14 July 2023 , 22:54
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Rosie Jones was consoled by her Channel 4 co-stars as she explained the reason behind her documentary name after receiving backlash.
The comedian, 33, appeared on Friday's episode of The Last Leg to discuss her upcoming programme. Rosie sparked debate after she announced the title of her documentary would be Rosie Jones: Am I A R*tard.
It angered many due to the use of the highly offensive word and meant a few of the disabled contributors withdrew from the show. The Channel 4 documentary was made to educate people on the abuse faced by people with disabilities.
Appearing on the topical panel show, Rosie said: "The R word in particular, it is very upsetting for a lot of people. I personally hate that word. It has been used as a weapon towards me for 33 years.
Rosie appeared on the Channel 4 show on Friday to discuss her documentary (Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for DIVA)
She broke down on the radio when talking about the backlash (bbcwomanshour/Instagram)"Unfortunately it is still a word that is used casually in pubs, in schools, in the streets and online. Sometimes in order to make change, you need to tackle the subject head on." Following Rosie's explanation, host Adam Hills rushed over to give the comedian a huge on the Channel 4 show on Friday night.
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During a teary-appeared appearance on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour on Thursday, Rosie broke down as she discussed the fierce backlash to her show.
"It's not been my easiest few weeks because having criticism that comes from within your own community hits harder," she said. "I have had cerebral palsy for 33 years and that means going through school, walking down the road and now having a public platform on social media, I get to experience that word used at me as a weapon nearly every day.
"Somewhere I will hear it. And you saw me come in today with headphones because I do not walk down the street without wearing headphones to protect myself from hearing that word or ableist slurs."
She continued: "So I know it's controversial but I needed to use that specific word in the title of the documentary to start the conversation around slurs and ableism. It is my opinion that it is not taken as seriously as other slurs."
Rosie has revealed it was her decision to use the slur and explained the production company and Channel 4 "supported her". "They've said it's your story, it's your lived experience and therefore it's your lived experience," she explained.
Rosie said she has taken in all the criticism and said she can 'only speak for herself' when it comes to the word and her experiences. Ballerina Kate Stanforth, model Lucy Dawson and social media influencer Shelby Lynch all withdrew from the documentary and were left 'heartbroken' at the use of the offensive title.
The channel and the production company had 'many conversations' with the other contributors - who were provided with after care when filming the documentary.
"We explained the reason behind the language and we said it was my own experience and we encouraged them to watch the film to understand all the reasons for that," Rosie said.
"Unfortunately they didn't want to. But what I would say is, I think it just highlights the fact the disabled community isn't one person with one opinion and one experience.
"We're having this debate because we all come from different places so although it is unfortunate that we have had to take their scene out of the film, I still firmly believe that we get our point across of wanting to start a conversation about ableism."
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