J.K. Rowling says her controversial transgender remarks have been 'profoundly' misunderstood in new podcast
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Over the last three years, the ongoing controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling's repeated remarks about the transgender community has forever shaped how fans view her and her beloved novels. Now, in an upcoming podcast, the Harry Potter author claims that she's been misunderstood.
Rowling will discuss the backlash to her comments, which many have deemed transphobic, in a forthcoming "audio documentary" called The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling. The podcast, hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper, will feature interviews with Rowling conducted at her Edinburgh home as it examines "some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world's most successful author."
"What has interested me over the last 10 years, certainly in the last two, three years, particularly on social media [people have said], 'You've ruined your legacy.' 'Oh, you could've been beloved forever, but you chose to say this,'" Rowling said in the podcast's trailer. "And I think you could not have misunderstood me more profoundly."
Mike Marsland/WireImage J.K. Rowling says her comments have been 'profoundly' misunderstood.
In June 2020, Rowling made a series of comments on Twitter that sparked backlash from LGTBQIA+ organizations, her fanbase, and from Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. While she has denied being transphobic, Rowling has continuously spread TERF (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) rhetoric online, supported other celebrities who have been accused of voicing anti-trans sentiments, and even featured a character who is canceled for being transphobic in her 2022 novel The Ink Black Heart.
The uproar has grown louder following the release of the latest Harry Potter video game Hogwarts Legacy. While it appears to feature the first trans character within the Harry Potter universe, the game has further divided fans online and even led Heartstopper actor Sebastian Croft, who voices its male protagonist, to apologize for his involvement.
In the podcast's trailer, Rowling maintained that "I never set out to upset anyone" with her comments. However, she added, "I was not uncomfortable with getting off my pedestal."
The podcast, which is distributed by The Free Press, will see Rowling speak with "unprecedented candor and depth about the controversies surrounding her — from book bans to debates on gender and sex" — and include interviews with "Rowling's supporters and critics, journalists, historians, clinicians, and more."
On Tuesday, Rowling explained why she felt called to share her side of the story on the new podcast.
"Last year, I received a long, thoughtful letter from @Meganphelps, inviting me to take part in a personal, in-depth discussion with her about the issues that have interested me in recent years," she tweeted. "Megan proposed bringing in other voices, and looking at the wider picture, bringing her own unique viewpoint as a former fundamentalist who's dedicated her life over the past decade to difficult conversations."
Rowling continued, "I agreed to sit down with Megan because, having read her wonderful book, Unfollow, I thought the two of us could have a real, interesting, two-sided conversation that might prove constructive."
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling is available to stream starting Feb. 21.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
