Mad, Sad and Bad with Paloma Faith - Rosie Jones: I Was Made To Feel Guilty About My Disability

Episode Date: April 6, 2026

I’ve always gravitated towards really naughty people, and few people are as naughty as THE Rosie Jones.Since our first meeting, in the presence of actual royalty (more on that later), I’ve followed her incredible career as she’s taken the UK comedy scene by storm!! She started out writing jokes for TV that made other people funny, and now, in her own right, is one of the country’s best known stand-up comedians. 🎤 She also starred in her very own TV show ‘Pushers’ and is a published children’s author. We talk about how to deal with keyboard warriors and how understanding ableism stopped Rosie from feeling guilt about her disability. We also talk about her being a good (and bad) drunk, loving a good flirt, having no regrets and her ‘tricks’ for dodging train tickets… 🤫—Find us on: Instagram / TikTok / YouTube—Credits:Producer: Emilia GillEdit Producer: Kat MilsomAssistant Producer: Alex ReedVideo: Josh Bennett, Lizzie McCarthy and Harry SawkinsSound: Rafi Amsili Geovannetti & Laura IredaleOriginal music: BUTCH PIXYSocial Media: Laura CoughlanExec Producer for JamPot: Ewan Newbigging-ListerExec Producers for Idle Industries: Dave Granger & Will Macdonald Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, I'm Paloma Faith and this is my show. One, two, three, four. Each week I welcome someone fantastic into my home to talk about what makes them mad, sad and bad. Roll recording! I love you. I'm gonna bring you round this side so that I could shut the door. Is it, mate, is it pissing it down?

It's not the Bahamas. Rosie Jones is a British stand-up comedian, advocate, writer and author. She started in comedy as a writer working behind the scenes and writing on panel shows like eight out of ten cats and would I lie to you. When she wasn't working, she was touring to small crowds who often weren't even interested and would come home out of pocket. Know the feeling. She said she never wanted to be famous, but stand-up was a hobby that got out of hand. Also know the feeling. People loved her and she started appearing on the show she'd once written for. She's also written for TV, created her own sitcom pushers about a woman with cerebral palsy

that turns to drug dealing after her benefits are reduced. Brilliant plan. Beyond comedy, she's authored children's books and is a visible voice around disability and LGBTQ plus representation. But to me, I first met her when she helped me out in a very non-PC way by allowing me to abuse and use her disability to get myself out of a potentially uncomfortable situation with some royal family members. But anyway, more on that later. It's the amazing Rosie Jones. We'll talk about that later because it was one of the highlights of my career, I think.

Oh, me too. Meeting you and having you with me in that really awkward situation, but we'll talk about that. Yeah. So I also relate in the intro, it's like, I relate to that early on in your career. How does it feel performing to a room of people that potentially hate you and don't want you there? Awful. Yeah, awful. But I feel like it's only awful in hindsight.

Yeah. Because at the time, I was so green to it all. I was like, I don't care. I'm a comedian. And I will just jump at the chance of performing anywhere. I remember one time I got. offered a gig in Redding and they pay me 10 pounds. I didn't even realise that train ticket itself will be $4.0.

So you paid to do the gig? Yeah. But at the time you're like, oh my God, yeah. They want me. I remember doing a preview. So that's an hour of brand new jokes. And they got to their pub and there was four people there. Two people fell asleep.

And two people. people were really enjoying it, but had a blind dog with them who was obviously a bit anxious, bit confused, and every time they laughed, the dog would cry. So we had to dismal.

side between the three of us not to laugh in case a dog got too stressed out. I've done gigs before in my early career where I was at the restaurant with the, it was promised like a jazz night as well and then people would be like, could you just turn the music down because we're here to eat? So I relate to it. Yeah. Because people, when it's such a weird thing, the difference between some public accolade and none at all, you're still the same person with the same jokes or the same songs.

Yeah. But sometimes they give a shit and other times they don't. Yeah. And also not to be elit about it, but a lot of... I'm brilliant. Yeah. A lot of people. think they know what comedy is

so they see Michael McIntyre on telly and they go oh that is what comedy is so they come to a gig first of all they're disappointed that I am not Michael Macinty

and then they sit on the front of chatting going Roy! Roy! Lager! Yeah, I'm going sorry. And they say you're not in your living room right now.

