Harry Potter author JK Rowling has claimed in a sizzling interview that her comments about transgender people were “deeply” misunderstood – two years after she liked a tweet that called transgender women “men in dresses”.
Rowling, 57, made the comments on the yet to be released podcast titled The Witch Trials of JK Rowling – a self-proclaimed “audio documentary” in which the British author will address the backlash she has faced since the summer of 2020.
Hosted by Christian political activist Megan Phelps-Roper, the audio essay features Rowling speaking at length about the controversies surrounding her – from book bans to fans abandoning her books altogether.
In a trailer for the new podcast, Rowling – who speaks to Phelps-Roper at her $2.8million Edinburgh mansion – can be heard insisting she never intended to offend anyone with her comments about transgender people, including her essay dated June 10, 2020, in which the author said: “deep concern about the consequences of trans activism.
“I never meant to upset anyone,” Rowling can be heard saying in the brief snippet of the backlash she has faced since that essay and a subsequent series of social media posts.
The 57-year-old author made the comments on the yet-to-be-released podcast, titled The Witch Trials of JK Rowling – a self-professed “audio documentary” in which the British author will address the backlash she has faced since the summer of 2020
The series is hosted by Christian political activist Megan Phelps-Roper, who grew up in Kansas with a family that were members of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church
“I didn’t feel uncomfortable getting off my pedestal, though,” she adds.
Of the fans who accused Rowling of “ruining her legacy,” the author said, “You couldn’t have misunderstood me more deeply.”
Such criticism, Rowling notes, “has interest [her] in the past few years.’
“You ruined your legacy. Oh, you could have been loved forever, but you chose to say that,” the author said of the various barbs she’s faced since.
The series is hosted by Phelps-Roper, whose grandfather founded the infamous Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas and was a member of the church until 2012.
The once-popular author has endured a storm of protests since she expressed “deep concern” about transgender activism in a June 2020 essay, which also included describing being a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault
Phelps-Roper, also a writer for the Free Press, writes on her website that she “left a life of religious extremism in 2012” to pursue her current career as a political podcaster and free-thinking journalist.
The Free Press, a relatively new, quasi-conservative media publication that surfaced on Substack last year, was founded by former New York Time commentary writer Bari Weiss, who resigned from the paper in 2020 after falling out with her bosses.
In a letter accusing the Times of colluding with social media giants like Twitter to allegedly suppress other stories, Weiss said she faced unlawful discrimination, a hostile work environment and constructive dismissal during her three years as an opinion writer been exposed.
Weiss was previously at the Wall Street Journal and was originally hired by the Times to expand the paper’s notoriously progressive ideological spectrum following President Trump’s inauguration.
Rowling sparked controversy in June 2020 with a series of comments that began with an essay in which the author expressed “deep concerns” about the burgeoning transgender movement
Her resignation attracted considerable media coverage, with many accusing the Times of succumbing to the whims of the rapidly growing “Awakened” movement.
In the letter, Phelps-Roper — whom Rowling calls “the most accomplished author in the history of publishing” in an article promoting her new series — wrote: “Stories are chosen and told to satisfy the narrowest of audiences , rather than allowing a curious audience to read about the world and draw their own conclusions.’
She added claims that the Times and other newspapers worked with Twitter to get selective coverage: “Twitter isn’t in the New York Times masthead, but Twitter has become its ultimate publisher.”
The latter quickly made headlines, earning praise from prominent members of the GOP, including Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Kelly Loeffler.
Donald Trump Jr., political commentator Ben Shapiro, Andrew Yang and political commentator Bill Maher were among other notable figures who hailed their actions as brave.
Since then, the author has been subjected to severe criticism on social media – she will address this in the upcoming interview
Her latest project will include interviews with Rowling conducted at her Edinburgh home as she considers “some of the most contentious conflicts of our time through the life and career of the world’s most successful author”.
Rowling, a once-popular author who rose from homelessness to become one of the most celebrated children’s book authors of all time, has endured a storm of protest since she expressed “deep concern” about transgender activism in June 2020 in an essay that also described being expressed a victim of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Among those who criticized her were movie stars she made famous – with the controversy also spurring headlines like “JK Rowling’s Campfire.”
The podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling is from independent media outlet The Free Press and is set to premiere on February 21st.