J.K. Rowling reignites feud with Emma Watson in scathing 683-word rebuke

Liverpool: Author J.K. Rowling has issued a withering rebuke of actress Emma Watson over their years of dispute about transgender rights, calling the star “ignorant of how ignorant she is” over the cause and its activists.

Rowling took aim at Watson over the wealth and fame she gained from playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, saying this enabled her to fuel public attacks on the author.

She also named Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, who has also criticised her strong stance against trans rights activists and their campaigns, which she believed were a threat to protections for women.

“Like other people who’ve never experienced adult life uncushioned by wealth and fame, Emma has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is,” Rowling wrote.

“She’ll never need a homeless shelter. She’s never going to be placed on a mixed-sex public hospital ward. I’d be astounded if she’s been in a high street changing room since childhood.”

The comments came after Watson took a conciliatory tone in an interview on Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast last week to mark her departure from acting, suggesting she wanted to repair her relationship with Rowling.

“It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me,” she said. “I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with.”

When those remarks spread on social media, Rowling posted a 683-word response that showed Watson could not expect any warmth from someone she had known from the age of 10.

“I’m not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was 21 for what opinions I should hold these days,” Rowling wrote.

“Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public.

“Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.”

Rowling acknowledged that she felt “a certain protectiveness” towards the actors who had played the characters she created, remembering how they had needed help on set when they were young.

But she highlighted a remark Watson made at a film awards ceremony in London in 2022. At the BAFTA awards, the actress was introduced on stage by host Rebel Wilson, who said, “She calls herself a feminist, but we all know she’s a witch.”

Watson responded: “I’m here for all of the witches.” She then mouthed a few more words, which some fans interpreted to be “bar one”. The video went viral online and was viewed as a show of support for trans rights from a key Harry Potter star – and it rankled Rowling.

“In truth, that was a turning point for me, but it had a postscript that hurt far more than the speech itself,” Rowling wrote.

“Emma asked someone to pass on a handwritten note from her to me, which contained the single sentence ‘I’m so sorry for what you’re going through’ (she has my phone number).

“This was back when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak, at a time when my personal security measures had had to be tightened considerably and I was constantly worried for my family’s safety.

“Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames, yet thought a one-line expression of concern from her would reassure me of her fundamental sympathy and kindness,” Rowling wrote.

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