Fuck the fuck up, yeah. And they, they message me on Instagram, going, or we're coming to your gig tonight. Can you make fun on my mate Gary? He's a mechanic. And I'm like, no. I've got a plan. Yeah.

What to say? Yeah. Yeah. People have been really mean, especially on social media, the keyboard warriors. That's it. How do you deal with that?

And is it maddening? It is. I get abuse online every single fucking day. And it's a combination of flints. It's brilliant. a woman is being disabled

and you're a lesbian you're just I think you're greedy I don't love to tick a box you love a bit of discrimination give me more and then on top

of that I'm out smoking and I just there's a lot of angry right-wing men out there who see me as a poster person for everything that is wrong in their world. And I do sometimes think, but maybe they're right. They're not.

They're fucking awful. Yeah. I get that though. I mean, I think everyone in the public eye feels that. Like, also, when you're at your low ebb, you sort of look for the bad ones because you're like, let me find something to confirm. Yeah, you got a pratch on that bruise. Yeah.

You've written jokes for a lot of straight white men in your career. And it's like you were kind of making those men funny for a lot of. long time before you got your own flowers. Yeah. And I just think, like, how did you sit in those rooms listening? Because they are, some of them, quite obviously, just awful. Yeah. Did you speak out at the time?

Were you like, what the fuck are you talking about? That was, what, 14 years ago when I was a very green 22-year-old. I was just happy to be working. And I love writing jokes. So for me to get an idea, write it down. And then hear it being spoken on TV. Was a dream come true. And even when I was writing jokes,

for that Matthew said to me, would you be a stand-up comedian? I go, what are you talking about? This is how I can work in comedy to the best of my ability. and it was only a growing up and becoming more confident in who I was, but be seeing the world change for the better and everybody becoming more happy and willing to hear from you.

voices, it made me go, fuck it. Let me try it. And if I'm shit at it, I can go back to writing. I'm mad, because this is all quite mad anyway. Yeah. I've got three questions. I'm going to quickfire them and you're going to answer all of them. Can we say disability? What is ableism? Because it comes up in a lot when I read about you. And also, How does cerebral palsy affect your day-to-day life? Are you in any pain? Over to you. I'm going to strap it. Number one, yes.

She can say there was disability. Some people are driving up, but I don't think it's a bad word. I think people think it's a bad word because I think someone with a disability is less than I don't. My disability does not make my life any worse than yours and tell you what does. make my life worse and that is how society treats disabled people and that can range from

attitudes to practical things and people call it their social model and their best example is I can work. My disability doesn't mean that I cannot work. So disabled disability could work. And tell you what I don't use, and don't use the term able bodied, Because that feels very much like you're the normal ones and really odd ones. I prefer to use disabled and non-disabled.

What's ableism? Abelism is simply when you discriminate against. somebody because of their disabilities. I think it's wild to me that we've all brought up knowing what discrimination is against all of minorities. But even me, a disabled person, only fully under disorder term abelism when I turned 30. Which you're not even there yet.

I'm not. And when they get there in nine years. In the future. You'll learn. Yeah. And it's just really sad. So now knowing the term ableism, I'm able to look back on my life

and remove a lot of guilt from myself. So, for example, off the top of my head, when I was seven years old, I go stop being friends with me because I couldn't run as quickly as her. I felt guilty for that. Whereas if I had the language to go, no.

That's Ableist. Ableist. That is not my... thought, and even times of unemployment, people have rang me up to interview me for their job, and they've heard my voice, burst out laughing, and put their phone. And at the time I was like, fuck shit, I should have clarify my disability in an email. That's on me to prepare them. No, no, it's not on me.

that is them being able, that is them judging me on my disability. Yeah, you're fine. So just knowing that, it's not my fault, and it's up to other people to fucking educate themselves. just removed a lot of that guilt that I kept. And it's not for you to keep it. It's for everyone else who's got the problem. Yeah, and your three questions, several pollens.

