JK Rowling denies having friendship with Fry after transphobia claim
The comedian, writer and television presenter – who narrated all seven Harry Potter audiobooks – distanced himself from the author last week when he described her as a 'lost cause'.
In his first public criticism of Rowling, Fry alleged that she had 'kicked up a hornets' nest of transphobia'.
However, on Sunday night she hit back at the criticism, writing on X: 'It is a great mistake to assume that everyone who claims to have been a friend of mine was ever considered a friend by me.'
Rowling made the comment alongside a screenshot of a social media post by Jolyon Maugham, a British barrister, in which he said: 'Really creditable this, from Stephen Fry.
'I've spoken to so many of JKR's once friends who now despair at her privately but won't do so publicly, which is very much the British way and why nothing ever changes for the better. So, well done Stephen.'
Rowling has become a leading voice in the transgender debate.
She publicly celebrated the Supreme Court's signficant ruling that transgender women are not legally women, posting a picture of herself enjoying a drink and a cigar.
Fry became the latest high-profile figure to criticise her after well-documented fall-outs with original Harry Potter cast members Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
On the Show People podcast, Fry said: ' 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. It is unhelpful and only hardens her and will only continue to harden her, I am afraid.
'I am not saying that she [should] not be called out when she says things that are really cruel, wrong and mocking. She seems to be a lost cause for us.'
He claimed Rowling was 'mocking' LGBT+ people and vowed his support for the community, adding: 'She started to make these peculiar statements and had very strong, difficult views. I disagree profoundly with her on this subject.'
Fry said he was 'very happy' to go on the record and say he was 'really angry' about Rowling's 'crowing' over the Supreme Court ruling, but added that he had always enjoyed her company and previously found her 'charming, funny and interesting'.
In her most recent addition to the trans debate, Rowling praised a BBC newsreader for appearing to reject a gender-neutral phrase during a live broadcast.
She said Martine Croxall was now her 'new favourite' newsreader after she used the term 'pregnant people', before adding 'women' with emphasis and slightly rolling her eyes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
England's opponents STILL desperate to escape World Cup kiss-gate drama: 'Stained' Spain want to win Euros final to relive the moment sleazy FA chief Luis Rubiales 'stole' from them
When England line up against world champions Spain on Sunday, they'll do so not only for silverware – but against the backdrop of a story that has, in many ways, transcended football itself. The last time these two teams met in a major tournament final, the furore that followed – protests, boycotts and even a hunger strike – overshadowed the historic achievement of Spain's victory on the pitch. Where celebrations and street parties should have erupted, the country instead found itself gripped by national unrest and a #MeToo movement that shook the very foundations of Spanish society. From a footballing perspective, tensions had been building for months ahead of the 2023 World Cup final – most notably with the protest of 'Las 15', a group of players who made themselves unavailable for selection in September 2022. Their decision was a stand against poor player welfare, with particular focus on head coach Jorge Vilda and his management style. Among their concerns were his questionable tactical acumen and alleged controlling behaviour. Vilda was reportedly known to enter players' hotel rooms at night to talk, ask who they were meeting for coffee, and inspect their shopping bags. He was also widely viewed as a stooge of Luis Rubiales, the President of Spain's Football Federation. Despite the absence of 12 of the 15 players and the turmoil behind the scenes, Spain fought their way to the final and triumphed – beating England 1–0, despite Mary Earps ' penalty save. And then came the moment that set everything ablaze – when Rubiales kissed midfielder Jenni Hermoso as she made her way to the stage to lift the trophy alongside her team-mates. The fallout was seismic. Rubiales insisted the kiss was consensual; Hermoso said it was not. Initial reaction to the incident on the country's most popular late-night radio sports show, 'El Partidazo de la Cope', ranged from shrugging indifference to outright defence of Rubiales. 24 hours later, the programme's host, Juanma Castano, issued a solemn apology, saying he 'didn't consider the difference in power and it's true that it's a boss kissing an employee'. The world took sides – and so did Spain's players. 