Comic on society's lack of empathy

Rosie Jones has told of how she was ignored – and even kicked – after she fell over in a Tube station.

The comedian, who has cerebral palsy, said the incident is a ‘good analogy’ for how society has become more self-centred, with people not looking out for others. 

‘A few years ago, I fell over on the Tube platform in rush hour and I couldn't get up,’ she told the By The Way… With Harriet Rose podcast. ‘I was on the floor for about only three four minutes. But in that time, I would say about 40 people stepped over me. Two people stepped over me and kicked my head and no person asked me if I was OK. 

‘I think about that a lot because I think it's a good analogy for society right now. I honestly do not think any of those people saw me as a person. They just saw me as an obstacle in their way of getting into work. 

‘I think the world would be a better place if we got out of our own arseholes looked around us and went, "Oh my god, I might be about four minutes late to work, but I'm going to crouch down to that lady on the floor and check that she's OK".’

Jones also spoke about the on the abuse she received on social media after being announced as a contestant on Taskmaster

She said: ‘Aall the white straight men called Darren came after me and they’re like "Rosie Jones on Taskmaster, it's ridiculous she going to win the whole series and it's PC gone mad". inte

‘I really feel like I came last on purpose, I just wanted to show society that disabled people also have a right to be mediocre.’

Jones said she developed her sense of humour at school, when she was integrated into mainstream classes. 

‘When you enter a classroom at four  years old and everyone's looking at you and going, "What? Why can't you walk properly? Why are you talking like that?" You just had to have immense confidence in yourself in order to survive. 

‘Me developing a sense of humour was really a defence mechanism. 

‘Now sometimes I feel like I'm a bit separated from society. I often don't feel like I belong. So when that happens, you get to look at the world from a far and you go, "right, I want to live my life to its fullest".

‘Arguably I've been given a shit hand at birth. How do I take that shit hand and how do I play the best game of life that I can?’

Jones’s episode of the By The Way… With Harriet Rose podcast is out today.

Published: 6 Aug 2026