Yes. The thing is, is I was thinking, when have I ever sat down and just gone, because people are uncomfortable about asking those kind of questions? Yeah. And I think, oh, because I've had. friends that have disabilities who are in pain but I didn't know specifically with that can't walk very well that but I didn't know specifically with cerebral palsy

whether you are in any so I mean like everything cerebral palsy is such a white term it literally means the brain damage that but But there are different types of cerebral palsy. Yes. I naturally have a rare kind. Of course the special. I wouldn't expect anything else. So I have a toxic cerebral palsy.

So that means my most. a very low tone. I'm like a rag doll, and therefore I'm not in pain because of my C-P. Could you tell people the story of that mad situation we're in, how we met with the Royals?

I love it. Well, so we met at the Royal Variety performance and we did the show and then we had to meet Prince William and Kate who are I will say okay and I think we got the best show of a bad bunch I agree with you I think of all of them they're the most likable if you're going to choose yeah they're lovely I don't I don't think they've done much wrong. No, they're all right.

But I do the 12-hour day, even then if you said, do you want to meet Willie and Kate? I probably would have gone now, you're all right. We were not. But we didn't have a choice. So we had to go. and line up and thank God

we were next day with each other. We were the naughty children. Also, I thought before you met a royal you get like a briefing but no one told us anything

so I didn't know that you meant to talk to them until they're done talking to you. I didn't, I still don't know, are you? Yeah, so Willie got to me and they went, oh, did you enjoy the show? And I said, yeah, anyway, I'll let you get on. I got nothing in common with a lad

I'm not having common with a lad I'm not bothered I had something in common because I had children so then I was chatting to them both and I was like didn't you look good postpartum Kate how have you lost all that weight so quickly and she was like oh you know

And then we chatted about kids and stuff And then I looked at you And I was like Can we just say that because you're disabled We have to get You need me to help you And everyone was like Oh Rosie said she needs

Ploma to tape her Because of the stairs And I was like Little do they know We got through the doors And I ditched you at the bottom of the stairs But you need to do it. I didn't, by the way.

I did go upstairs with Rosie. What was your sad thing that you said? Feeling like I need to be happy all the time. And I don't know if it's a gender thing or a comedian thing. of a disability thing, but I have spent a lot of my life going, oh, don't worry about me. I never get sad.

I'm always happy. And actually, I would hold that sadness, and I wouldn't let it out. at all. I think before I met my girlfriend, I didn't cry for

five years. And I think that would be because I felt like I needed to be the strong one, the happy one. And I would yeah go home and just feel twice as sad because I'm pretending to be happy.

It's that thing of feeling like everyone's mood is dependent on you being okay. Yeah. And probably with the added layer of being like, oh, I'm the one who's got cerebral palsy. Yeah. You probably feel like felt when you were growing, up like oh it's up to me to make everyone think it's going to be okay and that's lent itself into every other area of your life and sometimes you know that phrase that people say oh it's

okay not to be okay yeah but sometimes if someone says that to me i get a bit weepy because i'm like oh is it i remember when i was growing up the time to wherever i would cry and I'd seen my friends panicking and being like, oh my God, the happy person is broken. What do we do? So I think over time it just felt easier not to put that on other people. What do you think it is about you that makes you think you owe it to everybody to be okay?

I think it goes about to disability, so I think people look at me and they go, oh, bless it, oh, I feel sorry for me. Oh, no, her life must be bad. so it was always up to me to crash into a room without a positivity and joy because I wanted to visit them. Don't worry, I'm all good, but also being like,

Thank you for feeling sorry for me. My life is amazing. And my life is amazing. But that energy then makes it hard to go back on and go actually my life Because of my disability is fucking shit or exhausted at times. But I will say that since meeting my girlfriend, holy moly, the floodgates have opened.

Is she your therapist now? No, not really. But emotionally, your feelings are at the top. Yeah, I think I feel so comfortable with her that I've let that guard down. And now I cry all the fucking time. Moving on to Bad, one of the things I like best about you is, that I gravitate towards naughty people and I think you've got a little naughty street

and I think it's inoffensive like I wouldn't say you're a bad person but I'd say you're quite mischievous so I'm really excited about this section for you is it fun to play off people's discomfort about your disability sometimes Oh absolutely growing up whenever I go out

I get absolutely assholes. And I think I'm a good drunk until I am sick. And the sick comes out of nowhere. And the amount of times I peaked up in an Uber. But immediately... What's your star rate? You know what?

