The CEO of HBO said J.K. Rowling is “entitled” to her own opinions on trans rights.
The network has faced backlash from fans over working with the author on a new “Harry Potter” series because of her transphobic views, which she regularly posts about online. CEO Casey Bloys said last week he doesn’t “often” monitor Rowling’s social media accounts, and HBO working with her is nothing new.
“I’ve said this before, but the decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us,” Bloys said on an episode of the podcast “The Town with Matthew Belloni.” “We’ve been in business for 25 years. We already have a show on HBO from J.K. Rowling called ‘C.B. Strike’ that we do with the BBC. I think it’s pretty clear those are her personal political views. She’s entitled to them. ‘Harry Potter’ is not being secretly infused with anything, and she’s entitled to those views and I think people are pretty clear that she’s entitled to them, and if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”
Since 2019, Rowling has been open about her transphobic views. In 2020, she mocked an article that used the inclusive phrase “people who menstruate,” saying “if sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.” Later that year, she published an essay on her website on why she’s been outspoken about gender, writing that she is “worried about the new trans activism.”
Rowling has only become even more outspoken since. Actors and celebrities have spoken out against her, including Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the “Harry Potter” movies. Most recently, actor Pedro Pascal called out Rowling for seemingly gloating about the U.K. Supreme Court’s ruling excluding transgender women from the definition of women.
“Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right,” Pascal commented on an Instagram video about Rowling. “Heinous LOSER behavior.”
Bloys said on the podcast that neither Pascal, who stars in HBO’s “The Last of Us,” nor any other HBO talent has said anything about the network working with Rowling.
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