Best-selling author J.K. Rowling has sparked fresh controversy with a cryptic social media post that many believe targets her former Harry Potter stars.
J.K. Rowling shamelessly throws brutal dig at Harry Potter stars in cutting post
J.K. Rowling has once again stirred controversy with a social media post that many believe is aimed at her former Harry Potter stars, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The 59-year-old author, who boasts 14.3 million followers, responded to a question asking which actor or actress instantly ruins a movie by cryptically writing: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
She ended her post with three laughing emojis, which many interpreted as a jab at the three actors who portrayed the iconic characters in her beloved franchise. The tension between Rowling and the actors has been building for years, particularly due to her outspoken views on trans rights.
In 2022, after the publication of the Cass report into gender treatment in the UK, which recommended halting puberty blockers for children, Rowling took to social media to express her strong opposition to the support for gender transitioning, especially among minors. At the time, she publicly stated that she could not “forgive” Radcliffe, Watson, and other public figures who had “cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights.”
JK Rowling appeared to make an awkward dig at the Harry Potter cast
Her remarks came after Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint had been outspoken in their support for the trans community. Rowling, in contrast, has been a vocal critic of allowing children to transition, and she has repeatedly called for people who support this practice to apologize to “traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.”
Rowling’s comments on trans rights have sparked significant backlash, with many accusing her of promoting harmful rhetoric. Following the release of the Cass report, she expressed that it was a “watershed” moment and that it “lays bare the tragedy” of allowing children to transition.
In a tweet, Rowling wrote, “Not safe, I’m afraid” when someone claimed Radcliffe and Watson owed her “a very public apology… safe in the knowledge that you will forgive them.” She added, “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatised detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single sex spaces.”
She later wrote, “Kids have been irreversibly harmed, and thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations. The consequences of this scandal will play out for decades. You cheered it on. You did all you could to impede and misrepresent research.
“You tried to bully people out of their jobs for opposing you. Young people have been experimented on, left infertile and in pain. I thought the last tweet was going to be my last, but I just burst into tears. The #CassReview may be a watershed moment, but it comes too late for detransitioners who’ve written me heartbreaking letters of regret.”
Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry), centre, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), right, and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)(Image: PA)
In the midst of the ongoing public debate, Radcliffe has openly discussed his rift with Rowling. In a May 2022 interview, Radcliffe, 34, admitted that while his career would not have existed without Rowling, his personal beliefs no longer aligned with hers. “Jo, obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person,” Radcliffe said.
“But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things you truly believe to someone else for your entire life.” He also acknowledged that the fallout between him and Rowling had been upsetting. “It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”
Emma Watson, 34, has also hinted at the ongoing tension with Rowling. During the 2022 Baftas, host Rebel Wilson joked, “Here to present the next award is Emma Watson. She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch.” Watson, in turn, responded by saying, “I’m here for all the witches!” This moment was widely interpreted as a subtle nod to Rowling and her controversial views, further underscoring the divide between the author and the actors who brought her characters to life.
While the public rift between Rowling and her former Harry Potter stars continues to make headlines, it also reflects the broader, ongoing cultural debate around gender identity, trans rights, and the role of celebrities in these discussions. Both sides remain firm in their beliefs, with Rowling standing by her opposition to the transitioning of minors, while Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint continue to advocate for the rights of the trans community.
The tension between the two sides seems unlikely to subside anytime soon, leaving fans to reflect on the lasting impact of this rift on the Harry Potter legacy. The Mirror has approached JK Rowling’s representatives for comment on this story.
