J.K. Rowling has been vocal when it comes to her views on transgender women, and regardless of whether you agree or disagree, it's apparent her comments have tainted her involvement with the franchise she created. Harry Potter stars like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson have publicly opposed Rowling's views, while many fans feel similarly disappointed by the author.
Rowling had a muted presence at the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore premiere. There have also been rumblings that her relationship with Warner Bros. has soured ever since they tapped Steve Kloves to work on her screenplay for the threequel, and no one knows what's next for the franchise after the latest instalment again underperformed at the box office.
Most telling, however, was Rowling absence from HBO Max's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. Many wondered if the studio deliberately chose to exclude the writer as she was only featured briefly in the special courtesy of some archival footage.
Now, though, she's explained her absence from the documentary.
"I was asked to be on that and I decided I didn’t want to do it," she tells Graham Norton in the video below. "I thought it was about the films more than the book, quite rightly, that was what the anniversary was about."
"No one said don’t [do it]...I was asked to do it and I decided not to," Rowling concluded, denying that she had somehow been asked or told not to participate.
Rowling has said repeatedly that she's not transphobic and continues to share what many feel are very valid concerns. However, the world being what it is today has meant that many have been quick to try and cancel her, while a lot of fans who would like to erase the author from existence seem quick to forget that they wouldn't have Harry Potter without her!
Regardless, we have to take Rowling at her word here, though her absence from the special was definitely strange.
Check out the full interview below: