Can you still love Harry Potter without supporting J.K. Rowling? Fans are now at war about the answer to that question.
The U.K. Supreme Court ruled that trans women are not legally women—a decision cheered on by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Just hours after the ruling, the author posted a photo of herself on X smoking a cigar and holding a cocktail, captioned: “I love it when a plan comes together.”
I love it when a plan comes together.#SupremeCourt #WomensRights pic.twitter.com/agOkWmhPgb
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2025
The backlash was swift. The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal called the post “heinous loser behavior.” Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan added, “This is a new low for J.K. Rowling. Keep your Harry Potter lads. I wouldn’t touch [the series] with a ten-foot pole.” Coughlan was referencing the upcoming Harry Potter reboot on Max, a project that Rowling stands to profit from.
The ruling followed a campaign by For Women Scotland, an anti-trans group that Rowling has financially supported (to the tune of £70,000). That’s a large sum, but just a portion of her wealth. According to an article published in The Times in May 2024, Rowling is worth a whopping £945. And with the profits from the Hogwarts Legacy game and the Max reboot on the horizon, Rowling’s influence—and her bank account—are set to grow even more.
These developments don’t just raise a familiar question: Can you separate the art from the artist? When it comes to Harry Potter, whose fans can be fiercely devoted to the material, the question becomes: At what point does disagreeing with Rowling’s politics lead to a refusal to support the franchise in any way? Stop buying the books, not going to the theme park, not watching the future TV show. In other words, giving up on Potter completely.
An increasingly vocal contingent of fans is calling for a full boycott.
As Salon recently noted, HBO chief Casey Bloys confirmed Rowling is “very involved” in the reboot. That means Rowling has a creative hand and financial stake in the project.
“Separating art from the artist only works when the artist is dead and can’t profit from your love of their work,” one Redditor argued. “Rowling is not only alive, she’s using your money to fund anti-trans causes.”
These posts on X echo that sentiment:
If you consume ANY of JK Rowling’s work (yes including Harry Potter) you are funding the systematic and deliberate demonisation and attacks on your LGBTQ+ friends and family. pic.twitter.com/SipWphA3dJ
— Critical Cupcake 🌈 ♿ ⚛️ (@CriticalCupcake) April 17, 2025
i am extremely critical of the efficacy of boycott campaigns in general, but considering jk rowling is literally funding attacks against the lgbtq community with the proceeds of Harry Potter IP, this new show needs to be completely boycotted
— Patrick Lenton (@PatrickLenton) April 17, 2025
Still, for many years, others have pushed back against this argument. They claim that Rowling is already nearly a billionaire, and that a boycott, while morally satisfying, would not affect her wealth. So what would be the point?
“She’s so rich that making her even more rich couldn’t possibly make her any worse. Capitalism is truly a f***ed up system lol,” one Redditor argued.
Another user agreed, writing: “I think people who think they are going to have any impact on her monetarily are living a fantasy.”
It’s also hard for some longtime Harry Potter fans to give up the franchise, even if they disagree completely with Rowling’s beliefs.
“I don’t think it’s fair to expect people to stop loving Harry Potter and write the books off,” a fan wrote on their blog. “I grew up with Harry Potter and it means too much to me to let go completely.”
Then there’s a third camp: those trying to carve out a middle path. Fan-led projects like The Rise of the Order aim to reclaim the Harry Potter universe with inclusive, LGBTQI+ centered storytelling.
“There is a right way to do it” one member of the group said to popular YouTuber Kurtis Connor during his video on the fandom. “But I make it clear that I don’t support her views, and I don’t fund anything that I know will go into her pockets.”
Suggestions for fans who can’t live without their Harry Potter fix are to check the books out from a library, buy them second-hand, borrow a friend’s game, and, if they’re desperate to rewatch the movies or see the new show… Well, let’s just say piracy isn’t off the table. (Joking, sort of, not really).
At the end of the day, money talks. There’s an argument that if enough fans walk away and take their wallets with them, companies like Max and Warner Bros. may listen. The theory is that once it’s clear to them that working with Rowling was a poor financial investment, then they will, as Coughlan so elegantly put it, refuse to touch anything Rowling related “with a ten-foot pole.”
It’s a morally complicated issue for many Harry Potter fans, forcing them to make some difficult existential decisions—ironically, of the kind a character might have to make in one of Rowling’s books.
The post Harry Potter Fans at War Over J.K. Rowling and Boycotts appeared first on The Daily Beast.
