Jaehwa Bernardo

(From left) J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson. Photos by Tolga Akmen (Rowling) and Angela Weiss (Watson), AFP/File

Article (news)

J.K. Rowling attacks 'ignorant' 'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759196639278JK-EMMA.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">(From left) J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson. <em style="text-align:left">Photos by Tolga Akmen (Rowling) and Angela Weiss (Watson), AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>LONDON, United Kingdom — &quot;Harry Potter&quot; author J.K. Rowling on Monday condemned Emma Watson as &quot;ignorant&quot; over her transgender rights views, in a stinging riposte to the former child star.</p><p>In a long post on X, the writer expressed her irritation that Watson, 35, and Daniel Radcliffe, 36 — who starred in the film adaptations of Rowling&#x27;s best-selling books — &quot;continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created&quot;.</p><p>Radcliffe, who played boy wizard Potter, and Watson, who played his friend Hermione Granger, have both taken issue with Rowling&#x27;s stance on gender issues.</p><p>But Rowling, who has not previously been so outspoken about Watson, suggested that the star&#x27;s privilege meant she was unable to properly grasp the issues at stake.</p><p>&quot;I wasn&#x27;t a multimillionaire at fourteen. I lived in poverty while writing the book that made Emma famous,&quot; she said.</p><p>&quot;I therefore understand from my own life experience what the trashing of women&#x27;s rights in which Emma has so enthusiastically participated means to women and girls without her privileges.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1972600904185483427&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-09-30T02%3A19%3A23.660156%3A345092de-5d5c-4041-8e63-0059d015a98a%26action%3Dedit&amp;sessionId=d184cf979e10876ac5b6f3bf1fc8a7900909413a&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:506px;height:847px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1972600904185483427"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><div><br/></div><p>Rowling has long been at the forefront of the debate about gender identity and has previously denounced trans activism, leading to accusations of transphobia.</p><p>She has defended herself saying her concern was the impact it has on women&#x27;s rights and single-sex spaces for women.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;POUR PETROL ON FLAMES&#x27;</strong></div><div><strong></strong><strong><br/></strong></div><p>Rowling, 60, also revealed her annoyance at receiving a one-line note from Watson in 2022.</p><p>Following an awards ceremony at which Watson publicly made a dig at Rowling she sent her a message saying &quot;I&#x27;m so sorry for what you&#x27;re going through&quot;.</p><p>&quot;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 to be tightened considerably and I was constantly worried for my family&#x27;s safety,&quot; the author said.</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; she said.</p><p>Rowling also hinted she had only decided to be &quot;this honest&quot; about the &quot;Beauty and the Beast&quot; and &quot;Little Women&quot; actress now because of comments last week in which Watson announced that she still loved and treasured the author.</p><p>This was &quot;a change of tack I suspect she&#x27;s adopted because she&#x27;s noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was,&quot; Rowling said.</p><p>&quot;Adults can&#x27;t expect to cosy up to an activist movement that regularly calls for a friend&#x27;s assassination, then assert their right to the former friend&#x27;s love.</p><p>&quot;Emma is rightly free to disagree with me and indeed to discuss her feelings about me in public — but I have the same right, and I&#x27;ve finally decided to exercise it,&quot; she said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-UGbi7fc2a4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling on Monday condemned Emma Watson as 'ignorant' over her transgender rights views, in a stinging riposte to the former child star.</p>

'Harry Potter' author J.K. Rowling on Monday condemned Emma Watson as 'ignorant' over her transgender rights views, in a stinging riposte to the former child star.