Rosie Jones, a comedian, appears to be on everything these days, from Casualty to QI. She is fighting her own feelings that she doesn't fit in even as she gets ready to launch her first solo stand-up tour.
With just a few days until the tour, Rosie declares, "I'm excited about it. "I'm a little nervous, but I'm also eager to meet new people. ".
Rosie appears to have accomplished everything in terms of "media" at the young age of 32, having acted in long-running dramas, written for the Netflix sensation Sex Education, and published a number of children's books.
She's also fronted her own travel show, Trip Hazard, performed on Live At The Apollo, and got very political on Question Time (more on that later), but she claims that people are surprised to learn that she hasn't toured before. .
She claims in an interview with Access All, the BBC's weekly podcast about mental illness and disability, that she has only been performing stand-up for six years, two of which were wiped out by a pandemic.
As a topic where art imitates life, her tour, Triple Threat, will explore how to deal with new fame and whether she truly deserves it. .
She has scheduled 35 venues that are completely accessible for performances beginning on March 3, many of which will include British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation.
She is aware that she cannot be seen to fail in this regard.
She admits, knowing the disabled community would hold her in particular contempt if she made a mistake, "I was absolutely determined to make sure every room was accessible.".
"My production company had to call every location and ask, "What can you do? " Any location that said, "We can't do that,' they said, "Rosie won't go. ".
Despite her excitement for her tour, she is uneasy. She explains that having a disability makes her feel like an imposter.
LISTEN. More Rosie can be heard on the BBC Access All podcast.
What follows the government's decision to axe its 10-year mental health plan?
"When I think of a comedian, I picture the stereotypical straight, male, loud, comedian I remember from my childhood.
"When you visit me, you won't hear any jokes that go by quickly, but I promise you'll laugh a lot. ".
Cerebral palsy affects Rosie. She claims she is "constantly fighting internalized ableism," which affects her speech and gait.
The discrimination known as ableism puts non-disabled people ahead of disabled people.
When a disabled person internalizes the discrimination they experience and develops negative self-perceptions, this is known as internalized ableism, a term we're hearing more and more of, especially on social media.
"Being a woman and gay means that every time I'm on TV, someone will comment on my appearance, including my weight, my teeth, my hair, and my disability. Therefor, every level is a means of abusing me.
"I'm in therapy as a result of that. I'm dealing with a lot of internalized ableism right now, as well as issues that I probably covered up with jokes, she admits.
She is currently thinking about ableism and trolling. In addition to getting ready for her tour, she is filming a documentary for Channel 4 about how society views people with disabilities that will air in May.
Every day, whether online or in person, she encounters some form of ableism, and she believes that in order to eradicate it and confront the perpetrators, she must come to this site and declare that such behavior is unacceptable.
To end ableism, we must categorically state that it exists. " .
When Rosie made two appearances on the popular debate program Question Time on BBC One, social media erupted with venomous remarks about her that made headlines.
Because of all the abuse she was receiving, she claims that both times she became a Twitter trend.
"[They were] telling me that I should be in a cage, that I shouldn't be on TV, and that I should die. ".
The support of celebrities like the author and TV host Richard Osmond, who is also visually impaired, sparked a national discussion about how society views disability.
"Society is used to discussing disability, but not so much disabled people making their own voices heard," BBC reporter Alex Taylor summarized it at the time. ".
Since her last appearance on the late-night politics show two years ago, Rosie has had time to think things over.
"I think Question Time is fantastic, but it attracts a lot of angry people, and not only am I a woman, a gay man, and disabled, surprise, surprise, I also lean extremely Labor. So when I appeared on that show and stated what I believed, many right-wingers disagreed with me, and they used my disability as an easy target.
"Yes, I'd do it all over again. However, I would be better prepared and would probably take a few weeks off from Twitter. ".
She says that while the experience left her speechless, speaking up for what she believes in is more crucial.
"I will always advocate for diversity, but doing so is challenging and draining when I am subjected to so much abuse. ".
Rosie's career has advanced despite that circumstance. her collection of children's books featuring The Amazing Edie Eckhart, a cerebral palsy patient. have brought her hordes of young fans, and she is now the go-to performer when it comes to booking a female comedian with a disability.
She quips, "I like that selfishly because it bought me a beautiful house. "However, I don't believe I'm displacing other disabled people from jobs.
"Unfortunately, we're still in the stage where they can only get me or another straight white person without a disability. ".
It may "encourage more disabled people to come into the industry" if you appear on as many different shows as you can, the actress claims.
Her "ultimate dream" is to appear on a panel show that also happens to be hosting a number of other disabled comics.
She recently came very close to achieving it when she hosted Rosie Jones' Disability Comedy Extravaganza, a web event that featured 10 up-and-coming disabled comedians for UKTV Play and Dave TV's YouTube channel.
Dan Tiernan, a comedian who performed, mentions having dyspraxia in his stand-up routine. He went on to win the BBC New Comedy Award as well as British Comedian of the Year, highlighting the talent and wide-reaching appeal of the acts. .
Rosie is grateful that she can contribute to changing the industry with her recent success.
"I have this platform, and it's about how we bring up a whole bunch of brilliant disabled comics with me," she says.
I'm really proud of myself, Rosie says as she prepares to leave for Birmingham for the opening night.
She expects to be given a non-negotiable rider at every venue, just like a rock star.
The most embarrassing thing has happened. I really wish I was a packet of cigarettes and whiskey gal. But it's only a tiny portion of Yorkshire tea. ".
On the, you can access information and support while listening to the podcast. Go to the All page.
