John Oliver has long been an advocate for transgender rights, which has earned him some hostility from “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling in the past. And on Sunday night, the HBO host admitted that that “feels a bit weird,” considering he bears a certain resemblance to her most famous character.
The latest episode of “Last Week Tonight,” now streaming on Max, uses its main topic to focus on trans athletes, who are one of the latest targets of the Trump administration, despite making up a very, very small percentage of athletes. It’s not the first time Oliver has pointed out that statistic though.
In his post-election show, as the host reminded viewers on Sunday night, he mentioned it as well, which sparked a harsh rebuke from Rowling.
“After that show aired, J.K. Rowling herself issued the single longest tweet I’ve ever seen in my life,” Oliver said stifling laughter, “in which she claimed, among other things, that I’m ‘happy to watch females suffer injury, humiliation and the loss of sporting opportunities to bolster an elitist postmodern ideology.’”
Indeed, that angry tirade remains online, and you can read it here if you so choose. But for Oliver, the criticism was a bit surprising.
“Honestly, it feels a bit weird to catch that much heat from the creator of Harry Potter, especially when I clearly look like what would have happened to him if they’d just left him in that cupboard for the rest of his life,” Oliver joked.
You can watch John Oliver’s segment on trans athletes in the video above.
Source link
