderfully coherent and articulate contribution. It almost felt like there was a shift in the mood of the country with you, Lisa and most of the rest of the panel voicing it.”
“Go Rosie! The haters mustn’t win. You have so much to give and to say and I would always choose to listen to your truth over their venom any day!” another read.
One tweeted: “You were clear, concise and passionate. Disgusted that so many on here are so superficial they missed your extremely valid points and turned your appearance as a panellist into another agenda. Discrimination is unfortunately still rife.”
Rosie, who recently flew to Tokyo to report on the Paralympics for Channel 4’s The Last Leg, also received support from Paralympics GB, who tweeted: “More speaking up, more wonderful voices, more @josierones #Impossible Toignore”