Comedian Rosie Jones sparks row as she attacks ‘privileged white cis man’ Ricky Gervais over trans jokes controversy

“It’s just your privileged cis white straight men who open their newspaper and go, ‘Oh, people are talking about trans people. I can know a bit about that without experiencing it at all,’” she said.

“To those boys, I’d say, with respect, shut the f*** up.”

Ms Jones went on to outline a three-part test she believes comedians should apply before delivering a joke.

“Before you tell a joke, you need to analyse it, and that comes down to three things,” she explained.

The first consideration, she said, is whether the comedian has direct or close personal experience of the subject matter.

Secondly, performers must assess who their material targets and whether their intent is positive or negative, asking themselves whether they are punching up or punching down.

Finally, Ms Jones urged comics to examine their motivation, saying: “Are you asking a question to open up a conversation and make people think differently, or are you saying it simply to be controversial?”

When it comes specifically to jokes about trans people, Ms Jones was emphatic that such material should be off-limits for those outside the community.

“It’s none of their f****** business. Stop telling cheap f****** jokes and leave it to the brilliant trans people who live in that world,” she said.

Her remarks follow a recent appearance on Mr Carr’s Laughs Funny tour on October 10, during which he praised Father Ted creator Graham Linehan, who has been widely criticised for his views on trans issues, describing his stance as “bravery”.

Ms Jones’ interview was later shared on X by @JournalismSEEN, accompanied by a caption quoting Ms Jones, which read: "Your Ricky Gervases, Jimmy Carrs… It’s just your privileged cis white straight men who open their newspaper and go ‘Oh, people are talking about trans people. I can know a bit about that without experiencing it at all’. Rosie Jones tells them: ‘Shut up.'"

Mr Linehan re-posted the clip and jeered: “What no member of a comedy audience has ever thought: ‘Oh great! It’s Rosie Jones!’”

Both supporters and critics of Ms Jones weighed in beneath the post.

“Rosie claims she knows a bit about comedy, with no experience in it at all,” one commenter wrote, while another said: “Given they are men, they can make jokes about men, including those pretending to be women.”

Another referred to Ms Jones as “jealous of comedians because they make people laugh”, while a fourth added: “She’s not realised yet she is the joke.”

However, others jumped to the comedian’s defence.

One supporter wrote: “I like Rosie Jones. She’s a nice girl and funny. A lot of her jokes are disability in-jokes. You have to be a crip to get it. She’s not on here any more due to ignorant people mocking her.”

Another added: “The thing is, she does have her fans. I don’t claim to understand it but she has a show at Soho Theatre and tickets are selling.”

Ms Jones also used the interview to provide an update on the alleged homophobic and ableist attack she and her friend Lee Peart suffered while travelling home by train from a comedy gig in Brighton in October 2025.

With police investigations still ongoing months later, she admitted the incident continues to weigh heavily on her.

“What I will say is it was so upsetting and so shocking because all me and my friend and colleague Lee were trying to do was get back from work,” she said.

Despite a decade of professional success, therapy, writing books and establishing her own foundations, Ms Jones said such moments can undo years of progress in an instant.

“And then a stranger reminds me that I’m still a victim.”