81 of them, including all 23 World Cup winners, announced they would not return to international duty while Rubiales remained in post. His mother went on hunger strike in support of her son. Within a month, the Federation yielded. Vilda was dismissed, and Rubiales eventually stepped down. Montse Tome, Vilda's assistant, was appointed head coach – the first woman to hold the role. Rubiales would later be found guilty of sexual assault, though acquitted of coercion. Netflix later released a documentary entitled 'It's All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football', and the story continued to dominate headlines, sparking a wider cultural movement. Now, almost two years on, Spain stand on the brink of another major final. But a sense of unresolved tension lingers – a tug-of-war between the desire to focus on football and the reality that the process of healing and rebuilding trust remains unfinished. Keira Walsh, England's midfielder and a former Barcelona player with close ties to many in the Spain squad, spoke candidly on Thursday: 'Experiencing what it was like in Spain, I think they probably could have had more,' she said. Now, Spain are in a tug-of-war between the desire to focus on football and the reality that the process of healing and rebuilding trust 'The way our league jumped after we won the Euros, if you compare it to Spain, it probably wasn't the same. They had just won the World Cup, and they could have had more support. 'After the game there was all the controversy, and I don't think there was enough spotlight on how incredibly they had played. It was all about everything else and as a professional that was difficult to see.' Tome has faced her own challenges – chief among them earning the trust of a squad that once viewed her as part of the old guard. Some of that mistrust stemmed from her public support of Rubiales, applauding him when he declared he was 'not going to step aside'. Notably absent from her Euros squad is Hermoso – the official line due to 'competition for places', though the decision has raised eyebrows. But there is a sense that the players want the focus to return to the pitch, rather than remain off it. After all, they boast one of the most formidable midfields in the women's game, led by Patri, Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas. Patri, who returned last year from a two-year exile alongside Claudia Pina after receiving assurances from the RFEF that changes would be made, has lit up this year's tournament – as has Pina. As former player and veteran journalist Sandra Riquelme put it: 'The price to pay has been very high, just ask Jenni Hermoso. But without justifying it, if it has served to bring about the biggest change in the history of Spanish football, then good has come of it.'
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Welsh actor looks unrecognisable almost 30 years after his breakout role in iconic film as he strolls through London - but can YOU guess who it is?
A Welsh-born actor known for his roles in breakthrough films Twin Town and Notting Hill looked unrecognisable out in London on Friday. After his breakthrough, the actor went on to star in The Amazing Spider-Man and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, most recently making an appearance in the House Of The Dragon. He presented Welsh-language television programmes on S4C after leaving school, before making a play for the stage by studying at the Guildhall School Of Music & Drama. The BAFTA-winning actor a low profile as he stepped out in the capital on Friday on a rainy summer's day. For his outing, he wore a simple black t-shirt and grey jeans and trainers, adding a pop of colour with a colourful baseball cap. He appeared to be sporting a recent injury as he could be seen with a black wrist support glove on one hand - but can YOU guess who it is? It's none other than Rhys Ifans, who played the iconic role of Spike in the 1999 film Notting Hill alongside Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Rhys previously revealed how he led a double life of studying in an elitist drama college while breaking off doors to live illegally in around fifteen squats for months at a time. The Welsh actor said he would remove steel doors of empty council properties and change the locks before using them as his accommodation for over four years. The Notting Hill star recalled his 'great life' squatting while studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the Nineties, but added he knew it was 'illegal and dangerous'. He told Rob Brydon's podcast: 'I'd been in London a year before I went to drama school. I moved down with a mate of mine. 'For my whole period in drama school I lived in squats. I lived in about fourteen, fifteen different squats. 'It was of course illegal, and I guess looking back, dangerous. But it was a great life. 'It would be council properties, council flats. You take the steel door off in the middle of the night and then as soon as you change the locks put a notice on the door. 'They had to then switch the gas and electricity on and then you could be in it for weeks to months.' He added: 'But it was a constant case of we moved around a lot with a group of lads and girls from Belfast who I'd met at a Cramps gig and we lived together for four or five years moving in and out of different squats of varying degrees of comfort and discomfort. 'In a sense I had this real double life, which was wonderful. 'I had this kind of elitist wonderful life in college and then this extraordinary kind of vagabond existence when I went home each night. 'It was easy to do then. It's nigh on impossible now to break a squat but then it was relatively simple.' In recent years, Rhys has played Fool to Glenda Jackson's King Lear, and Scrooge at the Old Vic. He led the National's Exit The King; and then starred at the Royal Court in Ed Thomas's play On Bear Ridge. It comes after Rod Stewart revealed in 2020 that he wants a movie to be made about his life, following the success of Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman - and tapped actor Rhys to play him. Sharing his thoughts on why the Notting Hill star was perfect, he said: 'Yeah, Rhys would be a very good idea. [But] he has got to do something with his barnet.'
