Rosie Jones from Taskmaster Slams ‘Hurtful’ Trolling Abuse
Sign up for more LGBTQ+ news and updates at TrueQueer.
Lesbian Comedian Rosie Jones Faces Wave of Online Abuse Following ‘Taskmaster’ Announcement
Popular lesbian comedian Rosie Jones has been subjected to a deluge of online abuse after it was publicly announced that she will be one of the guests on Season 18 of Channel 4’s hit comedy game show Taskmaster.
Image: Comedian Rosie Jones will be appearing on the new season of the hit Channel 4 comedy game show. Credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty)
On yesterday’s broadcast date, 30 May, Jones was named as one of the five celebrities participating in the hilarious TV game show, orchestrated by comedian heavyweights Greg Davies and Alex Horne. The star-studded panel also includes fellow comedians Andy Zaltzman, Babatunde Aléshé, Emma Sidi and Jack Dee, with the series set to air later this year.
Jones, well-known for her role in Disability Benefits, appears to be the only participant receiving a barrage of derogatory comments from online trolls, including various ableist remarks.
Having gained fame in the mid-2010s, Jones has always been candid about her life living with ataxic cerebral palsy and shared her experiences of being trolled due to this.
In a wave of negative responses, some have claimed that Taskmaster will be “unwatchable” with Jones as part of the cast. Others have declared they will “skip” the new season, with one troll going as far as suggesting she’d “ruin” it.
Earlier in the month, Jones was compelled to delete her Twitter account following a torrent of hate directed towards her. The comedian expressed her disillusionment with the social media platform, highlighting how the hurtful comments had robbed her joy and stripped the platform of its fun and positivity.
“I’ve not felt a lot of joy from this social media platform in a long time,” she lamented. “I could say comedy is subjective but the truth is the comments are hurtful. I used to love Twitter but I don’t care for this centre of hate.”
Many loyal fans of Jones have jumped to her defense amid the stiffening online abuse. One user noted, “You can dislike Rosie Jones’s comedy without demonstrating such vocal and visceral hatred towards her for doing her job. Saying you’re not bigoted doesn’t mean you aren’t when the only comedians [to] receive this hostility are from minority groups.”
In response to the onslaught of hateful messages, one user insightfully added, “If you find 8 out of 10 cats does countdown, the last leg, would I lie to you funny, then you don’t have a problem with Rosie Jones’ comedy, as she writes for these shows. But when she is on screen you claim she’s not funny, I don’t think it’s the comedy you have an issue with!!”
Furthermore, a fan who recently attended a live recording of the newest season described Jones’ performance as “completely hilarious and as bonkers as you would expect.” Another declared, “The reactions to Rosie Jones being on Taskmaster are predictable and so bloody depressing. I can’t recall a single other contestant on the show getting this backlash and it’s completely unwarranted.”
Jones has also opened up about how the surge of online abuse intensified after her appearance on BBC’s Question Time in 2021. “I attracted a new audience: people who didn’t agree with my political beliefs,” she reflected. “They couldn’t find the words to express it so they just attacked my disability or appearance. The amount of abuse I got was overwhelming. Even the strongest person couldn’t deal with that.”
Taskmaster season 18, featuring Rosie Jones, is set to air on Channel 4 later this year.
Follow us on: Facebook for more LGBTQ+ news and updates at TrueQueer.
“Rosie Jones Taskmaster season 18”
