FACT CHECK: Did JK Rowling Publish These Tweets About Being Adored In The Harry Potter Universe?

Anna MockAugust 9, 2022

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows tweets from author J.K. Rowling describing how characters in the Harry Potter book series would look favorably on her.

Verdict: False

The tweets are digitally fabricated. There is no evidence to suggest Rowling made such statements on social media or elsewhere.

Fact Check:

Rowling, the author behind the Harry Potter book series, previously made headlines for criticizing gender-oriented policies that she claims “endanger extremely vulnerable teenage girls,” according to Fox News. An image shared on Facebook claims she recently took to Twitter to defend herself from the criticism.

The Facebook image appears to show a tweet thread from Rowling where she imagines herself as a universally-loved shopkeeper in the Harry Potter universe. “Calling me a transphobe would be unthinkable in the world of Harry Potter,” reads part of one tweet, while another states that only the villains of Harry Potter would call her a “bigot.”

This screenshot is digitally altered. The tweets cannot be found on Rowling’s verified Twitter account or on her other social media accounts. Archived versions of her Twitter account likewise do not show any record of the tweets. (RELATED: No, JK Rowling Did Not Publish This Tweet About Abortions)

“The tweets shown in the Facebook screengrab you sent are obviously not by J.K. Rowling, and do not appear on her verified Twitter feed,” said Rebecca Salt, a spokesperson for the author, in an email to Check Your Fact.

The image appears to stem from a satirical Aug. 3 article featured on the website Clickhole. The website’s “about“ page states, “The First Amendment protects satire as a form of free speech and expression. ClickHole uses invented names in all of its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized.”

This is not the first time an article from ClickHole has spread on social media without users realizing its satirical nature. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from the outlet that former Secretary of Defense James Mattis said there is a backup American flag if Idaho “disappears.”