Emma Watson says she still treasures J.K. Rowling despite rift over trans issues

Emma Watson says she still treasures J.K. Rowling despite their public rift over transgender issues, telling listeners on the On Purpose podcast that affection for the author can coexist with disagreement about transgender rights.

She added, "It’s my deepest wish that I hope people who don’t agree with my opinion will love me, and I hope I can keep loving people who I don’t necessarily share the same opinion with," referencing Rowling.

Rowling's public critique of the transgender movement began in 2020 with a post accusing an article of using language like "people who menstruate," arguing the piece should have used "women" instead. Watson distanced herself from the remarks on X, writing, "I want my trans followers to know that I and so many other people around the world see you, respect you and love you for who you are." Daniel Radcliffe published an essay for The Trevor Project to show support for the transgender community and apologized "for the pain" Rowling's comments may have caused, The Independent reported.

In 2024, Rowling indicated she could not foresee reconciling with the actors over the topic. When a social-media user suggested that Watson and Radcliffe would apologize, Rowling replied, "Not safe, I’m afraid." She added, "Celebs who cozied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies for traumatized detransitioners and vulnerable women reliant on single-sex spaces."

On the podcast, Watson said she believed that being pro-transgender doesn’t mean she can’t be fond of Rowling. "I really don’t believe that by having had that experience and holding the love and support and views that I have, mean that I can’t and don’t treasure Jo [Rowling], and the person that I had personal experiences with," she said. "I will never believe that one negates the other and that my experiences of that person, I don’t get to keep and cherish." "I just don’t think these things are either-or," she added.

Watson described the bond among the cast during the eight-film run, noting how close they were and the challenge of transitioning to other projects. "It’s so unusual to make a set of films for 12 years," she said. "We were a community, we really were. So I took that as an expectation into my other workplaces, and I got my a-- kicked. I really did."

Rowling's representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.