J.K Rowling has been in a feud with the cast of Harry Potter for years — specifically its stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe — over the author’s comments about the transgender community. Recently, Rowling shared a lengthy response to Watson’s September 2025 Jay Shetty podcast interview, in which she was asked about her distant relationship with the wizarding world mastermind.
“Emma Watson and her co-stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected, and I wouldn’t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work, or violence, or death, because of them,” Rowling tweeted. “However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years that they think our former professional association gives them a particular right – nay, obligation – to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created.”
So, how did this icy feud start between Rowling, Radcliffe and Watson? Hollywood Life breaks it all down below.
Why Is J.K. Rowling in a Feud With Emma Watson & Daniel Radcliffe?
Rowling’s feud with Watson and Radcliffe stems from her position on the transgender commuting. The writer believes that any person who was a man at birth should not be allowed into women’s restrooms or changing rooms because they identify as a woman. Many accused her of being transphobic, which she denied.
The Harry Potter author clarified in a 2020 essay that she “want[s] trans women to be safe,” but “at the same time, [she does] not want to make natal girls and women less safe.”
Elsewhere in the essay, Rowling wrote, “I believe the majority of trans-identified people not only pose zero threat to others, but are vulnerable for all the reasons I’ve outlined.”
Radcliffe and Watson quickly spoke out against Rowling’s perception. In a statement with the Trevor Project, Radcliffe credited Rowling with catapulting him to stardom but disagreed with her opinion by writing, “Transgender women are women.”
“Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I,” the Broadway alum wrote.
What Has J.K. Rowling Said About Emma Watson & Daniel Radcliffe?
Rowling has made it clear that she disagrees with Radcliffe and Watson over the years. In 2025, Watson was asked about her relationship with Rowling during an “On Purpose” podcast interview.
Watson emphasized that she “treasure[s]” her memories with Rowling but noted her disagreement with the writer’s perception of the trans community.
“There is just no world in which I could ever cancel her out for, or cancel that out, for anything. It has to remain true — it is true,” the Beauty and the Beast actress said. “I think the thing I’m most upset about is that a conversation was never made possible.”
I’m seeing quite a bit of comment about this, so I want to make a couple of points.
I’m not owed eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as me checking with the boss I had when I was twenty-one for what opinions I should… https://t.co/c0pz19P7jc
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 29, 2025
Rowling, in turn, slammed Watson as “ignorant” in a lengthy X post, alleging that the actress had previously given her a private note about the uproar over her opinion about the transgender community.
“Emma asked someone to pass on a handwritten note from her to me, which contained the single sentence ‘I’m so sorry for what you’re going through’ (she has my phone number),” Rowling claimed. “This was back when the death, rape and torture threats against me were at their peak, at a time when my personal security measures had had to be tightened considerably, and I was constantly worried for my family’s safety. Emma had just publicly poured more petrol on the flames, yet thought a one line expression of concern from her would reassure me of her fundamental sympathy and kindness.”
Rowling continued, “The greatest irony here is that, had Emma not decided in her most recent interview to declare that she loves and treasures me – a change of tack I suspect she’s adopted because she’s noticed full-throated condemnation of me is no longer quite as fashionable as it was – I might never have been this honest.”
