Stephen Fry has publicly criticised JK Rowling, expressing his belief that the author has been “radicalised by TERFs” and is now a “lost cause” on the issue of transgender rights.
Speaking during a live recording of The Show People podcast at London’s Two Brewers bar, the actor and author voiced his frustration over Rowling’s ongoing commentary about trans people. Fry, who famously narrated all seven Harry Potter audiobooks, had previously refrained from condemning Rowling directly, despite acknowledging that her comments had deeply upset his trans friends.
“She has been radicalised, I fear, and it may be she has been radicalised by TERFs, but also by the vitriol that is thrown at her,” Fry said during the interview, as reported by the Daily Mail. “It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her, I am afraid. She seems to be a lost cause for us.”
Fry continued by expressing disappointment over Rowling’s public stance and tone. “She started to make these peculiar statements and had very strong, difficult views. She seemed to wake up or kick a hornet’s nest of transphobia, which has been entirely destructive,” he said. “I disagree profoundly with her on this subject. I am angry she does not disavow some of the more revolting and truly horrible, violently destructive things that people say. She does not attack those at all.”
According to Fry, Rowling’s rhetoric has been “inflammatory and contemptuous,” contributing to an already distressing environment for trans people. He criticised her celebration of controversial gender-related legislation, particularly in Scotland.
Despite previously describing Rowling as “charming, funny and interesting,” Fry admitted that her recent statements had changed how she interacts with the world. “This thing happened and it completely altered the way she talks and engages with the world now.”
This marked shift in tone contrasts with Fry’s earlier remarks from 2022, when he told Beeb Watch podcast host Roger Bolton that he hoped for mutual understanding. “I would wish them both to retreat and to consider that it is possible for trans people to live full, accepted lives, according to their terms, in society, and for women to have all the rights and dignities that they demand,” he said. “But it isn’t possible if each side looks on the other as an enemy.”
Fry also came under fire in December for distancing himself from LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, criticising its current direction and policies, calling them “shameful and sad.”
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