Rosie Jones is showing on Taskmaster, however nasty trolls aren’t blissful. (Getty)
Lesbian comic Rosie Jones is enduring a wave of on-line abuse after it was introduced that she would to seem on season 18 of Channel 4’s Taskmaster.
Yesterday (30 Could), the lesbian comic and Incapacity Advantages star was named as one in all 5 celebrities participating in season 18 of Greg Davies and Alex Horne’s hit comedy recreation present. She’ll be on the panel alongside fellow comedians Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé, Emma Sidi and Jack Dee when the collection airs later this 12 months.
However Jones seems to be the one one going through a barrage of abuse from social media trolls, a few of whom are making ableist feedback about her.
Since rising to fame within the mid 2010s, Jones has spoken overtly about dwelling with ataxic cerebral palsy, and about being trolled it.
And now some individuals have mentioned Taskmaster will probably be “unwatchable” along with her on it. Others have vowed to “skip” the brand new season, with one troll going so far as to say she’d “spoil” it.
Earlier this month, Jones deleted her X/Twitter account following a bout of hate directed at her.
“I’ve not felt lots of pleasure from this social media platform in a very long time,” she wrote. “I might say comedy is subjective however the reality is the feedback are hurtful. I used to like Twitter however I don’t look after this centre of hate.”
A number of of her followers have leapt to her defence, with one social media consumer stating: “You may dislike Rosie Jones’s comedy with out demonstrating such vocal and visceral hatred in direction of her for doing her job.
“Saying you’re not bigoted doesn’t imply you aren’t, when the one comedians [to] obtain this hostility are from minority teams.”
One fan who attended a recording of the brand new season described Jones as “utterly hilarious and as bonkers as you’ll anticipate”.
One other mentioned: “The reactions to Rosie Jones being on Taskmaster are predictable and so bloody miserable. I can’t recall a single different contestant on the present getting this backlash and it’s utterly unwarranted.”
Others had been merely thrilled to listen to she can be showing. “Rosie Jones? We’ve frickin gained, people. Dream Taskmaster contestant. An absolute queen,” one wrote.
Jones has spoken about how on-line abuse reached a crescendo following her look on BBC’s Query Time in 2021.
“I attracted a brand new viewers: individuals who didn’t agree with my political views,” she mentioned. “They couldn’t discover the phrases to precise it so they simply attacked my incapacity or look. They’re the low-hanging fruits. The quantity of abuse I received was overwhelming. Even the strongest particular person couldn’t take care of that.”
Taskmaster season 18 will air on Channel 4 later this 12 months.