Actor Andrew Garfield is the latest celebrity to speak out against writer J.K. Rowling, arguing that watching the “Harry Potter” films is now “controversial.” Rowling has faced consistent criticism for her views on biological sex, frequently calling for the exclusion of transgender women from girls and women’s sports. During a radio interview, the actor best … Read more
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes has new treats. “Harry Potter” stars James and Oliver Phelps, who played mischievous twins Fred and George Weasley in all eight movies, return to host Season 2 of Food Network show, “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking.” “I’m the kind of person that will forget to put the oven on preheat. And then … Read more
Actress Keira Knightley said she was “not aware” of fan calls to boycott the new “Harry Potter” Full Cast audiobooks and said she was “very sorry.” “I was not aware of that, no. I’m very sorry,” Knightley told Decider when asked about the calls to boycott Rowling. Some “Harry Potter” fans were calling for the new audiobooks to … Read more
“Saturday Night Live” went after J.K. Rowling. The Season 51 premiere hosted by Bad Bunny featured a “Weekend Update” segment where Bowen Yang played Dobby the House Elf to mock the “Harry Potter” author, 60, for her controversial views on the transgender community. Yang’s Dobby joined Michael Che and Colin Jost at the table and … Read more
J.K. Rowling bluntly trashed Emma Watson as being “ignorant of how ignorant she is” after the Harry Potter actress recently broke her silence on a years-long public rift with the famed author about their opposing trans views. The “Harry Potter” creator slammed the 35-year-old actress, who played Hermione Granger in the franchise, after Watson suggested … Read more
Chris Columbus isn’t going back to Hogwarts. The filmmaker, who directed the first two “Harry Potter” movies and produced the third, shut down the possibility that he’s going to be involved in HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation of the franchise. “No, I’ve done it, you saw my version,” he said in an interview with Variety published Monday. … Read more
Boy, this is messy. Boy George picked a fight with JK Rowling on X (formerly Twitter) over the “Harry Potter” author’s controversial views on the transgender community. The feud started Saturday when the British DJ, 64, responded to a thread between Rowling, 59, and another user where she asked, “Which rights have been taken away … Read more
Tom Felton stands by his decision to return to the “Harry Potter” franchise despite the J.K. Rowling drama. The British actor, 37, spoke to Variety at the 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday and was asked if Rowling’s controversial views on the transgender community affected his decision to reprise his role as Draco Malfoy in Broadway’s … Read more
Muggles rejoice: we have found our new trio. HBO’s new “Harry Potter” series has cast Dominic McLaughlin to play Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton in the role of Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. In the original movie franchise, the roles were played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, respectively. Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin, and Alastair Stout. Aidan … Read more
J.K. Rowling is not backing down from her opinions on the trans community. Last week, several “Harry Potter” actors including Eddie Redmayne, Paapa Essiedu and Katie Leung signed a pro-trans open letter after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the terms “woman” and “sex” refer strictly to a biological woman and biological sex. Rowling, 59, … Read more
Expelliarmus. The head of HBO has insisted that the new “Harry Potter” series will not be “secretly infused” with author J. K. Rowling’s controversial anti-transgender views. Casey Bloys, who serves as CEO of the network giant, discussed the upcoming show, Rowling, and her divisive rhetoric during an episode of Matthew Belloni’s “The Town” podcast. HBO … Read more
Several “Harry Potter” actors have signed an open letter pledging to stand in “solidarity” with the transgender community – even despite author J.K. Rowling’s outspoken and “anti-woke” stance against those individuals. The pledge, which has been signed by Eddie Redmayne, Paapa Essiedu and Katie Leung, comes after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled … Read more
John Lithgow isn’t being intimidated by “Harry Potter” fans. The actor, 79, did an interview with The Times of London published Sunday where he addressed the backlash he’s gotten for joining HBO’s “Harry Potter” TV series because of J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans controversies. Lithgow said he “absolutely” didn’t expect to get so much hate from the … Read more
“Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is playing a part in the making of the upcoming HBO series based on the fantasy books — despite her history of anti-transgender rhetoric. HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed at a press event Tuesday that while Rowling, 59, is an executive producer on the show, her controversies have not affected … Read more
Judy Blume was in the hot seat. It was 1984 and the author of bestselling children’s books including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.,” “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Blubber” was invited to appear on CNN’s “Crossfire,” a news entertainment show co-hosted by liberal journalist Tom Braden and conservative political commentator Pat Buchanan. As the guest, Blume sat between them, smiling … Read more
Former “Doctor Who” actor David Tennant told a top U.K. government minister to “shut up” during a speech about LGBTQ rights, adding that he hoped for a world in which she didn’t “exist.” Tennant took aim at Kemi Badenoch, the U.K.’s Minister for Women and Equalities, last week when accepting an award at the British … Read more
Ten points to Gryffindor. On Wednesday, HBO announced that the planned “Harry Potter” TV series had found its showrunner and executive producers: “Succession” alums Francesca Gardiner (who will write and executive produce) and Mark Mylod (also a “Game of Thrones,” alum, who will executive produce and direct several episodes). Author J.K. Rowling, 58, took to X (formerly … Read more
He’s not ready to hop back on his Firebolt. Daniel Radcliffe, 34, has broken his silence about the forthcoming “Harry Potter” TV series. “I don’t think so,” he told E! News about whether he’ll appear in it. “I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break. And I don’t know if it would … Read more
He was being Riddikulus. Daniel Radcliffe revealed Thursday that he once believed that Alan Rickman, who played the sinister potions master Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” franchise, actually hated him. “I was so intimidated by Alan Rickman. How can you not be by that voice?” Radcliffe, 34, declared during an appearance on the “Happy, … Read more
Hogwarts will not be welcoming Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson home anytime soon. After JK Rowling shared a recent review “of the medical evidence for transitioning children” that found that NHS did not know the longterm effects of gender-affirming healthcare for minors, fans were curious if the report could change the author’s relationship with the former … Read more