JK Rowling reignites feud with Harry Potter trio as she issues pointed dig at Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint
JK Rowling has appeared to take aim at Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in one of her latest social media posts.
The 59-year-old author couldn’t resist issuing a seemingly tongue-in-cheek jibe at the actor when she responded to a question asking: “What actor/actress instantly ruins a movie for you?”
Rowling cryptically replied to the X user’s probe: “Three guesses. Sorry, but that was irresistible.”
She added laughing-face emojis to her post, which was made on Tuesday, March 18. The comments have been widely interpreted as a dig at Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, who played the lead roles in the Harry Potter film series.
The three actors have publicly opposed Rowling’s views on transgender issues in recent years.
Their relationship with the author has become increasingly strained as they have expressed discomfort with her stance.
Rowling’s Harry Potter franchise has grown into a billion-dollar enterprise spanning films, merchandise, theme parks, and a forthcoming HBO series.
The rift began when Radcliffe became the first actor to speak out against Rowling’s views on transgender identities in 2020.
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“Transgender women are women,” he stated through The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention charity for young LGBTQ+ people.
Grint and Watson subsequently backed his position, with both making comments against Rowling.
Watson later appeared to make a subtle dig at the author during a 2022 Baftas appearance, emphasising “I’m here for all the witches!” after being introduced as a feminist.
Rowling’s comment drew mixed reactions on social media.
“Three guesses? The same people who made millions off your work, then turned on you when it was ‘cool’,” wrote one supporter.
Another defended her: “The sad thing is at least two of the three would have never been more than character actors!”
Critics also weighed in, with one person commenting: “They ruined the movies for you, but you ruined everything else for everyone else, at least for those with beating hearts.”
Rowling first made her stance on biological women’s rights public in December 2019, tweeting support for researcher Maya Forstater.
Forstater’s job contract at a think-tank was not renewed following tweets questioning government plans to allow people to self-identify as another gender.
The author has denied being transphobic, but previously stated she would rather go to jail than refer to a trans person by their preferred pronouns. She later published an essay about gender identity ideology on her website.
Three guesses.
Sorry, but that was irresistible.
🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/hAMHw2b8EV
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) March 18, 2025
Last year, Radcliffe revealed he had not spoken to the author in years.
“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” he said. “Because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic.”
He explained his decision to speak out: “I’ve met so many queer and trans kids and young people who had a huge amount of identification with Potter.”
In April 2024, Rowling stated she would not forgive the actor. “Save their apologies,” she said following the publication of the Cass report.