Comedian Rosie Jones has condemned what she describes as 'ableist' comments directed at her following her appearance at the Royal Variety Performance. The 33-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, performed alongside stars including Hannah Waddingham and Bradley Walsh at the event, which was broadcast on Sunday.
In response to the criticism, Jones took to social media to address the trolls. On X, formerly Twitter, she wrote: 'Thank you for all of the lovely messages about The Royal Variety last night, what fun. Less of a thanks to the not so lovely ones. 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 also shared an impassioned video on Instagram, stating: 'If you want to write to me to tell me that I'm not funny, don't, because I don't care. If you want to say that I'm too disabled to be on telly or you can't understand me, don't bother, because again, I don't care and I'm going to carry on being on your screen with my big disabled voice.'
Jones's comments were met with an outpouring of support from her 139,000 followers, with one calling her a 'national treasure' and another praising her as 'hysterical'. The comedian is currently developing a six-episode sitcom for Channel 4 titled Disability Benefits, in which she will star as Emily, a woman who starts an illegal drugs empire after her benefits are cut.
Earlier this year, Jones released a documentary called Am I a R*tard?, which explored online abuse faced by disabled people. She defended the controversial title, saying she wanted to 'tackle the subject head on' and highlight the ableist slurs she receives regularly.
