“Honestly, it feels a bit weird to catch that much heat from the creator of Harry Potter. Especially when I clearly look like what would have happened to him if they’d just left him in that cupboard for the rest of his life.”
That’s John Oliver—dry as ever—talking about his own spat with Rowling that happened last year over the topic of transgender athletes . And while his delivery got a laugh, the subject matter that triggered their latest clash is anything but light.
On a recent episode of Last Week Tonight , Oliver waded into one of the most polarizing debates in sports and politics today: the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions. His take, as ever, was both data-driven and politically pointed—but not everyone appreciated the nuance.
Rowling certainly didn’t.
Rowling fires backShortly after the recent episode aired, Rowling unleashed a blistering response on X. Though she didn’t name Oliver directly, the target was unmistakable.
“I understand why men like Oliver, who’ve consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially,” she wrote. “They didn’t want to blow up their careers. Taking fashionable anti-women’s rights positions was the cost of doing business. But it’s time to read the f---ing room.”
This wasn’t their first exchange. In fact, their history dates back at least to 2023, when Oliver aired another segment defending trans youth in sports. At the time, Rowling hit back with what Oliver later described as “the single longest tweet I’ve ever seen in my life”—a tweet in which she accused him of being “happy to watch females suffer injury, humiliation and the loss of sporting opportunities to bolster an elitist postmodern ideology.”
Diverging philosophies—and platformsRowling’s activism around sex-based rights and her skepticism of gender identity ideology have made her a polarizing figure over the past five years. While she insists her stance is rooted in protecting women and girls, her critics, including Oliver, say her views ignore the lived realities of transgender people—and contribute to harmful public discourse.
Oliver, for his part, laid out what he called “the actual numbers” in his latest segment, arguing that the panic over trans inclusion in sports is statistically unsupported. He dismissed broad-brush claims that trans women have an inherent, unfair advantage, instead urging people to examine the data with nuance.
To Rowling, this was yet another elite man telling women what they’re allowed to say. She made her point clear when she reposted a post which read as, " HBO aired a 45-minute episode… arguing that men have no advantage in women’s sports… on the same evening a women’s pool final was contested between two men."
In response to a comment Rowling further said, "They’re still regurgitating Twitter TRA talking points from 2020. I can’t imagine anyone being so far up their own backside they haven’t noticed that this nonsensical crap is facing a massive grassroots backlash, that it loses elections and that girls and women are being harmed.”
The irony is hard to ignore: both Rowling and Oliver are marquee names at HBO. Rowling is set to executive produce the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, while Last Week Tonight continues to be one of HBO’s most acclaimed and awarded shows. Yet the cultural rift between them couldn’t be more stark.
That’s John Oliver—dry as ever—talking about his own spat with Rowling that happened last year over the topic of transgender athletes . And while his delivery got a laugh, the subject matter that triggered their latest clash is anything but light.
On a recent episode of Last Week Tonight , Oliver waded into one of the most polarizing debates in sports and politics today: the participation of transgender athletes in women’s competitions. His take, as ever, was both data-driven and politically pointed—but not everyone appreciated the nuance.
Rowling certainly didn’t.
Rowling fires backShortly after the recent episode aired, Rowling unleashed a blistering response on X. Though she didn’t name Oliver directly, the target was unmistakable.
“I understand why men like Oliver, who’ve consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially,” she wrote. “They didn’t want to blow up their careers. Taking fashionable anti-women’s rights positions was the cost of doing business. But it’s time to read the f---ing room.”
This wasn’t their first exchange. In fact, their history dates back at least to 2023, when Oliver aired another segment defending trans youth in sports. At the time, Rowling hit back with what Oliver later described as “the single longest tweet I’ve ever seen in my life”—a tweet in which she accused him of being “happy to watch females suffer injury, humiliation and the loss of sporting opportunities to bolster an elitist postmodern ideology.”
Diverging philosophies—and platformsRowling’s activism around sex-based rights and her skepticism of gender identity ideology have made her a polarizing figure over the past five years. While she insists her stance is rooted in protecting women and girls, her critics, including Oliver, say her views ignore the lived realities of transgender people—and contribute to harmful public discourse.
Oliver, for his part, laid out what he called “the actual numbers” in his latest segment, arguing that the panic over trans inclusion in sports is statistically unsupported. He dismissed broad-brush claims that trans women have an inherent, unfair advantage, instead urging people to examine the data with nuance.
I understand why men like Oliver, who've consistently mocked anti-science people on the right, sold out initially. They didn't want to blow up their careers. Taking fashionable anti-women's rights positions was the cost of doing business.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 7, 2025
But it's time to read the fucking room. https://t.co/FyEkqtaxcL
To Rowling, this was yet another elite man telling women what they’re allowed to say. She made her point clear when she reposted a post which read as, " HBO aired a 45-minute episode… arguing that men have no advantage in women’s sports… on the same evening a women’s pool final was contested between two men."
In response to a comment Rowling further said, "They’re still regurgitating Twitter TRA talking points from 2020. I can’t imagine anyone being so far up their own backside they haven’t noticed that this nonsensical crap is facing a massive grassroots backlash, that it loses elections and that girls and women are being harmed.”
The irony is hard to ignore: both Rowling and Oliver are marquee names at HBO. Rowling is set to executive produce the upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, while Last Week Tonight continues to be one of HBO’s most acclaimed and awarded shows. Yet the cultural rift between them couldn’t be more stark.
You may also like
Death in Paradise fans react as female detective shares major series announcement
BluSmart: Wallet worries for customers as EV ride-hailing service screeches to a sudden halt
RCB sues against Uber India for unauthorised use of franchise name
Phil Mickelson calls on US government to take action after PGA Tour star banned
India can be global growth hub amid US-China tariff war: Industry leaders
