Home Box Office (HBO) has recently offered fans their first glimpse at its upcoming Harry Potter series, a project already carrying enormous expectations. 

Harry Potter is undeniably one of the most beloved fantasy series of all time, with its domination of the 2000s bestseller lists and the success of the Warner Bros movies, and with the series’ first episode set to be released on Christmas Day 2026, it’s stirred much buzz amongst fans. 

And yet, despite this budding excitement, it’s no secret that J.K. Rowling has made a name for herself as a controversial figure.  

Starting all the way back in 2018, she was criticised for liking a tweet that described transgender women as “men in dresses.” 

More recently, in October 2025, Rowling spoke out against Glamour UK for allegedly showing girls that “men are better women than they are,” by featuring nine transgender women in their ‘Women of the Year’ list. 

In March 2026, she also celebrated the International Olympic Committee’s decision to limit eligibility to female events at the Olympic Games, or any other IOC event, to biological females. Rowling continues to publicly display contentious views on the transgender community.  

Namely, she set up her own organisation in 2025, called ‘The J.K Rowling Women’s Fund,’ which “offers legal funding support” to “retain women’s and girls’ sex-based rights… including the workplace, sports and clubs, and protected single-sex spaces.”  

Described by some as “dedicated to removing transgender people’s rights,” Rowling has announced that her personal fortune will fund this organisation. 

While many fans have expressed their condemnation of Rowling’s views, several have argued that they can still enjoy Harry Potter regardless.  

Through popular fanfictions such as All the Young Dudes, which imagines the world of Hogwarts pre-Harry Potter and depicts queer relationships as canon, fans argue that the fantastical world becomes a refuge for minority communities, rather than being exclusionary. 

But can one ever truly separate the art from the artist?  

Despite arguments stating that Rowling has little involvement in the show, she’s still titled Executive Producer and is making an estimated £37-74 million every year from Harry Potter royalties.  

This is why nostalgia is the real villain of HBO’s Harry Potter.  

While watching the new series may seem unrelated to Rowling’s personal “gender-critical views” – as Harry Potter itself doesn’t contain any explicit references to transgender issues – when people continue to support the franchise, they’ll continue to directly support Rowling. 

Amid the building excitement for HBO’s new show, nostalgia comes face-to-face with accountability, as viewers recognise what impact support for the show will have.  

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