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
I live in the Cotswolds – here's why Americans are obsessed
This summer, American Vice President JD Vance has opted for a rather un-Trumpian vacation. No golden elevators or Mar-a-Lago this time: he'll be heading with his family to the Cotswolds in August, reportedly renting a romcom-worthy cottage. The Cotswolds really is as beautiful as the postcards – and Instagram posts – would have you believe. The region that spans parts of six counties (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Somerset) has always had a touch of glamour to it: it's been a hub for the wealthy since the heyday of the wool trade in the late Middle Ages. And more recently, the region I call home has been drawing the great and the glamorous from both sides of the pond. Taylor Swift based herself here for her London Era tour dates, Shonda Rhimes filmed Bridgerton on the streets of Bath and Jeremy Clarkson continues to cause traffic jams by selling pork scratchings to queues of Clarkson's Farm fans. Ellen DeGeneres briefly moved here with her wife Portia De Rossi (although she's just put her property up for sale). We've even had the ultimate seal of American approval – a visit from a Kardashian. Kourtney was recently spotted at Soho Farmhouse in Chipping Norton. So what exactly is the appeal for transatlantic tastemakers? For one, the Cotswolds is, simply, breathtaking, in a seen-it-on-the-telly sort of way. Gorgeous, untouched villages such as Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Castle Combe seem tailor-made for Instagram posts, sitting among golden hills, babbling brooks and gastropubs serving £18 sticky toffee puddings. For Americans raised on fantastical versions of British life (think Downton Abbey, The Holiday and Harry Potter, all filmed here), it's a concentrated dose of British fantasy: the accents, the bunting, the Range Rovers. And this isn't just an American fascination. The British elite are still rushing to join the 'Chipping Norton set', so-called as they tend to land among covetable postcodes in the north of the Cotswolds. Everyone from Kate Winslet to Kate Moss – and former prime minister David Cameron – have called it home. But the influx of celebrities, Veeps and, increasingly, busloads of TikTok-fuelled day-trippers have taken their toll on the Cotswolds, straining local infrastructure and disrupting community life. In 2023, the region welcomed over 23 million visitors, a sharp rise from 16 million in 2018. The area is usually home to 140,000 people. Some of the Cotswolds' prettiest, most untouched villages now face daily congestion, their narrow lanes overwhelmed by tour buses as well as increased litter and noise. The tourism economy, one of the area's largest incomes, supports jobs but inflates property prices, creating a housing shortage in which thousands of covetable cottages have been converted into holiday lets. I live in a wonderfully un-touristy corner of the Cotswolds (visitors often don't realise it's big enough to have plenty of 'normal' towns and communities). Last month, I stayed in Castle Combe, often dubbed 'the prettiest village in England'. Around 350 people live here, but I didn't see a single local – the narrow streets were thronged with international influencers busily filming videos. Charming cottages, with roses around their doorframes, were plastered with signs begging visitors not to fly drones. It felt closer to a visiting a theme park than a tucked-away treasure. And yet it's still possible to find magic in the Cotswolds, and I think to write off the region William Morris called 'heaven on earth' as a playground for the posh is a disservice. Stunning villages such as Snowshill and Guiting Power offer tranquil walks and pint-sized pubs. The market town of Cirencester will please photographers but is still a proper community with a great foodie scene, while Tetbury groans with antiques. Stroud sits jewel-like in the heart of the Five Valleys, its rolling green hills perfect for escaping the madding crowds. Or visit spots that are actually equipped to welcome tourists. Stroll among autumn colour at Westonbirt Arboretum, explore National Trust sites such as Chedworth Roman Villa or spot wildlife at Cotswold Water Park. Avoid Airbnbs and stay instead in a boutique hotel. The Painswick sits in a chocolate box village while Wild Thyme and Honey has a relaxed, pubby vibe. Cowley Manor offers heated indoor and outdoor pools, plus an award-winning restaurant. Or simply head right out of this corner of the country completely. The Shropshire Hills are far quieter than the Cotswolds. The Suffolk coast and many corners of Somerset offer chocolate-box charm without the Instagram hoards. The Cotswolds will no doubt remain catnip for celebrities and clout-chasers, but for those in search of real countryside calm – and a Britain less filtered – it's worth taking the road less travelled. After all, who wants exactly the same holiday snaps as JD Vance?
