HBO Says J.K. Rowling’s Trans Views Not in Harry Potter Show

HBO is minding its business when it comes to J.K. Rowling. When asked during a recent episode of The Town with Matt Belloni about the author’s anti-trans views, HBO CEO Casey Bloys suggested that Rowling’s favorite social media topic hasn’t affected the content of the upcoming Harry Potter show. “The decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years,” Bloys said, pointing out that the company already works with her on the C.B. Strike series. “I think it’s pretty clear that those are her personal, political views. She’s entitled to them. Harry Potter is not being secretly infused with anything.” Some people have called for a boycott of the upcoming show, arguing that it can’t be separated from Rowling when she stands to profit from its success as an executive producer. (Rowling has previously used her wealth to openly support anti-trans movements; she financially backed the campaign group that pushed for the U.K. Supreme Court’s April 16 ruling that excludes trans women from the legal definition of a woman.) Bloys, meanwhile, has his own suggestion for how people can engage with the author: “If you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.”

Bloys said that no HBO stars have ever said anything to him about the company doing business with Rowling. The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal recently said the author was behaving like a “heinous LOSER,” becoming the latest of several celebrities who have publicly criticized Rowling for her rhetoric about trans people. But John Lithgow, who will live the “last chapter” of his life as the new Albus Dumbledore, doesn’t seem to mind that the author is involved. Lithgow told The Times that he was surprised to be met with Rowling-related backlash when he accepted the role. “I thought, why is this a factor at all? I wonder how J.K. Rowling has absorbed it,” he said. “I suppose at a certain point I’ll meet her and I’m curious to talk to her.” Judging by her social media activity, it might even be faster to just tweet at her instead.