Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan Slammed Harry Potter’s J.K. Rowling
Dearest gentle readers… It seems Lady Whistledown has some select words for fellow writer J.K. Rowling. Earlier this week, Nicola Coughlan, who famously plays Penelope Featherington, a.k.a. Lady Whistledown, in Netflix’s Bridgerton publicly…
LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 12: Nicola Coughlan attends the “Bridgerton” Season Part two special screening at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on June 12, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Lia Toby/Getty Images)
Dearest gentle readers... It seems Lady Whistledown has some select words for fellow writer J.K. Rowling.
Earlier this week, Nicola Coughlan, who famously plays Penelope Featherington, a.k.a. Lady Whistledown, in Netflix’s Bridgerton publicly criticized Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, following a post Rowling made on X in response to a recent UK Supreme Court decision.
What Made Nicola Coughlan to Publicly Call Out J.K. Rowling
Rowling celebrated the UK Supreme Court decision on social media, a ruling that defines a woman based on biological sex, not gender, effectively excluding trans women from legal recognition as women.
The author, who has been vocal about her gender-critical views (much to the dismay of many Harry Potter fans, not to mention Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe, stars of the successful film series and proud allies of the LGBTQ+ community), posted an image of herself holding a cigar in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The caption read, “I love it when a plan comes together. #SupremeCourt #WomensRights.”
Before that, she also reposted a copy of the Daily Telegraph with the headline, “Trans women are not women” and captioned it with, “In case it wasn't clear: don't f— with Scottish women.”
Coughlan, said of the Supreme Court ruling, “To see an already marginalised community being further attacked and attacked in law is really stomach churning and disgusting, and to see people celebrate it is more stomach-churning and disgusting,” according to the Daily Mail.
She also shared an article with the headline, “This is a new low for JK Rowling,” and made it clear she will not be supporting the upcoming HBO’s Harry Potter series. The actor wrote, “Keep your new Harry Potter lads. Wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole.”
“Not A Phase”
But Coughlan wasn’t finished. She followed up by launching a fundraiser for “Not A Phase,” a charity supporting the trans community. The charity, according to its website, “is a trans-led, nationwide charity committed to uplifting and improving the lives of trans+ adults, through awareness campaigning, social projects and funding trans+ lead initiatives.”
The Derry Girls actor said that she would match any donations to the charity up to £10,000 ($13,200) and encouraged those who are “an ally of a trans person” to “speak up and make your voice heard, and let your trans, nonbinary friends and just the community at large know that you’re there for them and will keep fighting for them, per Variety.
