JK Rowling issues scathing response as TV host reignites trans athletes clash with Harry Potter author: ‘Read the room’
JK Rowling and John Oliver have reignited their public feud over transgender athletes in sports.
The Harry Potter author and the Last Week Tonight host clashed after Oliver dedicated a significant portion of his show to defending trans athletes.
The dispute has escalated on social media, with Rowling accusing Oliver of “selling out” and taking “fashionable anti-women’s rights positions”.
This marks their second public disagreement on the issue, following an initial clash in November last year.
In Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, Oliver returned to the topic of transgender athletes in sports.
During the segment, he addressed Rowling directly, joking: “It feels a bit weird to catch that much heat from the creator of Harry Potter, especially when I clearly look like what would have happened to him if they left him in that cupboard for the rest of his life.”
Oliver maintained that he “stands by” his previous comments from last year.
He also argued that “you can basically say anything you want about trans people, as long as you tag on ‘in sports’ after it.”
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Rowling swiftly responded to Oliver’s latest comments on social media platform X.
“I understand why men like Oliver, who’ve consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially. They didn’t want to blow up their careers,” she wrote.
She continued: “Taking fashionable anti-women’s rights positions was the cost of doing business. But it’s time to read the f***ing room.”
The author’s sharp rebuke came just hours after the broadcast aired.
The pair first clashed in November when Oliver stated on his show that there are “vanishingly few trans girls” competing in school sports.
He also claimed there is “no evidence” that transgender athletes “pose any threat to safety or fairness”.
At the time, Rowling responded with a lengthy post on X, referring to Oliver as “an undoubtedly intelligent person” who “spouts absolute bulls***”.
She further accused him of being “happy to watch females suffer injury, humiliation and the loss of sporting opportunities”.
Rowling has long faced criticism for her views on gender issues, which some have labelled transphobic – an accusation she strongly denies.
Last year, the bestselling author revealed in her book of essays, “The Women Who Wouldn’t Say Wheesht”, that loved ones had pleaded with her to keep her views on transgender women to herself.
She wrote that she initially remained silent “because people around me, including some I love, were begging me not to speak.”
Her association with gender-critical views has become so pronounced that her name has entered cultural debates on the topic.
The controversy extends beyond this specific dispute, with HBO facing criticism for Rowling’s involvement in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series.
Last month, HBO stated: “JK Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.”