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JK Rowling slams Emma Watson as ‘ignorant’ amid ongoing feud: ‘I'm not owed…’
JK Rowling and Emma Watson’s feud has been rekindled due to the Harry Potter actress’ comments on a podcast.
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Harry Potter author JK Rowling has hit back at actress Emma Watson for her comments aimed at the writer on a recent podcast. In a long post on X, Rowling accused Watson of living a privileged life and having “so little experience of real life (that) she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”
This follows Watson’s appearance on the ‘On Purpose with Jay Shetty’ podcast. During her interview, the actor, famous for playing Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, spoke about her disagreements with Rowling over the writer’s views on the trans community.
As per Variety, the feud began in 2020 when Rowling’s opinions on gender identity led to a backlash, with Watson disagreeing with the author’s comments. The 35-year-old actress’ recent comments on the podcast with Jay Shetty reignited the debate. Watson said that she could disagree with Rowling's views on the trans community while cherishing the memories of working with the Harry Potter writer.
“I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have means that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo (Rowling) and the person that I had personal experiences with,” Watson told Shetty earlier this month.
Also Read: Emma Watson breaks silence about rift with JK Rowling: ‘The thing I'm most upset about…’
JK Rowling slams Emma Watson
Rowling responded to Watson’s comments with a long post on X. In it, she wrote:
“I'm not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created,” the author said. “Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology,” she added.
She further claimed that Watson had sent a handwritten note to her saying, “I’m so sorry for what you’re going through.” Rowling then changed tack to talk about how the actor will never experience harsh realities of life, like using a “mixed-sex changing room” or “sharing a prison cell with a male rapist who's identified into the women's prison.”
Origin of the controversy
As per Glamour, JK Rowling courted controversy on June 6, 2020, when she quote-tweeted an article that used the term ‘people who menstruate’. She criticized the avoidance of the word ‘women’ in the piece.
“’People who menstruate’. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?”
This tweet led to backlash, but Rowling doubled down on her opinions. This attracted criticism from the lead actors of the Harry Potter movies, including Emma Watson. The rift between the writer and the actor has simmered since then, though now it seems to have gained a larger proportion.
FAQs:
What did JK Rowling say about Emma Watson?
JK Rowling criticized Emma Watson as someone who lives a privileged life and is not qualified to speak on sensitive matters like the debate on trans identity.
What did Emma Watson say?
Watson appeared on Jay Shetty’s podcast and said that she can both fondly look back upon her association with Rowling while having views critical of her.
Does Emma Watson agree with JK Rowling’s views?
No, the actress previously said that she did not see eye to eye with Rowling.
