J.K. Rowling’s Most Controversial Moments Through the Years

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J.K. Rowling's Most Controversial Moments Through the Years

J.K. Rowling is considered one of the most prolific authors of all time for writing the fictional Harry Potter series, but her real-life opinions have been marred with controversy. The U.K. native first came under fire in 2007 shortly after the series’ final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was published. Rowling revealed to fans at Carnegie Hall that Albus Dumbledore had romantic feelings for his friend turned rival, Gellert Grindelwald, when they were teenagers. “Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was,” Rowling said at the time. Some fans took issue with the revelation because Dumbledore's sexuality was never hinted at or mentioned in the book series. Years later, Rowling teased that Dumbledore's relationship with Grindelwald would be depicted in the 2018 film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald — a prequel to the Harry Potter series that featured a young Dumbledore (Jude Law). “You will see Dumbledore as a younger man and quite a troubled man — he wasn’t always the sage,"  Rowling — who penned the screenplay — told Time Magazine in 2016. "We’ll see him at that formative period of his life. As far as his sexuality is concerned … Watch this space.” [jwplayer FywmuGWQ-l3ahXupL] However, director David Yates told Entertainment Weekly in January 2018 that the movie would “not explicitly” make it clear that Dumbledore is gay. After fans expressed their disappointment, Rowling addressed the uproar tweeting that Crimes of Grindelwald is only “part of a five-movie series.” The Casual Vacancy author faced backlash again in December 2019 when she publicly supported British researcher Maya Forstater, who was fired after making transphobic comments. Six months later, Rowling tweeted an article titled “Opinion: Creating a more equal post-COVID-19 world for people who menstruate.” She wrote at the time,"‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?" Her comments — which she later defended in a lengthy essay — caused celebrities including Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne and Emma Watson to voice their allyship with the transgender community. Scroll down to see Rowling's most controversial moments throughout the years. [podcast_block]

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Slamming 'Skinny-Obsessed World'

Rowling made headlines in 2006 when she said she critized people's preoccupation with being thin.

"I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be?" she wrote in an op-ed for The Times. "Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I’m not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain."

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Teasing Dumbledore's Sexuallity

Rowling confirmed in 2007 that Dumbledore is gay and once had romantic feelings for his friend Grindewald. The author hinted that the Hogwarts headmaster's relationship would be depicted in the 2018 film Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but the romance wasn't addressed. However, Rowling insisted in the film's DVD commentary that the wizards had a "sexual dimension" to their relationship.

“I’m less interested in the sexual side — though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship — than I am in the sense of the emotions they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships,” she said.

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Championing Diversity for Hermione Granger

Rowling came under fire in 2015 after she gave her approval for a Black actress to play the character of Hermione Granger in the London play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

"Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione," she tweeted after the production announced the casting of award-winning actress Noma Dumezweni.

Rowling told The Observer in 2016, "I had a bunch of racists telling me that because Hermione 'turned white' — that is, lost (color) from her face after a shock — that she must be a white woman, which I have a great deal of difficulty with. But I decided not to get too agitated about it and simply state quite firmly that Hermione can be a black woman with my absolute blessing and enthusiasm."

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Defending Madonna's Brit Awards Fall

Rowling stood by the "Like a Virgin" singer's side after she became the subject of memes for taking a tumble at the 2015 Brit Awards.

"Are you the sort of person who gloats when they see a woman fall, or the kind that celebrates a magnificent recovery? #TeamMadonna," Rowling tweeted at the time.

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Writing About Native American Wizards

The author penned a fictional essay on Native American wizards between the 14th and 17th centuries in North America for Pottermore in 2016. Rowling referenced the Navajo legend of the skin-walker, which she said “has its basis in fact."

One Twitter user wrote, "You can't just claim and take a living tradition of a marginalized people. That's straight up colonialism/appropriation."

Another fan added, "Imagine how many Native Americans are going to be gaslit about their own culture under the guise "well in canon it's actually like this...'"

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Championing Serena Williams

Rowling slammed a Twitter troll in 2016 after they said the tennis player is "built like a man." The Cuckoo's Calling author shared two photos of Williams in a body-hugging dress writing, "'She is built like a man.' Yeah, my husband looks just like this in a dress. You're an idiot."

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Feuding with Piers Morgan

Rowling and the former America's Got Talent host fought via Twitter in 2017. "Yes, watching Piers Morgan being told to f--k off on live TV is *exactly* as satisfying as I'd always imagined," she wrote after watching Morgan's appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher.

Morgan replied, "This is why I've never read a single word of Harry Potter."

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Casting Johnny Depp in 'Crimes of Grindelwald'

Rowling weathered backlash in 2017 when she said she was "genuinely happy" about Depp's casting as Grindelwald despite allegations of domestic violence by his ex-wife Amber Heard, which he has since denied.

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Anti-Transgender Opinions

The Harry Potter creator publicly supported British researcher Maya Forstater — who was fired after making transphobic comments — in 2019. Rowling posted a series of controversial tweets in 2020 writing, "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn't hate to speak the truth."

Rowling defended her opinions in a lengthy essay after being labeled a "TERF," which stands for Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist. "It isn’t enough for women to be trans allies," she wrote. "Women must accept and admit that there is no material difference between trans women and themselves."

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Coming Out as a Sexual Assault Survivor

The screenwriter came out as a "domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor" in the wake of her 2020 anti-transgender controversy. Rowling said that she made the remarks as "memories of a serious sexual assault I suffered in my twenties recurred on a loop." 

She explained, "That assault happened at a time and in a space where I was vulnerable, and a man capitalized on an opportunity. I couldn't shut out those memories and I was finding it hard to contain my anger and disappointment about the way I believe my government is playing fast and loose with women and girls' safety."

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Doubling Down

In August 2020, the author returned an award from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization after its president, Kerry Kennedy, publicly denounced her comments about members of the trans community. "Because of the very serious conflict of views between myself and RFKHR, I feel I have no option but to return the Ripple of Hope Award bestowed upon me last year," Rowling wrote in a statement on her website. "I am deeply saddened that RFKHR has felt compelled to adopt this stance, but no award or honour, no matter my admiration for the person for whom it was named, means so much to me that I would forfeit the right to follow the dictates of my own conscience." Despite facing widespread criticism for her remarks, Rowling insisted that she doesn't "hate trans people or wish them ill" and is not "responsible for harm to trans people."

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Continuing the Debate

In December 2021, as the first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore premiered, Rowling was heavily criticized for another anti-trans social media post regarding a report that the Scottish police would begin to "record rapes by offenders with male genitalia as being committed by a woman if the attacker 'identifies as a female.'" At the time, she tweeted, "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. The Penised Individual Who Raped You Is a Woman."

Though she received some support, many Twitter users fought back, wondering why Rowling continued to put her controversial viewpoints on such a public platform. "You literally have a castle and you spend your time doing this," one person replied, as another wondered, "Why is this how you want to be remembered? Why is this the hill you've chosen? What do you stand to gain from this?"