4.97 but I don't go to the driver of I'm not drunk and disabled and let me get away with it. To be honest you put up with enough bullshit elsewhere you deserve it. Yeah. In my youth at I used to love

not paying for 20 And every day the train gas will come down and go, ticket please. And they go, what? And they go, have they got a ticket? And they go, oh, have they got a ticket? No. And they go, oh, don't worry. I worked out that I had saved three grand.

That's not even bad. That's just entrepreneurial. Yeah. Can I ask you some quickfire bad things? Yeah. And then you can choose which one you want to elaborate on. Okay. Have you had any bad romances?

Yeah. Yeah. Hello. I'm a lesbian. You hauler. When it's good, it's good, when it's a bad, it's fucking shit. Forget it.

Bad dates? Yes. But I've already been a bad one on the date one time. Right, okay, we're getting into it. First of all we went for a meal and I knew that she liked to be controlled so I took the food menu

and I said I'm ordering all your food and drink And then I took her to a member spa at the end of the night and I tell a lot of my comedian friends and I ended up talking to them more than I talked to her. And then I thought, a well-known celebrity I'll tell you later

with four sex workers and we I went out for a cigarette with one of a sex workers and she tried to kiss me and I like pulled away but the woman that I was on the day with so the sex work at least in poverty kiss.

You're basically the guy from 50 shades of grey but in a woman's body. Yeah. Asshole. And then even, even. Oh my God, let's say bad, but my current girlfriend, on our food date, I was so busy at the time that our date was me taking her to my gig.

No, that's quite fun, I think. I do. In what other situation would you go, hey, would you like a date? Well, if you said it was a day, watch me. Another few. You've cheated on anyone. I know the answer to that.

No. Haven't you? You're quite slurty. I love a flirt. You're good at it. Yeah, my girlfriend said when we became exorcist, she was like, I don't want you to stop flirting with people. Yes, part of your stick.

It's a lovely hamlets of flirt. And I never act on it. Yeah, no, you're a good girl. Got in trouble at school? No. No. That's good. Stolen anything?

Yeah. Cool. Loads. Loads, what? Shoplifting. Yeah. Food. Have you ever killed anyone?

Yeah. How many people? Eight. We don't really have time on this episode to go through each of the murders, but maybe a subsequent episode we could ever thought you might die. Oh, God. Yeah. every day. What of?

Just life. Just like, but how? We're getting deeper on the last one, but again, what I've been gone about, representation,

because I never saw an adult with cerebral palsy, growing up, but I literally thought I'd die at 18. But since then, you have. Yeah, and now I feel like, if you said to me, you're going to die tomorrow, I'd be like, oh, that's quite annoying,

but okay, because I've had such a fucking great, I could check out whenever. That's so sweet, but I really hope that you live to about 85 at least. And the best thing you can hope for is you go to sleep one night and just don't wake up in the morning. That's the privileged one, isn't it? Yeah. But yeah, I'm not.

I think about that for a lot, but I'm not to get up because I got never really, I've done everything I want to do. I've robbed everything that I wanted to rob. Would you say that's what you're glad is? You know, if I said to you what makes you glad? Yeah. No regrets. No regrets.

No. Literally no regrets. There are things that I look back on and go, Why did I do that? But I don't regret anything because all my decisions led me to where I am today. But yeah, I feel like I just want to live every day to their foolish. and when I go, I go. No, you've got to live till 85.

You're too special important. I love you. I love you. Should we snog at the end? Yeah. No, that's cheating. Oh, no. Thank you so much, Rosie.

You've been an amazing guest. What's a great time. I'm going to give you a cupcake because I just love you and I want you to eat cake every day I love you Mary Madeline

Yeah Thank you for coming Right I'll be back soon Yeah come and meet the baby I will Well wasn't that great All of the links of everything

We mentioned in the show can be found In the episode description Oh And while you're there Why not subscribe and follow the show too. See you all next time. Later's potatoes.