Katherine Ryan says offended viewers were ‘too thick’ to understand Rosie Jones’ Greta Thunberg joke
22 people complained to Ofcom after joke on episode of ‘The Last Leg’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Katherine Ryan has defended a controversial joke made by comedian Rosie Jones about the climate activist Greta Thunberg.
In January, Jones sparked outrage during an appearance on the New Year’s Eve edition of The Last Leg. She joked that Thunberg, who she described as “amazing”, “needs to live a little”.
“She’s only 16,” Jones said. “She should be doing two things: drinking Lambrini and getting fingered.”
Ryan has since claimed that offended viewers were “too thick” to understand Jones’ humour.
“I think they don’t have a position to be outraged,” she told Metro. “She was just relating her own experience. The truth is what a lot of us were doing when we were 16. It’s just getting off with boys behind the bins – we weren’t fighting climate change. That was the joke. People just misunderstood.
“A lot of the time when people get offended, it’s not the joke, it’s the fact that they’re too thick to understand the joke. I absolutely think that’s what happened.”
She added, “Do you think Rosie Jones meant any harm at all towards Greta Thunberg? It’s just so ridiculous. There are grown men all over America, and the world, who wish actual harm against Greta Thunberg and Rosie is not one… I think she’s an absolute star.”
A number of shocked viewers expressed their unease with Jones’ joke on Twitter shortly after it was broadcast.
“Rosie Jones was totally inappropriate,” read one tweet. “I normally like your show, but what she said about a 16 year old is below any standards.”
Another viewer added: “I’m disgusted by the comment that Rosie Jones just made on your show. It shouldn’t have been applauded.”
Ofcom announced in January that 22 people had filed formal complaints about Jones’ joke.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments